If you are a fan of weekly racing you would be hard pressed to find a more successful program than what they have going on right now at Eagle Raceway in southeast Nebraska. Yes, they have a couple of big advantages over most other tracks, namely Lincoln and Omaha and the large population that each has to offer, but they are obviously doing many, many other things right or we would see all kinds of ultra successful tracks just outside of large cities. If this is sounding like something that you have read on the Back Stretch already I did refer to the track here back in April so when the opportunity came up this weekend to go back to a facility that I had not been to since 2001, I took it!
It was Season Championship night at "America's Home Track" so of course the first thing that I did before leaving home was to check to see if they would be using their normal IMCA invert lineup procedures. And, when the answer came back "yes", I bribed Christine with an afternoon at the Henry Doorly Zoo and it was amazing how fast she had her bag packed. My wife is not much for racing, but she does love zoos and this one is one of the best in the country, so it was really great day for me since I secretly love both! Don't tell her though or she won't go to the races with me at night as a payback.
More than 140 cars in five classes signed in on the night and, while there were not enough Modifieds or Hobby Stocks to require a B-Main, the Sport Compacts needed one and with 39 Sport Mods and 41 Racesaver Sprint cars even a C-Main was required in each. That's right, no politically correct "everybody gets a medal" two, or even three B-Mains that some tracks or series would run if blessed with that kind of car count. They actually ran five heat races in each with the top three going to the A-Main. Fourth, fifth and sixth made the B-Main while seventh on back would have to run a C-Main. The top five from the C then started 16th through 20th in the B-Main. (Twenty cars in a B-Main????Oh my gosh, how will they ever do it????) And then the top-five in the B-Main made it to the A where twenty cars would start on the 1/3rd-mile high banked track.
Now that's what I call doing a lineup procedure right as it puts on a show for the fans, who by the way showed up in the thousands. That's right, the place was darn near packed for a weekly show and they were into it. A little too much in one instance where a fight between two women broke out soon after the Sprint Cars of Gregg Bolte and Brandon Horton went for a wild double flip down the front stretch in the B-Main. Thankfully a female police officer was on the scene and quickly restored order in a manner that only she would have been able to, but back to the number of B-Mains for a moment. I have seen special events this year where with twenty-eight cars they ran two B-Mains. Seriously? Man up and do it the right way, transfer sixteen or eighteen out of your heats (redraw only twelve if you'd like) and run ONE B-Main to complete the field.
With the IMCA Racesaver Sprint Car Nationals coming up at Eagle next weekend there were already three long distance travelers in town to get a night in on the track as both John Carney II and Kevin Ramey towed in from Texas while Fresno, California's Monte Ferriera was on hand as well. Colorado driver Jake Bubak had been here before this season as he was within the invert and he would take the lead from the front row for the 25-lap main event. The race was red-flagged on lap two when Shayle Bade smacked the wall exiting turn four and took a tumble. After climbing out from the damaged car uninjured she told the crowd that she would have her other car ready for next week and that she wanted to see everybody back here for the Nationals.
Once back to racing Bubak opened up a sizable advantage while Mike Boston and Tyler Drueke exchanged sliders for second. Jason Martin had started tenth and around lap ten he found something as he then quickly marched toward the front. I didn't think that he had any chance of catching Bubak, but Martin did just that making the pass for the lead and the win with just four laps to go. Bubak, Drueke and Boston were next in line as Toby Chapman completed the top five and don't be surprised if Jason Martin comes out on top at next week's Nationals.Carney had the best run of the visitors coming from 13th to sixth.
Nate Thompson would lead the seventeen car field of IMCA Modifieds for the first five laps before Dustin Anderson got by him. Anderson would then open up a big lead that he would maintain the rest of the way even though on the final lap while trying to get around a lapped car he would spin down the front stretch taking the checkered flag sideways for the win. Chad Anderson finished second, Shane Hiatt scored the track championship in third, Thompson was fourth and Anthony Roth finished fifth.
The Sport Compacts raced fifteen laps non-stop with Steffen Oaks taking the lead from Jared Jackson on lap two. Oaks then did his best to try to fight off the challenges from Dillon Richards, racing door-to-door for two laps before Richards grabbed the lead with one to go to score another win here. Oaks was a close second, Tim Horsham was third followed by Shawn Hein in fourth and Zach Bohlmeyer came from seventeenth to fifth.
The 18-lap Hobby Stock finale was a good one that also went green-to-checkers as Albert Kiihne led the way from the drop of the green. Justin Busboom was applying the pressure on lap ten challenging Kiihne to the inside and as Albert fought off that bid Roy Armstrong used the cushion in turns one and two to race around them both. Busboom would give chase over the closing laps but there would be no catching "Rapid Roy" as Armstrong took the win. Busboom and Kiihne completed the podium while Mark McKinney and points champion Jeff Ware were next in line.
The Sport Mods were the only class that struggled a bit with cautions on the night and one of them waved on lap nine of their feature race when the leader, Scott Bivins popped a motor in turns one and two. Joe Feyen would assume the point on the restart and he would survive a couple of more restarts to take the win over Trent Roth, Gary Saathoff, Shawn Harker and Arie Schouten. Mary Lenz, one of those five drivers that earned a start from the B-Main, came from nineteenth to sixth at the checkers.
Even with a forty-five minute intermission to give hundreds of kids rides in the race cars the full show was completed before 10:30 and we were on our way back to our hotel in Omaha completely satisfied with our trip. The visit even sparked some long ago memories for me as our family lived in Lincoln from 1973 to 1975 and while trips to the old Midwest Speedway in town were more frequent, I do recall taking in a few races right here in Eagle as well. At the age I am now I had better make sure that it isn't another sixteen years before I return!
That's all for now, check back here in a couple of weeks as a new grandson and my daughter's wedding are next up on the schedule. Get out and enjoy the racing action at a track near you this Labor Day weekend!
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