How did he know? It might have been a hand signal from a well-placed crewman. Perhaps it was the experience and intuition that a Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer develops through many years of success at the Quad City Speedway. Or maybe it was a little coaching from up above by the man who put this driver in his number 58 Late Model when he realized that in his battle with cancer, the cancer was starting to win. Whatever made him do it, a perfectly timed change of racing lines with ten laps remaining stopped a charge by Mike Zemo Jr. and allowed Ray Guss Jr. to take the win during the Hershel Roberts Memorial in East Moline Sunday night.
With all of the rainouts over the past month this would be just the second event for the Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Models and thirty-three drivers converged on the high-banked quarter-mile that itself had been well-soaked during the days leading up to this show. The track crew first had to dry out the surface as much as they could just so the event could take place, and then they had to try to keep the track from getting too dusty while fighting with ruts from where the moisture will still prevalent. All in all they did a great job in producing a multi-grooved surface that allowed for some great action, but unfortunately also created a challenge for some drivers to keep their cars straight throughout the evening.
Colby Springsteen and Justin Kay would lead the Late Model feature field to the green with Springsteen, working the low groove, establishing himself as the early leader. Kay is no stranger to working the cushion and once he found his rhythm he flew by Springsteen off of turn four to pick up the lead on lap four. Justin would build a lead over the next several laps only to see it wilt away once he started to negotiate with lapped traffic.
Ray Guss Jr. driving the Roberts Motorsports #58 is always a fan favorite at East Moline, and on this night even more so, but after starting fourth Guss faded back to fifth early on. It wasn't long though before he found the low line to his liking and on lap sixteen he moved past Danny Shelliam for the second spot. Guss then closed quickly on Kay and in traffic "The River City Hustler" would drive by on the inside to take the lead on lap 22 of this 58-lap headliner. As Guss took over the lead the cheer of the crowd could be heard above the roar of the engines, but much of that noise could have also been for the run that was being made by Mike Zemo Jr.
Zemo had started ninth and looked like a mid-pack racer early on, but at this point of the event he was absolutely flying around the high side of the speedway, banging into the wall in turns one and two several times and letting the sparks fly as he stormed his way toward the front of the field. Zemo had moved all the way up to third just after Guss assumed the lead only to turn completely sideways in turn four a few laps later. Amazingly Zemo was able to make the save and had to race through a muddy infield to return to the track and despite losing four positions he went right back to work.
The first caution of the event waved on lap thirty when Andy Eckrich stopped on the track with a flat tire and it was only two laps later when the yellow flag appeared again for a Travis Smock spin in turn two. Once back to green it was Shelliam who applied the pressure to Guss trying to poke a nose underneath the leader on several occasions in turns three and four. Guss would fight off each challenge before the caution waved one last time for Tom Goble who had stalled on the front straightaway with twelve laps remaining.
Zemo had worked his way back up to third and knew that he would have an opportunity to score the biggest win of his career if the veteran Guss continued to work the low to middle line around the speedway. The green flag waved and Zemo again went to the extreme top of the track on both ends taking a couple of laps to build his momentum and with nine laps to go he had Guss right where he wanted him. Just as Zemo was to make his move though Guss charged extra hard into turn one and then drifted up the track in turn two planting himself directly in the line that Zemo had been running. The nose of Zemo's car wedged under the back bumper of Guss for a split second as the challenger had to stand on the brakes exiting turn two and his momentum was broken. Just to be sure Guss stayed in that higher groove over the final laps and Zemo was unable to make a comeback before the checkers waved.
Ray Guss Jr. climbed to the roof of the car #58 in victory lane and celebrated with his crew in memory of their loved one and the large crowd made a bunch of noise, both in support of this victory as well as the challenge put forth by Mike Zemo Jr. Brian Harris made a late charge up to third and likely took over the Summer Series point lead, Shelliam finished fourth and Springsteen finished fifth. Dean Wagner moved from 22nd up to sixth, Nate Beuseling was up to third mid-race before finishing seventh, Darrel DeFrance started 17th and finished eighth, Jeff Aikey came from 19th to ninth and Justin Kay rounded out the top ten.
Roberts Memorial Notes......When the Deery Series comes to the Quad City Speedway you can usually count on the local drivers to show quite well. Tom Darbyshire was the only non-regular to win one of the four heat races while the other three were won by Zemo, Guss and 17-time track champion Gary Webb.....One local driver who did not have a good night though was Deery Series contender Mike Murphy Jr. who failed to qualify when he dropped out of the second B-Main after running at the back......Another series title contender Tyler Bruening had a rough night as well blowing a left rear tire in his heat race and then finishing one position shy of a transfer in that second B-Main.....Shawn Mulvaney was running third in the third heat before climbing the wall in turns one and two nearly putting his #70 onto its top......In the first two Deery events Brian Harris has come out of nowhere late in the race to post a podium finish in the Richard Realty & Auction #15R. He started in the seventh row tonight and those two third-place finishes will put him on top of the point standings heading into Dubuque this Wednesday night.....Recall that Ray Guss Jr. failed to qualify for the feature in the Deery opener at 34 Raceway on April 6th......The winner of that opening event, Denny Eckrich was not in attendance at East Moline......The crowd was amused by a squirrel that ran along the top of the frontstretch fence during the UMP Modified feature as he made his way from turn four all the way to above the flagstand. He might have been asking the flagman to throw the checkers early on that marathon before heading back to his regular viewing point somewhere in the trees off turn three.
The two divisions of Modifieds, IMCA and UMP, had a serious case of yellow fever tonight and that is a shame since both feature events had some great action up front that was constantly interrupted by drivers spinning and, or running into each other mid-pack. With most of the tracks in the Midwest rained out for the weekend there were extra cars in each division with 19 IMCA Mods and 22 UMP Modifieds on hand including long distance traveler for the night Nick Tharp of Owensboro, Kentucky. The 2012 UMP Street Stock National Champion Mike McKinney of Plainfield, Illinois, was there with his UMP Modified as was Chad Evans from Mattoon.
The Bushongs, Brian and Leland brought the IMCA Modified field to green for their 20-lap feature with the son Brian racing to the early lead. Four cautions over the first four scored laps slowed the pace and while under green flag conditions it was Greg Durbin and Doug Crampton who were advancing through the field after starting together in the fourth row. Durbin would become the leader on lap four and while one more caution interrupted, the battle for the lead between Durbin and Crampton was a good one with a little QCS-contact thrown in for good measure. This one was in doubt right up until the checkers waved over Greg Durbin with Doug Crampton close behind in second. Jason Masengarb ran a solid race to finish in third, Thad Wilson recovered from some early race issues to finish fourth and Matt Werner, who did double-duty on the night racing in both Modified divisions, finished fifth.
The UMP Modified feature was one of those races that you both loved and hated at the same time. The love was for the great racing that was taking place at the front of the field and the hate was for the caution flag that appeared eight times eventually bringing the scheduled 20-lap event to a premature ending. In regard to the racing, it was pole-sitter Jeff Larson who raced out front early with Donovan Lodge and Erik Bruce in hot pursuit. Bruce would take over the point on lap seven only to have Larson coast to a stop a lap later drawing the event's fourth caution. While under green Bruce and Brock Bauman would put on a show swapping the lead back and forth with Bruce out front when the seventh caution flag waved for Chad Evans who had spun in turn four while running fourth. As the field was placed in single-file formation for the restart the flagman signaled that the next caution would be the last one and the field went back to green with eight laps remaining.
Once back under green the great race for the lead continued with Bauman taking the lead on lap thirteen only to have Bruce come back to be out front on lap seventeen. They raced side-by-side out of turn two and down the back stretch, but as the leaders were just about to exit turn four the caution waved again for two cars that had spun in turn one and even though Bauman had a nose out front going past the flag stand on what would have been lap eighteen, by rule the race was scored complete on the last fully completed lap giving the victory to Erik Bruce. Bauman would have to settle for the runner-up check tonight while Allen Weisser was about to make it a three-car race for the win after starting fourteenth. Donovan Lodge and Four Cylinder division graduate R.J. Gonzalez filled out the top five.
Twenty-four Four Cylinder drivers were left waiting in the staging area as the track's curfew expired before their main event could take to the track. Double features for the division will be run here next Sunday night.
I may have mentioned this before when covering a race at East Moline, but tonight's events make it even more relevant. This track should seriously consider implementing the "one spin and you're in" rule during the heat races as while the cautions in the two Modified features will be remembered most, it was the one or two stoppages during just about every heat race that set the precedent. I firmly believe that if drivers get it in their mind that they will be sent to the pits if they spin and sit, even only if that rule applies in the heat races it also leads to fewer cautions in the main events because the drivers are programmed to keep their car running and to continue on. Yes, I know that East Moline is a bull-ring with tight quarters and lots of door-banging action that the crowd loves, but I know of a similar track in central Iowa where this rule originated at and it seems to work pretty well there and that place has no curfew. Just something to consider.....
My wife Christine and I would like to thank Brad Hines and the entire Quad City Speedway crew for their hospitality and even though those yellows were frustrating, it will be the great racing action that will stick in my mind and will bring me back to East Moline again soon! The full results listed below are courtesy of Brad Hines.
With great weather forecasted over the next couple of days I am hoping to take in the Hawkeye Dirt Tour opener at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Tuesday night, then on Wednesday I will head back up north to the Dubuque Speedway for race number three of the 2013 Deery Brothers Summer Series. Hope to see you on the Back Stretch!
U-Pull-A-Part/Cimco IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1
1. C4 – Matt Werner
2. 85B – Brian Bushong
3. 18R – Terry Rentfro
4. 85 – Leland Bushong
5. 21 – Dan Hahn
6. 88J – Jerry Bailey Jr.
7. 26 – Joe Jones Jr.
Heat 2
1. 30 – Jason Masengarb
2. 8 – Greg Durbin
3. 1W – Thad Wilson
4. 38 – David Imming
5. 89 – T.J. Patz
6. 17 – Todd Dykema
Heat 3
1. 40 – Doug Crampton
2. 1 – Eric Barnes
3. 11 – Ray Cox Jr.
4. 29 – Craig Crawford
5. 16 – George Spence III
6. 8S – Josh Starr
Feature
1. 8 – Greg Durbin
2. 40 – Doug Crampton
3. 30 – Jason Masengarb
4. 1W – Thad Wilson
5. C4 – Matt Werner
6. 38 – David Imming
7. 18R – Terry Rentfro
8. 29 – Craig Crawford
9. 11 – Ray Cox Jr.
10. 85B – Brian Bushong
11. 85 – Leland Bushong
12. 17 – Todd Dykema
13. 88J – Jerry Bailey Jr.
14. 89 – T.J. Patz
15. 16 – George Spence III
16. 8S – Josh Starr
17. 21 – Dan Hahn
18. 1 – Eric Barnes
19. 26 – Joe Jones Jr.
UMP Modifieds
Mr. Fix It Time Trials
1. 32 – Donovan Lodge – 14.42
2. 6 – Brock Bauman – 14.51
3. 93 – Matt Werner – 14.63
4. N59 – Chad Evans – 14.70
5. 57 – Jaime Balensiefen – 14.80
6. 2 – Erik Bruce – 14.89
7. 15 – Brandon Durbin – 14.99
8. 25W – Allen Weisser – 15.03
9. 99 – Doug Curless – 15.25
10. 05 – Dave Wietholder – 15.28
11. 4 – Cody Bauman – 15.34
12. V43 – Milo Veloz Jr. – 15.35
13. 96M – Mike McKinney – 15.40
14. 32B – T.D. Burger – 15.46
15. B1 – Jeff Larson – 15.55
16. 83 – Nathan Balensiefen – 15.63
17. 82N – Nick Tharp – 15.79
18. 97 – Charley Hess – 16.21
19. 21C – Chad Tucker – 16.33
20. 39G – R.J. Gonzales – 18.32
21. 10 – Chris Morefield – 18.50
22. 43 – Justin Veloz – N/A
Heat 1
1. N59 – Chad Evans
2. 32 – Donovan Lodge
3. 15 – Brandon Durbin
4. 05 – Dave Wietholder
5. 83 – Nathan Balensiefen
6. 43 – Justin Veloz
7. 96M – Mike McKinney
8. 21C – Chad Tucker
Heat 2
1. 6 – Brock Bauman
2. 4 – Cody Bauman
3. 39G – R.J. Gonzales
4. 32B – T.D. Burger
5. 25W – Allen Weisser
6. 57 – Jaime Balensiefen
7. 82N – Nick Tharp
Heat 3
1. 2 – Erik Bruce
2. B1 – Jeff Larson
3. 93 – Matt Werner
4. 97 – Charley Hess
5. 10 – Chris Morefield
6. V43 – Milo Veloz Jr.
7. 99 – Doug Curless
Feature
1. 2 – Erik Bruce
2. 6 – Brock Bauman
3. 25W – Allen Weisser
4. 32 – Donovan Lodge
5. 39G – R.J. Gonzales
6. 97 – Charley Hess
7. 83 – Nathan Balensiefen
8. V43 – Milo Veloz Jr.
9. 43 – Justin Veloz
10. 05 – Dave Wietholder
11. 15 – Brandon Durbin
12. 96M – Mike McKinney
13. 82N – Nick Tharp
14. 21C – Chad Tucker
15. N59 – Chad Evans
16. 32B – T.D. Burger
17. 57 – Jaime Balensiefen
18. 4 – Cody Bauman
19. B1 – Jeff Larson
20. 93 – Matt Werner
21. 10 – Chris Morefield
22. 99 – Doug Curless
4-Cylinders
Heat 1
1. 12 – Mitch Bielenberg
2. 25A – Jon Scott
3. C22 – Cameron Poci
4. 51 – Ken Stogdell
5. F79 – Dustin Forbes
6. 71A – Kimberly Abbott
7. 71 – Virgil Paul Jr.
8. 75 – A.J. Rock
Heat 2
1. D23 – Zach Dahl
2. 61 – Tristin Cox
3. 07 – Josh Sharpe
4. 77X – Brandon Setser
5. 0 – Brandt Cole
6. 22 – Austen Becerra
7. 48H – Aaron Hitt
8. 14 – Drew Wise
Heat 3
1. 2 – Mike Grossman
2. 13 – Matt Musgrave
3. D17 – Brandon Dahl
4. 115X – Mike Wisdom
5. 17 – Rick Wagner
6. 12H – Erick Hood
7. 2S – Steven Rangel
8. 24 – William Mitchel
Eriksen Chevrolet Buick IMCA Late Models Deery Brothers SummerSeries
Heat 1
1. 42 – Tom Darbyshire
2. 38 – Colby Springteen
3. 46 – Nate Beuseling
4. 07 – Matt Ryan
5. 390 – Rob Toland
6. 98 – Travis Smock
7. 56D – Travis Denning
8. 19 – Kelly Pestka
9. 55 – Ryan Claeys
Heat 2
1. 11 – Gary Webb
2. 15K – Justin Kay
3. G1 – Mike Garland
4. 99D – Darrel DeFrance
5. 5 – Bobby Toland
6. 77 – Jeff Aikey
7. R19 – Joe Ross
8. 91 – Mike Guldenpfennig
Heat 3
1. Z – Mike Zemo Jr.
2. 12 – Ron Klein
3. 3 – Mike Cothron
4. 15R – Brian Harris
5. 69 – Tom Goble
6. 75M – Todd Malmstrom
7. 16 – Tyler Bruening
8. 70 – Shawn Mulvany
Heat 4
1. 58 – Ray Guss Jr.
2. 2 – Jeremiah Hurst
3. 16S – Dan Shelliam
4. 1M – Rob Moss
5. 40 – Joel Callahan
6. 56 – Andy Eckrich
7. 60 – Dean Wagner
8. 14 – Mike Murphy Jr.
Semi Feature 1
1. 07 – Matt Ryan
2. 390 – Rob Total
3. 99D – Darrel DeFrance
4. 77 – Jeff Aikey
5. 56D – Travis Denning
6. 98 – Travis Smock
7. R19 – Joe Ross
8. 91 – Mike Guldenpfennig
9. 19 – Kelly Pestka
10. 55 – Ryan Claeys
11. 5 – Bobby Toland
Semi Feature 2
1. 15R – Brian Harris
2. 1M – Rob Moss
3. 56 – Andy Eckrich
4. 69 – Tom Goble
5. 60 – Dean Wagner
6. 40 – Joel Callahan
7. 16 – Tyler Bruening
8. 75M – Todd Malmstrom
9. 14 – Mike Murphy Jr.
10. 70 – Shawn Mulvany
Hershel Roberts Memorial Feature
1. 58 – Ray Guss Jr.
2. Z – Mike Zemo Jr.
3. 15R – Brian Harris
4. 16S – Dan Shelliam
5. 38 – Colby Springsteen
6. 60 – Dean Wagner
7. 46 – Nate Beuseling
8. 99D – Darrel DeFrance
9. 77 – Jeff Aikey
10. 15K – Justin Kay
11. 56 – Andy Eckrich
12. 42 – Tom Darbyshire
13. 12 – Ron Klein
14. 1M – Rob Moss
15. 40 – Joel Callahan
16. G1 – Mike Garland
17. 69 – Tom Goble
18. 2 – Jeremiah Hurst
19. 98 – Travis Smock
20. 07 – Matt Ryan
21. 11 – Gary Webb
22. 3 – Mike Cothron
23. 56D – Travis Denning
24. 390 – Rob Toland
