May Sprint Week On The Back Stretch

You would think that with all of the rain outs lately I would have had time to write something here, but with several busy days at work and frankly not much in racing that caught my interest (too many rain outs) I haven't found the time or the need. After this, you might even say "well, he found some time, but did he "need" to?"

Amazing the effect on the internet forum boards that just the mention of the town of Belle Plaine has made.

Ian Madsen - Barry Johnson photo

Usually my Sprint Car fix is delivered over a three week period in August with both the 360 and 410 Nationals at Knoxville followed up by the Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invaders Nationals weekend, and while that little slice of heaven still lies ahead on the schedule I am getting a bit of an appetizer this week with four winged sprint shows in five nights starting with last night's "Mega Wednesday" program at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa.

The Sprint Invaders were originally scheduled to run there on May 10, but when severe weather wiped that out the show was moved to the 17th where it was again knocked out by violent weather in the region. The Karl Chevrolet Dirt Truck Series was already scheduled to join the weekly five division program on the 24th, but promoter Mike Van Genderen rolled the dice and added the Invaders as well making it a seven class show on a Wednesday night. After a weekend where nearly every track in the region was washed out, the second time that had happened over a four week run, drivers were obviously anxious to get back to racing and that resulted 113 race vehicles (cars, trucks and those funny looking things with the sail panels on top) signing in including a couple that were an absolute surprise.

Cayden Carter creates an even lower groove - Barry Johnson photo

Van Genderen takes pride in running a fast show with the next heat race taking the green before the poor old announcer can catch his breath after asking for a round of applause for the winner of the previous heat (believe me, I know!), but the Sprints can present a challenge in keeping up that pace. Still, the final checkers waved right around 11:30 and the good sized crowd on hand, whether they left after their favorite class was completed or stayed until the end went out with a smile on their face having seen some great racing on a track that the drivers could use from bottom to top.

Steve Jackson - Barry Johnson photo

While the Sprint Cars were the headliners, it is seldom that any division upstages the Stock Cars at Osky and that was the case again on this night as the lead pack often consisted of five or more cars racing two and three-wide with lead changes among four different drivers. Nathan Wood had mechanical issues on the final lap of his heat race dropping him to the rear in the feature line up, but it was obvious that they had squashed the gremlins as he picked his way through the field to take the lead late in the race. Another driver who had started back in the pack, Cayden Carter moved to second in the closing laps and as the white flag waved Wood's car showed a wisp of smoke entering turn one. Carter saw his chance and tried the leader on the high side through turns three and four giving the fans a drag race to the checkers that was won by Carter.

Curtis Van Der Wal - Barry Johnson photo

The old announcer (me) screwed up and actually said that Terry McCarl would soon be inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame knowing full well that the Sprint Car Hall is his true destination, proof of why I don't do this on a weekly basis anymore! T-Mac and his son Carson would start from the front row in the 25-lap Sprint Invader main event that would run non-stop on the wide and fast surface. Ian Madsen would track down the McCarl family and pass them in traffic to take the win and for the details and results of that race take a click on my colleague Bill Wright's site OpenWheel101.

Keith Schmitt towed his IMCA Sport Mod all the way in from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, but he was like the rest of the field chasing Curtis Van Der Wal who had a full straightaway on runner-up Carter VanDenberg who himself had a full straightaway on the third-place finisher.

Daniel Fellows picked up his third Sport Compact win at Oskaloosa in this his rookie season in a race car after having raced dirt bikes in the past and Shannon Anderson remained perfect here in Hobby Stock action, although he had to work for this one as drivers raced two and three wide in front of him for the first half of the race.

Daniel Fellows doesn't know what to think of the old announcer

Steve Jackson had to battle back after Brad Moyer passed him early to take his second Dirt Truck win here and Cayden Carter debuted his new VanderBuilt chassis in fine fashion to win the Modified main event as well. Nearly as impressive was young Derrick Stewart who who made a splash in his first trip to Oskaloosa by winning his heat from the back and then running second to Carter in the finale for the evening.

My long-time friend Mike Leffler joins Shannon Anderson

It was a pleasure to fill in for regular announcer Tony Paris who had a baseball game with his son Tyson, but that meant that the notebook stayed in the car for the night. For more details check out Dick and Joyce's 4dFan Report, Ed Reichert's One Fan's Travels and Brian Neal's Midwest Racing News. If their Osky reports aren't there now, they will be soon.

Spring Sprint Week continues Friday night with the Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invaders at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Saturday I will get my first trip to Knoxville in for the season and on Sunday night it will be back with the Sprint Invaders at 34 Raceway west of Burlington.

Hope to see you there!

Photographer Barry Johnson dubbed Carter's new ride "The Batmobile"