Sometimes the appetizers are better than the main course and that was definitely the case on Tuesday night as the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds headlined the annual Salute To Veterans event at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt. With big money on the line for all five feature winners more than 140 cars filled the pit area and a large crowd was on hand on a cool and breezy summer night in north central Iowa.
Feature races for the IMCA Stock Cars and the IMCA Northern Sport Mods would precede the 30-lap main event for the Modifieds and frankly those first two features set the bar so high that it would have been hard to clear no matter what happened.
Hometown favorite Kellie Schmidt would pace the Stock Car field to green, but it would be her fellow front row starter Calvin Lange that would race out to the early lead in the twenty lap affair. With Lange steadily building a healthy advantage there was plenty of action to watch behind him as several drivers were making big charges from deep in the field. One of those was Derek Green who had pulled the twelve in the redraw and by the time he moved to second on lap eight Lange had nearly a full straightaway on him. Everything changed though on lap twelve when David Moriarty spun in turn four and the field was pulled back together for a restart.
Green would take up the challenge on Lange and would pull ahead on lap fourteen as six drivers raced in a tight formation for the lead. As Dustin Larson tried to get under Green a lap later, Lange came charging back off the top side of turn four to lead lap sixteen, but once Larson cleared Green he also passed Lange to become the new leader with just three laps remaining. Cayden Carter who had started in the tenth row was making noise on the outside as Green continued to work the low line and with Lange, Randy Brands, Jeff Mueller and Elijah Zevenbergen also in the mix the fans were on the edge of their seats as those seven cars were all within less than seven car lengths of each other in the closing laps.
Larson who had started from the fifth row himself was not to be denied though as he held off Green to take the $2,500 win with Carter right there in third. Brands came from thirteenth to finish fourth, Lange was fifth, Mueller sixth and Zevenbergen was seventh. As Larson pulled into victory lane Sport Compact driver Bubba Brown came sprinting down the front stretch doing a cartwheel in front of the car before being the first to congratulate Dustin on the win. Not something that you see everyday unless of course you are at a track where the colorful Brown competes on a regular basis.
The Sport Mods were up next and despite the fact that they had two B-Mains scheduled for eight cars at twelve laps each, the 24-car feature field would only race fifteen laps for the $2,000 winner's check. By the way, only four cars came to the track in the second B proving once again why you should only have ONE B-Main no matter how many cars that you have. But I digress.....
Ben Schulze would lead the opening lap before Jonathan Logue squeezed under him at the exit of turn four to lead lap two. Logue looked like he had this one in the bag as Jared Van Deest and Jared Boumeester battled it out for second well behind the leader, but another lap twelve caution, this one for an Austin Schrage spin in turn four, would set us up for a thrilling finish. On the restart Boumeester would get a run on the high side into turn one and he would take the lead going down the back stretch. Logue recovered quickly though and came charging back on the inside to get back out front on the back stretch only to have Boumeester try to squeeze back under him off turn four coming to the white flag.
There was plenty of rubbin' and racin' going on as the white flag flew and that allowed Austin Luellen to stomp the throttle and go to the high side in turn one to not only avoid the potential wreck, but to also take the lead. Luellen literally came out of nowhere on that closing lap to steal the win after starting from the twelfth position. Boumeester was able to secure the runner-up position ahead of Van Deest, Wisconsin driver Todd Wiese was fourth, Colby Fett was fifth and Logue was shuffled back to sixth at the checkers.
A stout field of twenty-four IMCA Modifieds would line up next for thirty laps with a healthy $3,500 going to the winner and from the drop of the green you could almost tell that it would be Tyler Droste collecting the big check. Droste started from the pole and out dragged California driver Lance Mari to turn one before steadily increasing his lead. Joel Rust moved to second early and when Droste started working traffic mid-race Rust was able to close the gap, but he was never able to mount a challenge in the non-stop event. Dirt Tour point leader Kelly Shryock finished third only allowing Rust to gain one point on him, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hunter Marriott who both won B-Mains rounded out the top five. Kyle Strickler was the other winner of the three B-Mains as only two cars transferred from the five heat races that started either eight or nine cars each.
The next Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour event will be during the fair at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday July 19th.
With midnight quickly approaching much of the crowd headed for the gates as the Sport Compacts rolled out for their ten lap $400-to-win main event. Three cautions would wave before the second lap could get scored and with Nate Coopman taking the lead at the drop of the green from his third starting spot this one was pretty much a race for second. Coopman would cruise to yet another win in this division as Lucas Parsons and Oliver Monson chased him in second and third. Some beating and banging dropped Jay DeVries, Ryan Bryant and A.J. Myott out of the top five during the final laps allowing Tim Jergenson and Bubba Brown to finished fourth and fifth. And, once again, Brown enthusiastically jumped out of his car to be the first to congratulate Coopman on the win before doing another cartwheel as the victory lane photos were being taken.
I like this Bubba guy!
The Hobby Stocks would close out the night with another stout field as the driver who currently ranks second in the All Iowa Points, Chanse Hollatz would lead lap one only to have the defending AIP Hobby Stock Champ Cody Nielsen get by him on lap two. Eric Cross who pulled all the way in from Kansas was the cause of one of the three cautions that waved during the twelve lap event that saw Nielsen score the $1,800 win in convincing fashion. Andrew Borchardt slipped past Hollatz late to finish second while Brandon Nielsen and Jamie Songer filled out the top five.
I made the four trip because I knew that I would get to see a lot of top name drivers that I don't get the chance to see down in my neck of the woods and I was not disappointed. There were no evident delays and with the big car counts this show wrapped up at about ten minutes after midnight, but I can't help to think that we would have been out of here at least a half hour earlier if they would have transferred one more car out of each of the heats and then had one less B-Main in each of the top three divisions. Another time saver would have been to simply turn off the caution light when the field was lined up and going down the back stretch instead of having "to show" them each time for a restart, something that becomes real noticeable when it is cool, windy and already past midnight on a Tuesday.
All in all though it was a great race night and one that I will definitely circle on my calendar again in 2018. Keep an eye out on Ed Reichert's One Fan's Travels as he will file his report soon as well.
Next up for me will be the 23rd Annual Hogan Memorial at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton this Sunday night. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Shane Stewart Locks Down Outlaws Win at West Liberty
It was a festive evening Friday at the West Liberty Raceway. The sun was shining, a crisp wind was blowing from the northwest, the perfect direction to keep any dust off of the fans here and the fairgrounds were full of cars, trucks, vans and RV's that had brought a ton of race fans anxious to see the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars in their first ever appearance here. For many of those fans it would be their first time here as well and early on they saw exactly what those of us who have been here often know about the big half-mile. It was wide, smooth, fast and multi-grooved. Unfortunately though, for the final half of the night's finale, the track locked down on the bottom not allowing that final thrill that would have topped off a perfect evening.
A solid field of twenty-seven Sprints timed in with the veteran Jac Haudenschild establishing the new track record with a scorching lap of 15.737. This was the "Wild Child's" first night in the Wood/Stenhouse #17 after Joey Saldana had been let go this week and who knows, if he would have kept the car up front through the end of the night Haudenschild might have made a better case to stay in the ride longer, but after starting sixth in the feature he faded to 16th at the checkers.
Carson McCarl, making his first ever start with a 410, was the first car out to qualify and announcer Johnny Gibson tongue-in-cheek loudly proclaimed his first lap to be a new track record to the delight of many of the fans who may not have realized that it had eclipsed a mark previously established by Darren Miller in a Late Model. McCarl's time held up though for fourth quick, but when Daryn Pittman passed him for second in the first heat race it left him out of the dash and he lined up seventh for the 25-lap feature. The youngster spun though in turn two of the opening lap of the main event sending him to the rear for the restart and after a couple of laps he slowed and pulled to the infield finishing 24th.
Shane Stewart and Jason Johnson started from the front row and it would be Stewart who who slide up in front of Johnson off two to hold the lead on the opening lap. Drivers were using all of the track early, especially Sheldon Haudenschild who was using the high line to move from ninth to sixth in the first handful of laps, but then suddenly the bottom became the dominant groove. Johnson made one run at Stewart one line higher pulling nearly even with the leader down the straightaway, but when he couldn't complete the pass that left the door open for Brad Sweet to slip under him and into second. Ian Madsen then tried to squeeze under Johnson as well coming off of turn four and contact sent Jason for a spin while Madsen's car veered hard right into the concrete ending his evening. Sparks flew from the rear end of Johnson's car as he completed the 360 degree spin and continued on allowing him to restart the race in third with twelve laps completed.
Due to track conditions the Outlaws skipped their double-wide restart alignments the rest of the way and the race was slowed again on lap 15 for a smoking Logan Schuchart and on lap 18 for a stalled Clyde Knipp. Other than some scrambles near the back on restarts and a Donny Schatz pass of the younger Haudenschild for fifth this one was now a rubbered up chase around the bottom won by Stewart. A lapped car in front of the leader on the final lap allowed Sweet to make it look close in second, Johnson finished third, Pittman was fourth and Schatz was fifth. Sheldon Haudenschild was sixth, Brian Brown seventh, Brent Marks came from 15th to eighth, Paul McMahon was ninth and David Gravel completed the top ten.
The show was delayed for nearly an hour after the heats due to what was announced by the Outlaws as a fuel issue and during the last half of that time period a sheepsfoot was rolled around the surface and the grader was circling the track although I can't say that I ever saw the blade down. Then again I was chit chatting with some old friends in the bleachers to kill the time so may have missed it. I still feel that the Outlaws race format is always a prime culprit with a locked down surface because when you qualify and then start straight up there is little if any passing during the heats and with everybody running the same line it is bound to rubber up. Do any kind of an invert with passing points on the line in the heats to encourage racing and more of the track gets used making for a wider and more competitive surface come feature time. But hey, I'm just some grumpy old guy that actually prefers to see some passing even at a "big show".
Twenty-three IMCA Modifieds were a good side dish and they proved that this track could offer up some action as the opening lap of the third heat race saw the field race three by three all the way down the back stretch. That's right, there were three cars side-by-side-by-side racing for the lead while another trio was right behind them in the same formation racing for fourth.
Defending track champion Chris Zogg and two division star Justin Kay drew the front row for the 20-lap feature and one would have thought that one of those two would go on to collect the $1,000 top prize. Colt Mather had something else in mind though as he started sixth and raced his way to the front taking the lead from Zogg on lap thirteen. The only caution of the race waved for a Troy Rentfro spin with three laps remaining and on the restart Mather put an emphasis on his win by driving away from Zogg who had to fight off Kurt Kile to finish second. Kile had started tenth before finishing third, Larry Herring moved from sixth to fourth in those final three laps as Kay rounded out the top five.
All considered this was still a fun night at the races with good friends, fast cars and some entertaining racing and it was fantastic to see so many people at the West Liberty Raceway once again bringing back memories from when I was kid watching the Mississippi Valley Speedway Club action. I wondered how this crowd compared to last August when they had their free admission night here and, from all reports, filled the place. Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow get to that again?
That is all the racing that I will get to attend this weekend and I am seriously considering a Tuesday night road trip up to the Hancock County Speedway in Britt for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. Also circled on my calendar is the annual Hogan Memorial coming up Sunday July 2nd at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton. Look for me on the Back Stretch!
A solid field of twenty-seven Sprints timed in with the veteran Jac Haudenschild establishing the new track record with a scorching lap of 15.737. This was the "Wild Child's" first night in the Wood/Stenhouse #17 after Joey Saldana had been let go this week and who knows, if he would have kept the car up front through the end of the night Haudenschild might have made a better case to stay in the ride longer, but after starting sixth in the feature he faded to 16th at the checkers.
Carson McCarl, making his first ever start with a 410, was the first car out to qualify and announcer Johnny Gibson tongue-in-cheek loudly proclaimed his first lap to be a new track record to the delight of many of the fans who may not have realized that it had eclipsed a mark previously established by Darren Miller in a Late Model. McCarl's time held up though for fourth quick, but when Daryn Pittman passed him for second in the first heat race it left him out of the dash and he lined up seventh for the 25-lap feature. The youngster spun though in turn two of the opening lap of the main event sending him to the rear for the restart and after a couple of laps he slowed and pulled to the infield finishing 24th.
Shane Stewart and Jason Johnson started from the front row and it would be Stewart who who slide up in front of Johnson off two to hold the lead on the opening lap. Drivers were using all of the track early, especially Sheldon Haudenschild who was using the high line to move from ninth to sixth in the first handful of laps, but then suddenly the bottom became the dominant groove. Johnson made one run at Stewart one line higher pulling nearly even with the leader down the straightaway, but when he couldn't complete the pass that left the door open for Brad Sweet to slip under him and into second. Ian Madsen then tried to squeeze under Johnson as well coming off of turn four and contact sent Jason for a spin while Madsen's car veered hard right into the concrete ending his evening. Sparks flew from the rear end of Johnson's car as he completed the 360 degree spin and continued on allowing him to restart the race in third with twelve laps completed.
Due to track conditions the Outlaws skipped their double-wide restart alignments the rest of the way and the race was slowed again on lap 15 for a smoking Logan Schuchart and on lap 18 for a stalled Clyde Knipp. Other than some scrambles near the back on restarts and a Donny Schatz pass of the younger Haudenschild for fifth this one was now a rubbered up chase around the bottom won by Stewart. A lapped car in front of the leader on the final lap allowed Sweet to make it look close in second, Johnson finished third, Pittman was fourth and Schatz was fifth. Sheldon Haudenschild was sixth, Brian Brown seventh, Brent Marks came from 15th to eighth, Paul McMahon was ninth and David Gravel completed the top ten.
The show was delayed for nearly an hour after the heats due to what was announced by the Outlaws as a fuel issue and during the last half of that time period a sheepsfoot was rolled around the surface and the grader was circling the track although I can't say that I ever saw the blade down. Then again I was chit chatting with some old friends in the bleachers to kill the time so may have missed it. I still feel that the Outlaws race format is always a prime culprit with a locked down surface because when you qualify and then start straight up there is little if any passing during the heats and with everybody running the same line it is bound to rubber up. Do any kind of an invert with passing points on the line in the heats to encourage racing and more of the track gets used making for a wider and more competitive surface come feature time. But hey, I'm just some grumpy old guy that actually prefers to see some passing even at a "big show".
Twenty-three IMCA Modifieds were a good side dish and they proved that this track could offer up some action as the opening lap of the third heat race saw the field race three by three all the way down the back stretch. That's right, there were three cars side-by-side-by-side racing for the lead while another trio was right behind them in the same formation racing for fourth.
Defending track champion Chris Zogg and two division star Justin Kay drew the front row for the 20-lap feature and one would have thought that one of those two would go on to collect the $1,000 top prize. Colt Mather had something else in mind though as he started sixth and raced his way to the front taking the lead from Zogg on lap thirteen. The only caution of the race waved for a Troy Rentfro spin with three laps remaining and on the restart Mather put an emphasis on his win by driving away from Zogg who had to fight off Kurt Kile to finish second. Kile had started tenth before finishing third, Larry Herring moved from sixth to fourth in those final three laps as Kay rounded out the top five.
All considered this was still a fun night at the races with good friends, fast cars and some entertaining racing and it was fantastic to see so many people at the West Liberty Raceway once again bringing back memories from when I was kid watching the Mississippi Valley Speedway Club action. I wondered how this crowd compared to last August when they had their free admission night here and, from all reports, filled the place. Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow get to that again?
That is all the racing that I will get to attend this weekend and I am seriously considering a Tuesday night road trip up to the Hancock County Speedway in Britt for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. Also circled on my calendar is the annual Hogan Memorial coming up Sunday July 2nd at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton. Look for me on the Back Stretch!
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Two Close Ones, Three Runaways On Friday Night At Lee County
Three drivers dominated their respective division's main event while the Sport Mods and Stock Cars went right down to the wire during Friday night racing action at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway in Donnellson.
The 18-lap Sport Mod main event was another LCS classic, one that we have seen here often where drivers can try out many different lines around the D-shaped 3/8ths-mile track with this one involving three drivers battling for the lead over the final six laps. Brandon Dale would lead the opening lap before Austen Becerra came from the outside of row two to take the lead on the second time around. Vance Wilson advanced quickly from sixth to second, but his night would come to an early end when he slowed with mechanical woes on lap six.
Brandon Lennox and Tony Dunker would line up in the row behind Becerra for the restart and Austen maintained the lead as those two raced it out for second. Both challengers wanted to use the high to low line through turns one and two as that would allow them to get a run on the leader, but if Lennox was in second and he entered high, Dunker would go low into turn one and take away that prime low exit line off of two. The caution waved one last time on lap twelve when Jeffrey DeLonjay spun in turn two and the final six laps were nothing short of spectacular.
Again Lennox and Dunker swapped positions as they challenged Becerra, but in the final two laps it would be Lennox who would firmly take second and pull even with Becerra. Austen did not flinch though, held his line and the two drivers took the white flag in a dead heat with Dunker right behind waiting for an opening. They would stay side-by-side down the back stretch and in the final turns Lennox slipped a bit high giving Becerra the win and allowing Dunker to get under him for second in a thrilling finish. Sean Wyett and Brandon Dale were not far behind in fourth and fifth.
It always seems like the Stock Cars have a good feature at Lee County and tonight was no different as pole-sitter Chad Krogmeier paced the tightly packed field through the first three laps. Jeremy Pundt started fifth and on lap four he would take the lead only to give it up a lap later to the sixth-starting John Oliver Jr. Pundt was not about to fade away though and he stayed close to the new leader through the middle stages of the 18-lap event.
With Oliver using the low line on both ends, Pundt started to search for a faster line and he soon found that a higher exit from turn two would give him a big run on the leader down the back stretch. The first try got him within a half car length of Oliver and the next lap Pundt was able to pull even with the leader only to have Oliver pull back in front off turn four where the low line was obviously the best. On lap sixteen Pundt was able to nose ahead of Oliver on the back stretch and the next time around, racing to the white flag, Pundt cleared Oliver by a full car length and if he knew that he had that much of a gap he might have driven low into turn three to take away Oliver's line that he again used to maintain the advantage at the stripe. On the final lap Jeremy tried something a bit different in one and two and it was not as effective as Oliver would stay ahead down the back stretch and keep it planted on the bottom to take the win. Pundt got a big hand from his hometown crowd for his runner-up effort while Abe Huls was right there to watch the thriller close behind in third. Jason Cook came from eleventh to finish fourth while Beau Taylor completed the top five in his first appearance at Donnellson this season.
The first of the three "walk aways" came in the Sport Compacts when Daniel Fellows flew past early leaders Ron Kibbe and Josh Barnes on lap four and then built a half lap bulge on his way to victory. Mike Reu started sixth and finished second, Barry Taft moved from tenth to third, Kibbe finished fourth and Brandon Reu moved from ninth to fifth.
The UMP Pro Late Model feature saw some tight racing for the lead early with Todd Frank leading the opening lap before Denny Woodworth got by on lap two. Frank battled back though and used the cushion to retake the lead on lap four, but when he bobbled on the cushion in turn two Woodworth came right back to the front on lap five. Cautions on laps twelve and thirteen brought the field back to Woodworth for the final seven laps, but neither Jay Johnson or Tommy Elston could keep up with the racing attorney as Woodworth picked up another win at Lee County. Johnson's 2017 debut here at LCS resulted in a runner-up finish, Elston finished third, Gunner Frank was fourth and Sam Halstead took fifth.
The IMCA Modifieds closed out the night with a twenty car field going for twenty laps and pole-sitter Dugan Thye would set the pace. Michael Long moved from sixth to second on lap three and Thye would fight off his challenge until the caution waved for a Larry McConnell spin on lap five. On the restart Long drove under Thye for the lead and would steadily drive away while the racing remained tight within the pack. One more restart on lap eleven caused a shuffle in the top five as Long again drove away over the final nine laps to take the win with Jeff Waterman, Chris Zogg and Dennis LaVeine next in line while Thye completed the top five.
A full night of racing action for the 69 car field along with a fun filled intermission that included a Candy Dash courtesy of the night's sponsor Darkside Tint & Graphics was all completed before ten o'clock. Weekly racing action continues at the Lee County Speedway next Friday night.
The 18-lap Sport Mod main event was another LCS classic, one that we have seen here often where drivers can try out many different lines around the D-shaped 3/8ths-mile track with this one involving three drivers battling for the lead over the final six laps. Brandon Dale would lead the opening lap before Austen Becerra came from the outside of row two to take the lead on the second time around. Vance Wilson advanced quickly from sixth to second, but his night would come to an early end when he slowed with mechanical woes on lap six.
Brandon Lennox and Tony Dunker would line up in the row behind Becerra for the restart and Austen maintained the lead as those two raced it out for second. Both challengers wanted to use the high to low line through turns one and two as that would allow them to get a run on the leader, but if Lennox was in second and he entered high, Dunker would go low into turn one and take away that prime low exit line off of two. The caution waved one last time on lap twelve when Jeffrey DeLonjay spun in turn two and the final six laps were nothing short of spectacular.
Again Lennox and Dunker swapped positions as they challenged Becerra, but in the final two laps it would be Lennox who would firmly take second and pull even with Becerra. Austen did not flinch though, held his line and the two drivers took the white flag in a dead heat with Dunker right behind waiting for an opening. They would stay side-by-side down the back stretch and in the final turns Lennox slipped a bit high giving Becerra the win and allowing Dunker to get under him for second in a thrilling finish. Sean Wyett and Brandon Dale were not far behind in fourth and fifth.
It always seems like the Stock Cars have a good feature at Lee County and tonight was no different as pole-sitter Chad Krogmeier paced the tightly packed field through the first three laps. Jeremy Pundt started fifth and on lap four he would take the lead only to give it up a lap later to the sixth-starting John Oliver Jr. Pundt was not about to fade away though and he stayed close to the new leader through the middle stages of the 18-lap event.
With Oliver using the low line on both ends, Pundt started to search for a faster line and he soon found that a higher exit from turn two would give him a big run on the leader down the back stretch. The first try got him within a half car length of Oliver and the next lap Pundt was able to pull even with the leader only to have Oliver pull back in front off turn four where the low line was obviously the best. On lap sixteen Pundt was able to nose ahead of Oliver on the back stretch and the next time around, racing to the white flag, Pundt cleared Oliver by a full car length and if he knew that he had that much of a gap he might have driven low into turn three to take away Oliver's line that he again used to maintain the advantage at the stripe. On the final lap Jeremy tried something a bit different in one and two and it was not as effective as Oliver would stay ahead down the back stretch and keep it planted on the bottom to take the win. Pundt got a big hand from his hometown crowd for his runner-up effort while Abe Huls was right there to watch the thriller close behind in third. Jason Cook came from eleventh to finish fourth while Beau Taylor completed the top five in his first appearance at Donnellson this season.
The first of the three "walk aways" came in the Sport Compacts when Daniel Fellows flew past early leaders Ron Kibbe and Josh Barnes on lap four and then built a half lap bulge on his way to victory. Mike Reu started sixth and finished second, Barry Taft moved from tenth to third, Kibbe finished fourth and Brandon Reu moved from ninth to fifth.
The UMP Pro Late Model feature saw some tight racing for the lead early with Todd Frank leading the opening lap before Denny Woodworth got by on lap two. Frank battled back though and used the cushion to retake the lead on lap four, but when he bobbled on the cushion in turn two Woodworth came right back to the front on lap five. Cautions on laps twelve and thirteen brought the field back to Woodworth for the final seven laps, but neither Jay Johnson or Tommy Elston could keep up with the racing attorney as Woodworth picked up another win at Lee County. Johnson's 2017 debut here at LCS resulted in a runner-up finish, Elston finished third, Gunner Frank was fourth and Sam Halstead took fifth.
The IMCA Modifieds closed out the night with a twenty car field going for twenty laps and pole-sitter Dugan Thye would set the pace. Michael Long moved from sixth to second on lap three and Thye would fight off his challenge until the caution waved for a Larry McConnell spin on lap five. On the restart Long drove under Thye for the lead and would steadily drive away while the racing remained tight within the pack. One more restart on lap eleven caused a shuffle in the top five as Long again drove away over the final nine laps to take the win with Jeff Waterman, Chris Zogg and Dennis LaVeine next in line while Thye completed the top five.
A full night of racing action for the 69 car field along with a fun filled intermission that included a Candy Dash courtesy of the night's sponsor Darkside Tint & Graphics was all completed before ten o'clock. Weekly racing action continues at the Lee County Speedway next Friday night.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Rain Diverts, VanDenberg, Hughes, Ulin, Orwig and Weiss Win at Eldon
Race fans at the Wapello County Fair in Eldon caught a break Thursday night when an approaching thunderstorm shifted its course of movement from east to northeast allowing all racing to be completed just before the first raindrops fell on the Super Half Mile. This is traditionally the first county fair race of the season in Iowa and it played out under hot and sultry conditions that fueled a cluster of storms that originally developed in the southwest corner of Iowa and were marching straight east until they were one county west of the track. Then, as if there was a race fan up above, the first cell made a shift to the north offering up quite a light show as the final features were run.
The Iowa Sportsman Series ran to twenty-five lap segments with former 34 Raceway and Lee County Speedway competitor from the 1980's, Doug Weiss winning both.
Trent Orwig started from the front row of the ten lap Sport Compact feature and after a back and forth opening lap with Nic Van Hemert, Orwig pulled away for a dominating victory. Van Hemert dropped to third mid-race, but then came back to pass Billy Cain for runner-up honors while Kyle Boyd and Kevin Garrett completed the top five.
The Stock Cars were up next and the pre-race favorite had to be Mike Hughes who had drawn the pole position for the 16-lap affair. Nathan Wood gave chase though and was firmly planted on the back bumper of Hughes when the red flag waved on lap six. Michael McClure had gotten upside down in turn one with Riley Newton involved and it was fortunate that McClure emerged from his badly damaged Stock Car uninjured.
On the restart the two car breakaway of Hughes and Wood continued as Nathan tried to find a bite off the bottom exiting both turns two and four, but Hughes was too stout and he would hold on for the flag-to-flag victory with Wood a car length back in second. Mike Harward lost a wheel during the heat race so he started from ninth and then raced his way to third at the finish while Brad Egbert and Travis Bunnell completed the top five.
Nick Ulin was another fast driver to draw the front row of a feature, this one the Hobby Stocks and despite restarts on lap five and lap nine not even former All Iowa Points champion Dustin Griffiths could keep pace as Ulin took the win. Griffiths finished second while Scott Shull and his crew resolved whatever issues that his engine was having during his heat race to come from thirteenth up to third. Craig Brown finished fourth in his first night out this season while Doug Gorden Jr. filled out the top five.
The Sport Mods were up last and with the lightning flashing all around the hope was that they could least get in the first eight laps of their sixteen lap feature to score the race complete before the rains came. Two top contenders drew the front row for this one with Brett Lowry on the pole and Carter VanDenberg to his outside and it would be Lowry who would set the pace until the caution waved on lap seven. Colton Livezy and Kyle Hill were racing side-by-side for fourth exiting turn two and when they banged wheels Livezy went for a spin.
On the restart young Blaine Webster made a nice move into the top four, but after completing lap eight he spun in turn one sending several drivers scrambling to avoid contact. On this restart VanDenberg saw his opportunity as he powered to the inside of Lowry in turns one and two to take the lead and then the 2013 All Iowa Points Champion drove away to victory as the crowd scrambled out of the stands and headed for the parking lot. Lowry finished second ahead of Casey Lancaster, Jason McDaniel and Brandon Dale.
I felt one raindrop hit me just as I was getting into my car, but from what I understand it never rained hard enough to make a difference until about twenty minutes later. It is always nostalgic for me to return to the Eldon Raceway as my cousins Dean and Jean Church would bring me here with them in the mid-70's every Saturday night that I didn't have a Little League game. It is where I was introduced to Ed Sanger, Bill Zwanziger, Jerry Pilcher, Larry "Pee Vine" Pipes, Ron Jackson, Johnny Babb and many others. This year's Wapello County Fair comes back with another night of Stock Car racing this Sunday evening so if you are in the area treat your Father to a night of fair food and fun.
Tony Paris is either racing his horses or watching future draft pick Tyson Paris play ball somewhere tonight so I will join Dan Workman on the mic for Friday Night racing at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Hope to see you there!
The Iowa Sportsman Series ran to twenty-five lap segments with former 34 Raceway and Lee County Speedway competitor from the 1980's, Doug Weiss winning both.
Trent Orwig started from the front row of the ten lap Sport Compact feature and after a back and forth opening lap with Nic Van Hemert, Orwig pulled away for a dominating victory. Van Hemert dropped to third mid-race, but then came back to pass Billy Cain for runner-up honors while Kyle Boyd and Kevin Garrett completed the top five.
The Stock Cars were up next and the pre-race favorite had to be Mike Hughes who had drawn the pole position for the 16-lap affair. Nathan Wood gave chase though and was firmly planted on the back bumper of Hughes when the red flag waved on lap six. Michael McClure had gotten upside down in turn one with Riley Newton involved and it was fortunate that McClure emerged from his badly damaged Stock Car uninjured.
On the restart the two car breakaway of Hughes and Wood continued as Nathan tried to find a bite off the bottom exiting both turns two and four, but Hughes was too stout and he would hold on for the flag-to-flag victory with Wood a car length back in second. Mike Harward lost a wheel during the heat race so he started from ninth and then raced his way to third at the finish while Brad Egbert and Travis Bunnell completed the top five.
Nick Ulin was another fast driver to draw the front row of a feature, this one the Hobby Stocks and despite restarts on lap five and lap nine not even former All Iowa Points champion Dustin Griffiths could keep pace as Ulin took the win. Griffiths finished second while Scott Shull and his crew resolved whatever issues that his engine was having during his heat race to come from thirteenth up to third. Craig Brown finished fourth in his first night out this season while Doug Gorden Jr. filled out the top five.
The Sport Mods were up last and with the lightning flashing all around the hope was that they could least get in the first eight laps of their sixteen lap feature to score the race complete before the rains came. Two top contenders drew the front row for this one with Brett Lowry on the pole and Carter VanDenberg to his outside and it would be Lowry who would set the pace until the caution waved on lap seven. Colton Livezy and Kyle Hill were racing side-by-side for fourth exiting turn two and when they banged wheels Livezy went for a spin.
On the restart young Blaine Webster made a nice move into the top four, but after completing lap eight he spun in turn one sending several drivers scrambling to avoid contact. On this restart VanDenberg saw his opportunity as he powered to the inside of Lowry in turns one and two to take the lead and then the 2013 All Iowa Points Champion drove away to victory as the crowd scrambled out of the stands and headed for the parking lot. Lowry finished second ahead of Casey Lancaster, Jason McDaniel and Brandon Dale.
I felt one raindrop hit me just as I was getting into my car, but from what I understand it never rained hard enough to make a difference until about twenty minutes later. It is always nostalgic for me to return to the Eldon Raceway as my cousins Dean and Jean Church would bring me here with them in the mid-70's every Saturday night that I didn't have a Little League game. It is where I was introduced to Ed Sanger, Bill Zwanziger, Jerry Pilcher, Larry "Pee Vine" Pipes, Ron Jackson, Johnny Babb and many others. This year's Wapello County Fair comes back with another night of Stock Car racing this Sunday evening so if you are in the area treat your Father to a night of fair food and fun.
Tony Paris is either racing his horses or watching future draft pick Tyson Paris play ball somewhere tonight so I will join Dan Workman on the mic for Friday Night racing at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Kay's Sweep of West Liberty Comes In Two Different Ways
Start him on the front row or start him in row six, it didn't matter to Justin Kay on Tuesday night as the Wheatland, Iowa, driver prevailed in both the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour IMCA Modified and Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Model main events at the West Liberty Raceway. Neither victory came easy though on a sultry night in eastern Iowa.
Kay drew the outside front row starting spot next to Todd Shute for the 30-lap Modified main event and he would edge out Shute to lead lap one. Richie Gustin moved to second on lap two and those two would then separate themselves from the rest of the field with Kay maintaining about a four car length advantage over Gustin. After starting eighth, Cayden Carter made the pass of Shute for third on lap eight, but the leaders were a full straightaway ahead of him.
That gap was erased though one lap later when Dan Brockert slowed in turn four trailing smoke from his #30 requiring a caution. The restart was short lived when Jacob Murray and Derrick Stewart tangled in turn two on lap ten and on the ensuing restart Kay was able to get away a bit as Gustin and Carter battled for second. After going back and forth for the position Carter would settle in as the primary challenger on lap fourteen and he steadily closed the gap on the leader, especially in turn four where Kay was drifting wide at the exit and Carter was kicking off the cushion and digging low off the corner.
On lap eighteen Cayden showed his nose to the leader and Kay now knew he had a challenger. Two laps later Carter's run off turn four was good enough that he nosed ahead at the stripe only to have Kay come right back to regain the lead on the following lap. With Kay now blocking the low line off of four Carter stayed up on the cushion and was able to let him know he was up there a couple times in the following laps before the caution waved with five to go when Jesse Sobbing, driving the #92 of Josh Most, stopped in turn four.
This brought Gustin back into the mix along with Joel Rust who had started eleventh, but just one lap into the restart the caution waved again for debris in turn two. Perhaps it was that debris that had cut down the right front tire for the former NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Brett Moffitt as he went pitside to make the tire change during this caution. Moffitt was behind the wheel of Griffin McGrath's #64 and had raced his way up to tenth after starting in twenty-second.
Kay would bring the field back to green with four laps remaining and he was under fire from several competitors although Gustin slowed suddenly one lap later and pulled to the infield. With Rust digging on the bottom Carter could not just focus on the leader, but after clearing him Cayden had a run off turn four coming to score lap twenty-eight and he drove hard into turn one sliding up in front of Kay for the lead. Justin calmly made the crossover move though and regained the lead in turn two and Rust was able to move to second as well down the back stretch. Rust made his own bid for the lead in three and four coming to the white, one that Kay fought off as well and on the final lap neither challenger could make a bid for the win as they swapped positions one last time as Kay took the checkers in a fantastic race. Carter was second, Rust was right there in third and had the race been a few laps longer Kevin Kile would have been a factor as well as he took fourth after starting twelfth. Kelly Shryock will be the new point leader for the Tour after finishing in fifth, Larry Herring had a solid showing in sixth, Kyle Brown was seventh and Jacob Murray recovered to finish eighth ahead of Colby Springsteen and David Brown.
The forty lap Late Model feature would follow and in this one Kay would start from the twelfth position with current Deery series point leader Jesse Sobbing on the front row. Sobbing would jump out to a big lead early on only to have it wiped out when Kevin Kile couldn't quite coast far enough into the infield on lap nine. Kay had moved up to the sixth spot by that point and once back to racing it took him just five more laps to get to second. Sobbing had again pulled away from the field and had nearly a full straightaway on Kay, but that margin would shrink noticeably lap after lap until Justin was ready to make his bid for the lead at the halfway mark. Using a move similar to what Carter had used on him in the Modified race, Kay drove under Sobbing to take the lead on lap 22 only to have Jesse come right back to regain the lead on the following lap. Using lapped cars as picks when he was able, Sobbing did everything he could to fight off the challenge over the next three laps until Justin moved to the front for good on lap 27.
It was all over but for the shouting from there as Kay drove away to win by more than a straightaway over Sobbing who would have been under fire for second if the race had gone on any longer with Denny Eckrich and Matt Ryan closing fast in third and fourth. Pole-sitter Kyle Hinrichs finished in the fifth position, Chad Holladay was sixth followed by Andy Eckrich and Jeremiah Hurst who had started eighteenth, while veteran drivers Darrel DeFrance and Ron Boyse completed the top ten.
While some might raise their nose at the car count with 22 Late Models and 24 Modifieds, they might want to consider the quality of those drivers as this was a fantastic Tuesday night program on a well-prepared surface that ended at 9:45. Announcer Jerry Mackey started off the night with a touching tribute to Arlo Becker who passed away on Monday in a tractor accident on his farm recalling something that Arlo had told him not that many years ago when he was still putting on a show for the fans. "I don't care if they are booing me or cheering me, as long as they are making noise."
Next up, weather permitting, I will fill in for Tony Paris on the microphone tonight at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. Then on Thursday night I look forward to the first fair race of the summer, this one during the Wapello County Fair on the Super Half Mile in Eldon. Hope to see you there!
Kay drew the outside front row starting spot next to Todd Shute for the 30-lap Modified main event and he would edge out Shute to lead lap one. Richie Gustin moved to second on lap two and those two would then separate themselves from the rest of the field with Kay maintaining about a four car length advantage over Gustin. After starting eighth, Cayden Carter made the pass of Shute for third on lap eight, but the leaders were a full straightaway ahead of him.
That gap was erased though one lap later when Dan Brockert slowed in turn four trailing smoke from his #30 requiring a caution. The restart was short lived when Jacob Murray and Derrick Stewart tangled in turn two on lap ten and on the ensuing restart Kay was able to get away a bit as Gustin and Carter battled for second. After going back and forth for the position Carter would settle in as the primary challenger on lap fourteen and he steadily closed the gap on the leader, especially in turn four where Kay was drifting wide at the exit and Carter was kicking off the cushion and digging low off the corner.
On lap eighteen Cayden showed his nose to the leader and Kay now knew he had a challenger. Two laps later Carter's run off turn four was good enough that he nosed ahead at the stripe only to have Kay come right back to regain the lead on the following lap. With Kay now blocking the low line off of four Carter stayed up on the cushion and was able to let him know he was up there a couple times in the following laps before the caution waved with five to go when Jesse Sobbing, driving the #92 of Josh Most, stopped in turn four.
This brought Gustin back into the mix along with Joel Rust who had started eleventh, but just one lap into the restart the caution waved again for debris in turn two. Perhaps it was that debris that had cut down the right front tire for the former NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Brett Moffitt as he went pitside to make the tire change during this caution. Moffitt was behind the wheel of Griffin McGrath's #64 and had raced his way up to tenth after starting in twenty-second.
Kay would bring the field back to green with four laps remaining and he was under fire from several competitors although Gustin slowed suddenly one lap later and pulled to the infield. With Rust digging on the bottom Carter could not just focus on the leader, but after clearing him Cayden had a run off turn four coming to score lap twenty-eight and he drove hard into turn one sliding up in front of Kay for the lead. Justin calmly made the crossover move though and regained the lead in turn two and Rust was able to move to second as well down the back stretch. Rust made his own bid for the lead in three and four coming to the white, one that Kay fought off as well and on the final lap neither challenger could make a bid for the win as they swapped positions one last time as Kay took the checkers in a fantastic race. Carter was second, Rust was right there in third and had the race been a few laps longer Kevin Kile would have been a factor as well as he took fourth after starting twelfth. Kelly Shryock will be the new point leader for the Tour after finishing in fifth, Larry Herring had a solid showing in sixth, Kyle Brown was seventh and Jacob Murray recovered to finish eighth ahead of Colby Springsteen and David Brown.
The forty lap Late Model feature would follow and in this one Kay would start from the twelfth position with current Deery series point leader Jesse Sobbing on the front row. Sobbing would jump out to a big lead early on only to have it wiped out when Kevin Kile couldn't quite coast far enough into the infield on lap nine. Kay had moved up to the sixth spot by that point and once back to racing it took him just five more laps to get to second. Sobbing had again pulled away from the field and had nearly a full straightaway on Kay, but that margin would shrink noticeably lap after lap until Justin was ready to make his bid for the lead at the halfway mark. Using a move similar to what Carter had used on him in the Modified race, Kay drove under Sobbing to take the lead on lap 22 only to have Jesse come right back to regain the lead on the following lap. Using lapped cars as picks when he was able, Sobbing did everything he could to fight off the challenge over the next three laps until Justin moved to the front for good on lap 27.
It was all over but for the shouting from there as Kay drove away to win by more than a straightaway over Sobbing who would have been under fire for second if the race had gone on any longer with Denny Eckrich and Matt Ryan closing fast in third and fourth. Pole-sitter Kyle Hinrichs finished in the fifth position, Chad Holladay was sixth followed by Andy Eckrich and Jeremiah Hurst who had started eighteenth, while veteran drivers Darrel DeFrance and Ron Boyse completed the top ten.
While some might raise their nose at the car count with 22 Late Models and 24 Modifieds, they might want to consider the quality of those drivers as this was a fantastic Tuesday night program on a well-prepared surface that ended at 9:45. Announcer Jerry Mackey started off the night with a touching tribute to Arlo Becker who passed away on Monday in a tractor accident on his farm recalling something that Arlo had told him not that many years ago when he was still putting on a show for the fans. "I don't care if they are booing me or cheering me, as long as they are making noise."
Next up, weather permitting, I will fill in for Tony Paris on the microphone tonight at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. Then on Thursday night I look forward to the first fair race of the summer, this one during the Wapello County Fair on the Super Half Mile in Eldon. Hope to see you there!
Monday, June 12, 2017
Three Things.....Plus One
Three things caught my attention as I was checking out racing info on social media this weekend.....
One
I have previously stated my stance on Pay Per View events and I continue to feel that they are, overall, damaging to the sport. This is not a popular stance, especially for those who enjoy being able to stay at home and watch a race live online whether that event is close by or far away and the primary argument from the other side is that those who are dialing in a PPV were not going to be going to that event anyway so at least in this way the track can still gain some revenue by getting their cut of the fee for the telecast.
My argument is that when race fans stay home to watch a race online it will hurt the track that said fan would have likely gone out and bought a ticket for if not for the PPV.
Proof of my stance came this Saturday when a fan on the Iowastockcars forum stated that he was not coming to West Liberty because he was hosting a Dream viewing party for he and his friends. So, let's assume that this viewing party had eight people at it. I don't know what the PPV price was but let's assume $25 and that Eldora gets a 20% cut of that fee. With these assumptions that means that these eight race fans generated a total of five dollars that actually went to a race track on Saturday. Now, if not for PPV, those same eight race fans might have gone out and bought a $10 ticket at their local track generating $80 in revenue for a race track not to mention money that they might have spent on concessions. Heck, if even one of those eight actually went to the races it would have doubled the amount of money that is going to a race track.
Does this help illustrate my argument as to how the proliferation of Pay Per View is hurting our sport?
Two
Hawkeye Downs put up a post on Facebook this week asking fans to no longer broadcast the racing there through Facebook Live.
This of course drew numerous comments of how wrong this is and how could Management be so stupid. One of the comments in general went something like this.....My nephew races at your track and we live in Des Moines so the only way to get updates on how he is doing is through Facebook live. He and his crew spend a lot of money at your track and to forbid this is ridiculous.
Really? What don't you understand about this request? Granted it will be nearly impossible to enforce without having security stationed throughout the grandstand, but how about Uncle Bunky and Aunt Nona hop in the car and make the two hour drive over to buy a ticket and actually watch their nephew race rather than relying on a crappy Facebook Live feed? And, if that is not going to work how about Mom or Dad just text them the results as the evening goes by?
Again, it is about lost revenue for the race track. I don't buy the argument that someone seeing something on Facebook Live makes them actually come to the races at a later date and, even if it does, I would firmly believe that more people stay home because of it instead resulting in a net loss for racing.
Besides all of you sitting there watching the race through your phones look rather silly to me since you actually paid for a ticket, but instead feel like you have to give it "live" to others who didn't.
Three
Over on 4m the argument over race formats was brought up in regard to the Dream, but in general it had to do with the theory of "let's qualify and start the fast guys up front". I have referred to this entry many times before so no need to elaborate on my feelings, but what jerked my chain was the reference that by doing even the least little bit of inverting it is somehow penalizing a fast driver.
No, it is called putting on a show so that the fans will continue to buy the tickets. Last I checked the majority of us still like to see some passing when we go to the races and the race format currently used by UMP, Lucas Oil, World of Outlaws, MLRA, etc. does not promote that.
I went to two USAC Indiana Midget Week events last week and they qualified and then inverted six in the heats with the top four to transfer. They then inverted six in the feature as well. The racers raced and the fans showed up in droves. Isn't that what we are all looking for?
And One More....
This one is not racing related, but it really pissed me off this morning when Good Morning America teased their story on a fraternity member's death stating that Nancy Grace will join us after the break. How this woman can be considered an expert after she totally botched the Duke Lacrosse Team rape allegation analysis is beyond me. Watch the 30 On 30 Episode and you will share the same disgust when you see that face to the right.
Okay, that was therapeutic. There are several special events coming up over the next few days so turn off your computer, leave your phone in your pocket and go out and buy a ticket. That is what our sport needs!
One
I have previously stated my stance on Pay Per View events and I continue to feel that they are, overall, damaging to the sport. This is not a popular stance, especially for those who enjoy being able to stay at home and watch a race live online whether that event is close by or far away and the primary argument from the other side is that those who are dialing in a PPV were not going to be going to that event anyway so at least in this way the track can still gain some revenue by getting their cut of the fee for the telecast.
My argument is that when race fans stay home to watch a race online it will hurt the track that said fan would have likely gone out and bought a ticket for if not for the PPV.
Proof of my stance came this Saturday when a fan on the Iowastockcars forum stated that he was not coming to West Liberty because he was hosting a Dream viewing party for he and his friends. So, let's assume that this viewing party had eight people at it. I don't know what the PPV price was but let's assume $25 and that Eldora gets a 20% cut of that fee. With these assumptions that means that these eight race fans generated a total of five dollars that actually went to a race track on Saturday. Now, if not for PPV, those same eight race fans might have gone out and bought a $10 ticket at their local track generating $80 in revenue for a race track not to mention money that they might have spent on concessions. Heck, if even one of those eight actually went to the races it would have doubled the amount of money that is going to a race track.
Does this help illustrate my argument as to how the proliferation of Pay Per View is hurting our sport?
Two
Hawkeye Downs put up a post on Facebook this week asking fans to no longer broadcast the racing there through Facebook Live.
This of course drew numerous comments of how wrong this is and how could Management be so stupid. One of the comments in general went something like this.....My nephew races at your track and we live in Des Moines so the only way to get updates on how he is doing is through Facebook live. He and his crew spend a lot of money at your track and to forbid this is ridiculous.
Really? What don't you understand about this request? Granted it will be nearly impossible to enforce without having security stationed throughout the grandstand, but how about Uncle Bunky and Aunt Nona hop in the car and make the two hour drive over to buy a ticket and actually watch their nephew race rather than relying on a crappy Facebook Live feed? And, if that is not going to work how about Mom or Dad just text them the results as the evening goes by?
Again, it is about lost revenue for the race track. I don't buy the argument that someone seeing something on Facebook Live makes them actually come to the races at a later date and, even if it does, I would firmly believe that more people stay home because of it instead resulting in a net loss for racing.
Besides all of you sitting there watching the race through your phones look rather silly to me since you actually paid for a ticket, but instead feel like you have to give it "live" to others who didn't.
Three
Over on 4m the argument over race formats was brought up in regard to the Dream, but in general it had to do with the theory of "let's qualify and start the fast guys up front". I have referred to this entry many times before so no need to elaborate on my feelings, but what jerked my chain was the reference that by doing even the least little bit of inverting it is somehow penalizing a fast driver.
No, it is called putting on a show so that the fans will continue to buy the tickets. Last I checked the majority of us still like to see some passing when we go to the races and the race format currently used by UMP, Lucas Oil, World of Outlaws, MLRA, etc. does not promote that.
I went to two USAC Indiana Midget Week events last week and they qualified and then inverted six in the heats with the top four to transfer. They then inverted six in the feature as well. The racers raced and the fans showed up in droves. Isn't that what we are all looking for?
And One More....
 |
| Uggh |
Okay, that was therapeutic. There are several special events coming up over the next few days so turn off your computer, leave your phone in your pocket and go out and buy a ticket. That is what our sport needs!
Kemenah's Comeback Secures All Star Win At 34
Current Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions point leader Chad Kemenah may have been caught off guard by a late race pass, but he came charging back to collect the feature win on a hot and windy night at 34 Raceway near Burlington Sunday. A strong and diverse field of 35 Sprint Cars, including series owner Tony Stewart, put on a good show despite the challenging conditions with a temperature in the low nineties and a stiff south wind.
The thirty lap main event got off to a wild start as just after five cars near the back of the field tangled in turn two, outside front row starter Ian Madsen smacked the wall and rolled a couple of times in turn four. The work area then became busy as not only did drivers from the turn two scramble head there to check damage, Madsen also had his car towed there for quick repairs and all twenty-four cars were able to make the restart.
Pole-sitter Chad Kemenah would lead the field into turn one only to have Brian Brown pass him off of turn two. Kemenah then charged back under Brown in three and four to officially lead lap one and nearly every driver then scrambled for the bottom line around the 3/8th-mile high-banked oval. For several laps it looked and felt like this would be a one lane parade around the bottom, and that must have been Kemenah's opinion too as he settled in behind the lapped car of Jake Blackhurst mid-race. Behind him though business had picked up with both Kerry Madsen and Bill Balog finding that the the top side, especially in turns one and two, had plenty of bite to offer.
Those two drivers had originally started on the fourth row and as they made their way toward the front other drivers, including Danny Lasoski and Brian Brown took notice and also left the bottom and the pack of four quickly reeled in Kemenah. As they were gaining on the leader the battle between Balog and Madsen was entertaining enough in itself as they swapped the position several times and it would be Balog who would surprise Kemenah by sweeping around him on the outside to take the lead on lap twenty-one.
This put an obvious spark into Kemenah as he went elbows up and started to use more of the track himself to dispense of Blackhurst and go after Balog while still primarily using the low line around the speedway. With six laps remaining Kemenah would drive back under Balog to regain the lead and as he pulled away to take the win the battle for second continued to the checkers with Balog holding off Kerry Madsen. Brown and Lasoski were joined by Paul Nienheiser for a thrilling battle for fourth that went to Brown. Nienheiser who restarted the race in fifth was completely sideways off turn four on the opening lap, but somehow made the save without being drilled by the rest of the field. He may have been the fastest car on the track at the finish though as he fought his way back to fifth passing Lasoski in the final laps. Dominic Scelzi finished in seventh, Ryan Smith was eighth, Tony Stewart won his heat race earlier in the night and finished ninth while Brooke Tatnell completed the top ten.
Support class action included the Aaron Hull Memorial for the IMRA Midgets, a 24-lap feature paying tribute to the young driver who was lost in a tragic shop accident a year ago. Jeff Mallonee raced to the lead at the drop of the green only to have Tyson Hart pass him coming off of turn four to lead the opening lap. As Hart maintained the lead Dillon Morley moved to second and when Hart suddenly slowed and drove to the pits on lap fifteen Morley gladly assumed the point. He had challengers though in Jeremy Hull, Mallonee and Adam Taylor, but when Hull got sideways in turn two on lap eighteen all three of those drivers stacked up eliminating Mallonee and sending the other two to the back of the field for the restart.
Brett Burrow now found himself in second and he applied some pressure for a lap or two before Morley pulled away for the win. Burrow would be the runner-up ahead of Jacob Sollenberger while Hull and Taylor would race their way back into the top five at the checkers.
With Mike Morrill starting on the front row of the fourteen car Mod Lite main event this one figured to be a race for second and Morrill lived up to expectations in the early laps. The race was stopped early when Scott Sappington Jr. rolled his car at the end of the front stretch on a lap two restart and once back to racing everybody was chasing Morrill. With Jason Masengarb applying some pressure though, Morrill spun in turn two on lap seven to bring out the caution and he would go to the back of the twelve car realignment. There would be no challenging Masengarb from there as he cruised to the win over young guns Wyatt Wilkerson and Devon Rouse. Randy Bryan finished fourth while Morrill made it back up to fifth at the finish.
The Crazy Coyote Mini Hauler Trucks gave the crowd a thrill as Billy Stanford and Dane Fenton crossed the finish line side-by-side with Stanford awarded the victory by inches in a photo finish.
The crowd was a good-sized one, but not as large as I had expected and hoped for with this unique event that not only brought in drivers who seldom, if ever race in Iowa, but also had the star draw of Tony Stewart in action. Several factors went against it though including the heat and the wind, although I must say that a solid job of track preparation kept the dust factor at a level much lower than I would have thought it would be. Also, a Sunday show following two nights of World of Outlaws at Knoxville may have been a strain on the Sprint Car fans' budget. Hopefully the bottom line was good enough though to bring the All Stars back to 34 Raceway again in 2018!
No racing on this Monday night before a busy stretch of four in a row starting with the Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Models and the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modifieds at the West Liberty Raceway on Tuesday night. It will be my third annual "Old Ladies Night Out" event so stop down and say hi to my mother Dee and her cousin Jean, two of three women who got me hooked on this sport at an early age. I am sure that grandma Velma will be joining us in spirit as well.
The thirty lap main event got off to a wild start as just after five cars near the back of the field tangled in turn two, outside front row starter Ian Madsen smacked the wall and rolled a couple of times in turn four. The work area then became busy as not only did drivers from the turn two scramble head there to check damage, Madsen also had his car towed there for quick repairs and all twenty-four cars were able to make the restart.
Pole-sitter Chad Kemenah would lead the field into turn one only to have Brian Brown pass him off of turn two. Kemenah then charged back under Brown in three and four to officially lead lap one and nearly every driver then scrambled for the bottom line around the 3/8th-mile high-banked oval. For several laps it looked and felt like this would be a one lane parade around the bottom, and that must have been Kemenah's opinion too as he settled in behind the lapped car of Jake Blackhurst mid-race. Behind him though business had picked up with both Kerry Madsen and Bill Balog finding that the the top side, especially in turns one and two, had plenty of bite to offer.
Those two drivers had originally started on the fourth row and as they made their way toward the front other drivers, including Danny Lasoski and Brian Brown took notice and also left the bottom and the pack of four quickly reeled in Kemenah. As they were gaining on the leader the battle between Balog and Madsen was entertaining enough in itself as they swapped the position several times and it would be Balog who would surprise Kemenah by sweeping around him on the outside to take the lead on lap twenty-one.
This put an obvious spark into Kemenah as he went elbows up and started to use more of the track himself to dispense of Blackhurst and go after Balog while still primarily using the low line around the speedway. With six laps remaining Kemenah would drive back under Balog to regain the lead and as he pulled away to take the win the battle for second continued to the checkers with Balog holding off Kerry Madsen. Brown and Lasoski were joined by Paul Nienheiser for a thrilling battle for fourth that went to Brown. Nienheiser who restarted the race in fifth was completely sideways off turn four on the opening lap, but somehow made the save without being drilled by the rest of the field. He may have been the fastest car on the track at the finish though as he fought his way back to fifth passing Lasoski in the final laps. Dominic Scelzi finished in seventh, Ryan Smith was eighth, Tony Stewart won his heat race earlier in the night and finished ninth while Brooke Tatnell completed the top ten.
Support class action included the Aaron Hull Memorial for the IMRA Midgets, a 24-lap feature paying tribute to the young driver who was lost in a tragic shop accident a year ago. Jeff Mallonee raced to the lead at the drop of the green only to have Tyson Hart pass him coming off of turn four to lead the opening lap. As Hart maintained the lead Dillon Morley moved to second and when Hart suddenly slowed and drove to the pits on lap fifteen Morley gladly assumed the point. He had challengers though in Jeremy Hull, Mallonee and Adam Taylor, but when Hull got sideways in turn two on lap eighteen all three of those drivers stacked up eliminating Mallonee and sending the other two to the back of the field for the restart.
Brett Burrow now found himself in second and he applied some pressure for a lap or two before Morley pulled away for the win. Burrow would be the runner-up ahead of Jacob Sollenberger while Hull and Taylor would race their way back into the top five at the checkers.
With Mike Morrill starting on the front row of the fourteen car Mod Lite main event this one figured to be a race for second and Morrill lived up to expectations in the early laps. The race was stopped early when Scott Sappington Jr. rolled his car at the end of the front stretch on a lap two restart and once back to racing everybody was chasing Morrill. With Jason Masengarb applying some pressure though, Morrill spun in turn two on lap seven to bring out the caution and he would go to the back of the twelve car realignment. There would be no challenging Masengarb from there as he cruised to the win over young guns Wyatt Wilkerson and Devon Rouse. Randy Bryan finished fourth while Morrill made it back up to fifth at the finish.
The Crazy Coyote Mini Hauler Trucks gave the crowd a thrill as Billy Stanford and Dane Fenton crossed the finish line side-by-side with Stanford awarded the victory by inches in a photo finish.
The crowd was a good-sized one, but not as large as I had expected and hoped for with this unique event that not only brought in drivers who seldom, if ever race in Iowa, but also had the star draw of Tony Stewart in action. Several factors went against it though including the heat and the wind, although I must say that a solid job of track preparation kept the dust factor at a level much lower than I would have thought it would be. Also, a Sunday show following two nights of World of Outlaws at Knoxville may have been a strain on the Sprint Car fans' budget. Hopefully the bottom line was good enough though to bring the All Stars back to 34 Raceway again in 2018!
No racing on this Monday night before a busy stretch of four in a row starting with the Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Models and the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modifieds at the West Liberty Raceway on Tuesday night. It will be my third annual "Old Ladies Night Out" event so stop down and say hi to my mother Dee and her cousin Jean, two of three women who got me hooked on this sport at an early age. I am sure that grandma Velma will be joining us in spirit as well.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Schatz Dominates Brownell's Big Gun Bash at Knoxville
It is not exactly "breaking news" when it comes to Donny Schatz having a dominate performance at the Knoxville Raceway and such was the case Saturday night as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars wrapped up a two night visit to the World Capital of Sprint Car Racing. Brad Sweet had won the opener on Friday night with David Gravel second and Schatz in third and on Saturday those same three drivers found their way to the podium, but in different positions.
Sweet and Schatz would start the 25-lap headliner from the front row and they would keep the large crowd on the edge of their seats jousting for the lead over the first two laps. Officially Schatz would be shown as the leader, but the transponder had to confirm it as they passed by the flagstand side-by-side on laps one and two with Sweet leading at times within each trip around the fast half-mile. Schatz would establish himself as the true leader on lap three just before the caution waved for a stalled Dakota Hendrickson in turn four.
Sweet tried to challenge on the restart, but the action was again slowed on lap eight when Jason Sides spun in turn one. On this restart David Gravel would take second away from Sweet, but even he could not match the pace of the leader as Schatz steadily built an advantage. The race for second through traffic was now the focal point as Sweet was able to get back around Gravel for a couple of laps as Ian Madsen also joined the battle and at the checkers Schatz would enjoy a full straightaway lead in taking the win. Gravel would prevail for second over Sweet and Madsen while current track point leader Brian Brown made steady progress coming from tenth to fifth. Shane Stewart started in the eighth row and raced his way up to sixth, Logan Schuchart had a solid night in seventh, Daryn Pittman faded from third to eighth, Danny Lasoski was ninth and defending Knoxville Nationals champion Jason Johnson was tenth.
The 360's served as the appetizer on this night with twenty-four cars lined up for 18 laps of racing. Sawyer Phillips looked strong leading the way from the drop of the green until he started to work traffic on lap six. Unable to dispense of McKenna Haase right away, Phillips had Nate Van Haaften and Matt Moro closing on him fast on lap nine when Ben Woods went for a tumble down the back stretch. Haase and the leaders were just coming off of turn two when the red light came on and as Haase and Phillips slowed Van Haaften slid sideways colliding with the push bar of the leader while point leader Clint Garner had the misfortune of running over one of the wheels off of Woods' car.
The damage to Garner's ride was enough to end his night while Van Haaften would restart second with his right side nerf bar shoved to within an inch of his rear tire. There were no ill effects from that damage though as Van Haaften drove past Phillips on the restart and then drove away to victory, his first here since the Outlaw weekend in June here last year. Phillips was impressive in second, Matt Moro finished third, Jon Agan showed smoke over the final ten laps but he was able to nurse his ride to the checkers in fourth while Joe Beaver completed the top five.
With the Outlaws in town and a big crowd on hand to watch despite the hot temperatures the night already has me anticipating the 2017 Nationals, but there is still plenty of exciting weekly action to come here at Knoxville over the next six weeks before we get to that. Plan your next visit soon!
Tonight the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions close out their three night swing west at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Sprint Car fans will get an opportunity to see several drivers that do not make it in to Iowa often and some that have never raced out this way before. Plus, while it is not a guarantee that he will be in action tonight, series owner Tony Stewart has raced at both Lincoln on Friday and Macon on Saturday.
Hope to see you there!
Sweet and Schatz would start the 25-lap headliner from the front row and they would keep the large crowd on the edge of their seats jousting for the lead over the first two laps. Officially Schatz would be shown as the leader, but the transponder had to confirm it as they passed by the flagstand side-by-side on laps one and two with Sweet leading at times within each trip around the fast half-mile. Schatz would establish himself as the true leader on lap three just before the caution waved for a stalled Dakota Hendrickson in turn four.
Sweet tried to challenge on the restart, but the action was again slowed on lap eight when Jason Sides spun in turn one. On this restart David Gravel would take second away from Sweet, but even he could not match the pace of the leader as Schatz steadily built an advantage. The race for second through traffic was now the focal point as Sweet was able to get back around Gravel for a couple of laps as Ian Madsen also joined the battle and at the checkers Schatz would enjoy a full straightaway lead in taking the win. Gravel would prevail for second over Sweet and Madsen while current track point leader Brian Brown made steady progress coming from tenth to fifth. Shane Stewart started in the eighth row and raced his way up to sixth, Logan Schuchart had a solid night in seventh, Daryn Pittman faded from third to eighth, Danny Lasoski was ninth and defending Knoxville Nationals champion Jason Johnson was tenth.
The 360's served as the appetizer on this night with twenty-four cars lined up for 18 laps of racing. Sawyer Phillips looked strong leading the way from the drop of the green until he started to work traffic on lap six. Unable to dispense of McKenna Haase right away, Phillips had Nate Van Haaften and Matt Moro closing on him fast on lap nine when Ben Woods went for a tumble down the back stretch. Haase and the leaders were just coming off of turn two when the red light came on and as Haase and Phillips slowed Van Haaften slid sideways colliding with the push bar of the leader while point leader Clint Garner had the misfortune of running over one of the wheels off of Woods' car.
The damage to Garner's ride was enough to end his night while Van Haaften would restart second with his right side nerf bar shoved to within an inch of his rear tire. There were no ill effects from that damage though as Van Haaften drove past Phillips on the restart and then drove away to victory, his first here since the Outlaw weekend in June here last year. Phillips was impressive in second, Matt Moro finished third, Jon Agan showed smoke over the final ten laps but he was able to nurse his ride to the checkers in fourth while Joe Beaver completed the top five.
With the Outlaws in town and a big crowd on hand to watch despite the hot temperatures the night already has me anticipating the 2017 Nationals, but there is still plenty of exciting weekly action to come here at Knoxville over the next six weeks before we get to that. Plan your next visit soon!
Tonight the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions close out their three night swing west at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Sprint Car fans will get an opportunity to see several drivers that do not make it in to Iowa often and some that have never raced out this way before. Plus, while it is not a guarantee that he will be in action tonight, series owner Tony Stewart has raced at both Lincoln on Friday and Macon on Saturday.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Sunshine and The Kiwi Open Indiana Midget Week With Wins
The annual USAC Indiana Midget Week featuring six straight nights of racing around the Hoosier state kicked off on Tuesday night at the Montpelier Motor Speedway and then made the short trip west to Gas City on Wednesday night drawing large and enthusiastic crowds at each.
This was the second year in a row that I was able to attend these two events and my enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I was able to sit with friends and neighbors despite the fact that we were all six or more hours from home.
Last year's opener at Montpelier was threatened by rain and ran late into the night. This year a lack of moisture in the surface created another long night as 41 Midgets, 20 wingless Sprints and 27 UMP Modifieds filled the pit area. Qualifying for all three divisions got underway shortly after the 6 p.m. schedule and by the time those were completed the cushion in turn two had been pushed all the way over the top of the banking. The Midget heats were dusty, but entertaining and thank goodness the stiff breeze was coming from behind the grandstand otherwise it might have been unbearable. When the Sprints came to the track for their three heats it was like they were skating on ice and the winners found that a light throttle right around the bottom was the way to go.
Officials knew that this would not be acceptable so out came the grader even before the four Modified heats and the entire track was turned over in the hour long session. I took advantage of the break to get in my walk around the sleepy northeast Indiana town and I returned just in time for the Midget C-Main. Modified heats followed with some good racing and the dust increased with each before the Midget B-Main was contested. It was now just past 10:30 and so instead of coming back with the Modified B, USAC officials called up the Midget headliner and the 23-car field was pushed to the track.
Yes, the dust would fly, but the action was intense as the drivers were able to use the entire track for the thirty lap finale with pole-sitter Alex Bright setting the early pace as drivers dodged and darted for position just behind him. Tyler Courtney, sporting the nickname "Sunshine" and current NASCAR Cup point leader Kyle Larson started in row three and both made quick moves to the front with Courtney's being more successful taking the lead on lap five. Larson made it up to third early before being shuffled back to sixth as Courtney pulled away to a big advantage.
When Tyler Thomas stopped at the top of turn four on lap 27 that would setup a three-lap dash to the checkers with Courtney once again in sight of his challengers. Sunshine was not to be denied though as he again pulled away over the final laps helped out by the fact that those behind him were waging a thrilling four-wide war for second. Brady Bacon had lined up for the restart in second, but at the finish he had been dropped to fourth with New Zealand's Michael Pickens and Larson getting by him at the checkers while Alex Bright, the current ARDC Midget point leader held on for fifth.
It was now just before 11 p.m. and with work commitments the following morning I was forced to skip the remaining events for the Modifieds and Sprints. While the Modifieds had nothing to do with the delay, after my two experiences here I would suggest that Montpelier go with only the Midgets and the Sprints if they are once again the opener of this week of racing in 2018 because as proven on Wednesday night at Gas City, these two divisions are more than enough to put on a fantastic show.
My friends were able to secure the best seats in the house at Gas City and I was relieved to see standing water on the track just before the 31 sprint Cars were called out for wheel packing before their combined hot laps and qualifying session. Tonight's track had character and while it did require some re-working on two occasions, they were quick sessions and helped the racing go from great to fantastic!
The Midgets were first up come feature time and for the second night in the row Alex Bright would bring the field to green for thirty laps from the pole position. Defending USAC National Champion Tanner Thorson would grab the lead though with Justin Grant taking up the challenge. Grant would bicycle in turn one on lap three though stalling his car and on the restart Ryan Robinson and Zach Daum would tangle in turn two sending all three contenders to the back of the field. Once back to racing Rico Abreu would swing wide around Thorson to take the lead on lap seven and he would first pull away a bit before Thorson reeled him back in to challenge. With Thorson now digging on the inside he and Abreu were locked in a battle for the lead when the red flag waved on lap 18 for a flip in turn one. Chance Morton who had won the C-Main, then raced his way into the top six in the B to earn an eleventh row starting spot in the feature was climbing out of his car uninjured after getting up to twelfth before the crash.
When the green waved the race for the lead resumed with Thorson getting by Abreu on lap twenty and the action was enhanced by Kyle Larson's charge on the outside making it a three-car battle. Larson had a big run on lap twenty-two, but he got sideways on the cushion in turn four and was just not able to make the save bringing out the caution once again. For the restart the previous night's top two, Courtney and Pickens were now in contention, but after one more lap of racing Courtney coasted to a stop to necessitate the final caution of the event with eight laps to go.
Pickens was the fourth fastest qualifier on the evening, but failed to transfer from his heat so he had to win the B-Main to make the show and he was announced as to be starting the feature just outside of the invert in seventh. However, as the field formed for the start he was on the inside of row six for some reason and perhaps he just wanted to make it more interesting for the group of fans that had come from New Zealand on a Motor Sports Tour to watch him compete for two weeks. On the restart Pickens applied the pressure to Thorson and when Tanner bobbled at the exit of turn four, Pickens tried to get under the leader who squeezed them both down nearly getting into the infield grass. This allowed Brady Bacon to join the battle and after being cut off down low, Pickens looked one line higher than Thorson and took over the lead with four laps remaining. Thorson tried to get back to the lead for a third time in this race, but he now had Bacon to deal with as the New Zealanders waved their flags with pride as Pickens scored the win. The race for second was too close to call with the transponders giving it to Bacon while Thorson was a dejected third-place finisher. Abreu would hold down fourth as Spencer Bayston came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
Very few fans made their way to the parking lot as the Sprint Cars came to the track for 25-laps to close out the evening and with Brady Bacon and Kevin Thomas Jr. starting from the front row you had to figure that this one would be a two-car battle. Shane Cottle had other plans though as he found a bite through the middle and drove past both of the rim riding leaders on lap eight. Caution waved for a slowing Logan Jarrett on lap thirteen and on the restart Bacon pounded the cushion once again to drive past Cottle on lap sixteen. A Kyle Simon spin with five laps to go saw Thomas searching for a new line and he found it on the restart entering turn one above the cushion and then vaulting through the middle off turn two to take second from Cottle. He was gaining on Bacon as well, but running out of laps until Travis Hery spun in turn one just as the lead duo took the white flag. Under USAC's method of split scoring there would be just one lap remaining on the restart and that one lap alone would be worth the price of admission on this night as Thomas used his new line to get a run on Bacon off of turn two. However, with Brady sliding up the track on the back stretch, Thomas stabbed the brakes and then dove into turn three to execute the perfect slide job catching the cushion in four to take the win. Bacon would hold off Cottle for second, Justin Grant was fourth and Robert Ballou came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
What a great night of racing and all completed by 11 p.m.! While Midget Week continues here in Indiana I will return home to Iowa anticipating another great weekend of open wheel racing, this time with the winged 410 Sprints as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars are at the Knoxville Raceway Friday and Saturday night, I will be there for Saturday, and then the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will be at 34 Raceway on Sunday night.
Hope to see you there!!
This was the second year in a row that I was able to attend these two events and my enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I was able to sit with friends and neighbors despite the fact that we were all six or more hours from home.
Last year's opener at Montpelier was threatened by rain and ran late into the night. This year a lack of moisture in the surface created another long night as 41 Midgets, 20 wingless Sprints and 27 UMP Modifieds filled the pit area. Qualifying for all three divisions got underway shortly after the 6 p.m. schedule and by the time those were completed the cushion in turn two had been pushed all the way over the top of the banking. The Midget heats were dusty, but entertaining and thank goodness the stiff breeze was coming from behind the grandstand otherwise it might have been unbearable. When the Sprints came to the track for their three heats it was like they were skating on ice and the winners found that a light throttle right around the bottom was the way to go.
Officials knew that this would not be acceptable so out came the grader even before the four Modified heats and the entire track was turned over in the hour long session. I took advantage of the break to get in my walk around the sleepy northeast Indiana town and I returned just in time for the Midget C-Main. Modified heats followed with some good racing and the dust increased with each before the Midget B-Main was contested. It was now just past 10:30 and so instead of coming back with the Modified B, USAC officials called up the Midget headliner and the 23-car field was pushed to the track.
Yes, the dust would fly, but the action was intense as the drivers were able to use the entire track for the thirty lap finale with pole-sitter Alex Bright setting the early pace as drivers dodged and darted for position just behind him. Tyler Courtney, sporting the nickname "Sunshine" and current NASCAR Cup point leader Kyle Larson started in row three and both made quick moves to the front with Courtney's being more successful taking the lead on lap five. Larson made it up to third early before being shuffled back to sixth as Courtney pulled away to a big advantage.
When Tyler Thomas stopped at the top of turn four on lap 27 that would setup a three-lap dash to the checkers with Courtney once again in sight of his challengers. Sunshine was not to be denied though as he again pulled away over the final laps helped out by the fact that those behind him were waging a thrilling four-wide war for second. Brady Bacon had lined up for the restart in second, but at the finish he had been dropped to fourth with New Zealand's Michael Pickens and Larson getting by him at the checkers while Alex Bright, the current ARDC Midget point leader held on for fifth.
It was now just before 11 p.m. and with work commitments the following morning I was forced to skip the remaining events for the Modifieds and Sprints. While the Modifieds had nothing to do with the delay, after my two experiences here I would suggest that Montpelier go with only the Midgets and the Sprints if they are once again the opener of this week of racing in 2018 because as proven on Wednesday night at Gas City, these two divisions are more than enough to put on a fantastic show.
My friends were able to secure the best seats in the house at Gas City and I was relieved to see standing water on the track just before the 31 sprint Cars were called out for wheel packing before their combined hot laps and qualifying session. Tonight's track had character and while it did require some re-working on two occasions, they were quick sessions and helped the racing go from great to fantastic!
The Midgets were first up come feature time and for the second night in the row Alex Bright would bring the field to green for thirty laps from the pole position. Defending USAC National Champion Tanner Thorson would grab the lead though with Justin Grant taking up the challenge. Grant would bicycle in turn one on lap three though stalling his car and on the restart Ryan Robinson and Zach Daum would tangle in turn two sending all three contenders to the back of the field. Once back to racing Rico Abreu would swing wide around Thorson to take the lead on lap seven and he would first pull away a bit before Thorson reeled him back in to challenge. With Thorson now digging on the inside he and Abreu were locked in a battle for the lead when the red flag waved on lap 18 for a flip in turn one. Chance Morton who had won the C-Main, then raced his way into the top six in the B to earn an eleventh row starting spot in the feature was climbing out of his car uninjured after getting up to twelfth before the crash.
When the green waved the race for the lead resumed with Thorson getting by Abreu on lap twenty and the action was enhanced by Kyle Larson's charge on the outside making it a three-car battle. Larson had a big run on lap twenty-two, but he got sideways on the cushion in turn four and was just not able to make the save bringing out the caution once again. For the restart the previous night's top two, Courtney and Pickens were now in contention, but after one more lap of racing Courtney coasted to a stop to necessitate the final caution of the event with eight laps to go.
Pickens was the fourth fastest qualifier on the evening, but failed to transfer from his heat so he had to win the B-Main to make the show and he was announced as to be starting the feature just outside of the invert in seventh. However, as the field formed for the start he was on the inside of row six for some reason and perhaps he just wanted to make it more interesting for the group of fans that had come from New Zealand on a Motor Sports Tour to watch him compete for two weeks. On the restart Pickens applied the pressure to Thorson and when Tanner bobbled at the exit of turn four, Pickens tried to get under the leader who squeezed them both down nearly getting into the infield grass. This allowed Brady Bacon to join the battle and after being cut off down low, Pickens looked one line higher than Thorson and took over the lead with four laps remaining. Thorson tried to get back to the lead for a third time in this race, but he now had Bacon to deal with as the New Zealanders waved their flags with pride as Pickens scored the win. The race for second was too close to call with the transponders giving it to Bacon while Thorson was a dejected third-place finisher. Abreu would hold down fourth as Spencer Bayston came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
Very few fans made their way to the parking lot as the Sprint Cars came to the track for 25-laps to close out the evening and with Brady Bacon and Kevin Thomas Jr. starting from the front row you had to figure that this one would be a two-car battle. Shane Cottle had other plans though as he found a bite through the middle and drove past both of the rim riding leaders on lap eight. Caution waved for a slowing Logan Jarrett on lap thirteen and on the restart Bacon pounded the cushion once again to drive past Cottle on lap sixteen. A Kyle Simon spin with five laps to go saw Thomas searching for a new line and he found it on the restart entering turn one above the cushion and then vaulting through the middle off turn two to take second from Cottle. He was gaining on Bacon as well, but running out of laps until Travis Hery spun in turn one just as the lead duo took the white flag. Under USAC's method of split scoring there would be just one lap remaining on the restart and that one lap alone would be worth the price of admission on this night as Thomas used his new line to get a run on Bacon off of turn two. However, with Brady sliding up the track on the back stretch, Thomas stabbed the brakes and then dove into turn three to execute the perfect slide job catching the cushion in four to take the win. Bacon would hold off Cottle for second, Justin Grant was fourth and Robert Ballou came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
What a great night of racing and all completed by 11 p.m.! While Midget Week continues here in Indiana I will return home to Iowa anticipating another great weekend of open wheel racing, this time with the winged 410 Sprints as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars are at the Knoxville Raceway Friday and Saturday night, I will be there for Saturday, and then the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will be at 34 Raceway on Sunday night.
Hope to see you there!!
Friday, June 2, 2017
Simpson and Simpson Set Sail At Donnellson
The Simpson brothers, Chris and Chad finished one-two as the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models returned to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson Friday night. For Chris it completed the clean sweep in the two series events to be held at the southeast Iowa oval in 2017.
After setting quick time in group one and then winning the first heat from the pole, Chris Simpson drew the pole for the forty-lap main event and this one was essentially over after that as he would open a half of a lap lead over brother Chad before lapped traffic came into play. Chad had started third, but quickly dropped Jordan Yaggy back a spot as he would go the whole race in second. Yaggy nearly lost the third spot while trying to get around the lapped car of Matt Furman, but with ten laps remaining and the track now locked down Yaggy settled in behind the lapper and would stay there to join the Simpsons on the podium ahead of Brent Larson and Jesse Stovall. Bobby Pierce finished where he started in sixth, current MLRA point leader Tony Jackson Jr. was seventh, Rodney Sanders was eighth, Dave Eckrich was ninth and Randy Timms completed the top ten in a race that went non-stop,
It was the second time this season that Chris Simpson was able to collect the win at Donnellson without having to pass a single car for position as the MLRA has gone to the group qualifying/start the fast guys in front format for 2017.
The track's five weekly divisions were also in action in front of a large crowd on the first "hot" night of the 2017 season signaling that June has definitely arrived.
The Sport Compacts batted lead off with David Prim leading the way in the opening laps. He had plenty of company though and on lap three the four cars battling for the lead tangled in turn two sending Travis DeMint sideways in front of Ron Kibbe. Damage on Kibbe's car caused him to slow down the back stretch and that, along with a wandering track tire, necessitated a caution. On the restart Prim again did his best to ward off his challengers, but on lap five DeMint went low while Barry Taft went high and they crossed the stripe three-wide for the lead. DeMint would take over from there and he would hold off Taft for his second win of the season here, the first coming on opening night. Brandon Reu would finish third ahead of Daniel Fellows and while Josh Barnes would cross the stripe in fifth he would be penalized for mid-race contact that turned Kimberly Abbott sideways. This would then move Mike Reu into the top five.
The Stock Cars would serve as the last appetizer before the MLRA feature and as the green flag waved current All Iowa Points leader John Oliver Jr. did not come up to speed and his night ended as he coasted to the pits. Corey Strothman would lead the way until David Brandies tested out the freshly watered top side and Brandies would take the point on lap six of the 18-lap affair. The bottom was still the preferred line for Michael Jaenette though and after clearing Strothman for second he quickly reeled in the leader. Jaenette pulled even with Brandies in turns three and four on lap twelve and when Brandies was able to use the momentum off the top side to retain the lead he then wisely moved to the bottom to take away Jaenette's line. Brandies would then hold the challenger at bay the rest of the way to take the win with Jaenette an impressive runner-up in his first appearance here this season. Strothman would emerge from an entertaining four car battle to take third with Jason Cook nipping Jason See by inches at the finish for fourth.
The track was black and slick after the MLRA feature was run and the Sport Mods showed that it was still to their liking as Brandon Lennox, Austen Becerra and John Oliver Jr. raced three-wide for the lead on lap one and then on lap two it was too close to call at the stripe between Lennox and Becerra. Lennox would establish himself as the leader on lap three just before Jeffrey DeLonjay, making his first start in a Sport Mod after having been in the Sport Compacts the past few years, looped his car exiting turn four. Lennox would maintain his lead after the restart, but when DeLonjay spun again with four laps to go the leader would now have Tony Dunker and Austin Howes lined up behind him.
Howes would take up the challenge and pass Lennox for the lead with three laps remaining, but his apparent victory was wiped away in tech when it was discovered that he did not have the proper seals on his crate engine. This would turn the win over to Lennox ahead of Dunker, Becerra and Daniel Keltner.
Denny Woodworth drew the pole position for the twenty-lap UMP Pro Late Model main event, a division that uses a draw/redraw format each week rather than the average point inverts, and he would dominate for the flag-to-flag win. Sam Halstead would survive contact with the lapped car of Derek Sammons to finish second, Todd Frank came from ninth to third, Jeff Guengerich finished fourth and Derek Liles took fifth. Woodworth's primary challenger at both here and Quincy, Tommy Elston dropped out of the race on lap twelve while running in the fourth position.
The IMCA Modified feature would close out the night with pole-sitter Dugan Thye leading the way early. Top contender Michael Long clipped a track tire in turn four as he was trying to squeeze by another car for position on lap two and that ended his evening. Cayden Carter had started eighth and he moved to the second spot on lap eight. Then, when Thye left the door open entering turn one on lap ten, Carter charged to his inside to take the lead before Thye spun to the infield exiting turn four to bring out the caution. There would be no challenging Carter after the restart as he cruised to another win in his new VanderBuilt Modified. Chris Zogg made the most of his rare appearance here by running second, another visitor Bruce Hanford was third while weekly regulars Bill Roberts Jr. and Blake Woodruff completed the top five.
The MLRA Late Models will close out this three-race swing on Saturday night at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly.
That's all for me this weekend as other commitments will keep me away from the track before I take in four nights of open wheel racing next week topped off by the Craftsman World of Outlaws at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night and the Arctic Cat All Stars at 34 Raceway on Sunday night. Hope to see you there!
After setting quick time in group one and then winning the first heat from the pole, Chris Simpson drew the pole for the forty-lap main event and this one was essentially over after that as he would open a half of a lap lead over brother Chad before lapped traffic came into play. Chad had started third, but quickly dropped Jordan Yaggy back a spot as he would go the whole race in second. Yaggy nearly lost the third spot while trying to get around the lapped car of Matt Furman, but with ten laps remaining and the track now locked down Yaggy settled in behind the lapper and would stay there to join the Simpsons on the podium ahead of Brent Larson and Jesse Stovall. Bobby Pierce finished where he started in sixth, current MLRA point leader Tony Jackson Jr. was seventh, Rodney Sanders was eighth, Dave Eckrich was ninth and Randy Timms completed the top ten in a race that went non-stop,
It was the second time this season that Chris Simpson was able to collect the win at Donnellson without having to pass a single car for position as the MLRA has gone to the group qualifying/start the fast guys in front format for 2017.
The track's five weekly divisions were also in action in front of a large crowd on the first "hot" night of the 2017 season signaling that June has definitely arrived.
The Sport Compacts batted lead off with David Prim leading the way in the opening laps. He had plenty of company though and on lap three the four cars battling for the lead tangled in turn two sending Travis DeMint sideways in front of Ron Kibbe. Damage on Kibbe's car caused him to slow down the back stretch and that, along with a wandering track tire, necessitated a caution. On the restart Prim again did his best to ward off his challengers, but on lap five DeMint went low while Barry Taft went high and they crossed the stripe three-wide for the lead. DeMint would take over from there and he would hold off Taft for his second win of the season here, the first coming on opening night. Brandon Reu would finish third ahead of Daniel Fellows and while Josh Barnes would cross the stripe in fifth he would be penalized for mid-race contact that turned Kimberly Abbott sideways. This would then move Mike Reu into the top five.
The Stock Cars would serve as the last appetizer before the MLRA feature and as the green flag waved current All Iowa Points leader John Oliver Jr. did not come up to speed and his night ended as he coasted to the pits. Corey Strothman would lead the way until David Brandies tested out the freshly watered top side and Brandies would take the point on lap six of the 18-lap affair. The bottom was still the preferred line for Michael Jaenette though and after clearing Strothman for second he quickly reeled in the leader. Jaenette pulled even with Brandies in turns three and four on lap twelve and when Brandies was able to use the momentum off the top side to retain the lead he then wisely moved to the bottom to take away Jaenette's line. Brandies would then hold the challenger at bay the rest of the way to take the win with Jaenette an impressive runner-up in his first appearance here this season. Strothman would emerge from an entertaining four car battle to take third with Jason Cook nipping Jason See by inches at the finish for fourth.
The track was black and slick after the MLRA feature was run and the Sport Mods showed that it was still to their liking as Brandon Lennox, Austen Becerra and John Oliver Jr. raced three-wide for the lead on lap one and then on lap two it was too close to call at the stripe between Lennox and Becerra. Lennox would establish himself as the leader on lap three just before Jeffrey DeLonjay, making his first start in a Sport Mod after having been in the Sport Compacts the past few years, looped his car exiting turn four. Lennox would maintain his lead after the restart, but when DeLonjay spun again with four laps to go the leader would now have Tony Dunker and Austin Howes lined up behind him.
Howes would take up the challenge and pass Lennox for the lead with three laps remaining, but his apparent victory was wiped away in tech when it was discovered that he did not have the proper seals on his crate engine. This would turn the win over to Lennox ahead of Dunker, Becerra and Daniel Keltner.
Denny Woodworth drew the pole position for the twenty-lap UMP Pro Late Model main event, a division that uses a draw/redraw format each week rather than the average point inverts, and he would dominate for the flag-to-flag win. Sam Halstead would survive contact with the lapped car of Derek Sammons to finish second, Todd Frank came from ninth to third, Jeff Guengerich finished fourth and Derek Liles took fifth. Woodworth's primary challenger at both here and Quincy, Tommy Elston dropped out of the race on lap twelve while running in the fourth position.
The IMCA Modified feature would close out the night with pole-sitter Dugan Thye leading the way early. Top contender Michael Long clipped a track tire in turn four as he was trying to squeeze by another car for position on lap two and that ended his evening. Cayden Carter had started eighth and he moved to the second spot on lap eight. Then, when Thye left the door open entering turn one on lap ten, Carter charged to his inside to take the lead before Thye spun to the infield exiting turn four to bring out the caution. There would be no challenging Carter after the restart as he cruised to another win in his new VanderBuilt Modified. Chris Zogg made the most of his rare appearance here by running second, another visitor Bruce Hanford was third while weekly regulars Bill Roberts Jr. and Blake Woodruff completed the top five.
The MLRA Late Models will close out this three-race swing on Saturday night at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly.
That's all for me this weekend as other commitments will keep me away from the track before I take in four nights of open wheel racing next week topped off by the Craftsman World of Outlaws at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night and the Arctic Cat All Stars at 34 Raceway on Sunday night. Hope to see you there!
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