With cloudy, dreary skies throughout the day that only produced a few sprinkles at the track the car count dropped from 178 on Friday night to 135 on Saturday as the annual Fall Nationals and Jerry Barickman Memorial came to a close at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis. Yes, a few cars were torn up or suffered mechanical issues on the first night, but nowhere near the some sixty drivers that did not return on Saturday as they were replaced by around twenty new competitors who braved the rainy forecast for another great night of racing on the wide 3/8th-mile oval in the northeast corner of Missouri.
The feature races would run off in a little different order than the night before with the Sport Compacts coming to the track even before the Modified B-Main was run. One of the new drivers in the house tonight, Adam Gates would take the lead in the opening laps of the fourteen lap event, but when his right front tire went flat on lap four that allowed Jason Ash to storm to the front.
After fighting mechanical issues on Friday, Brandon Reu was back up to speed tonight and he would take the lead from Ash with five laps remaining bringing along last night's winner Jake Benischek who was now in second after starting from tenth. Reu and Benischek would then give the fans a thrilling side-by-side battle for the lead with little if any contact between the two veteran four cylinder drivers as Benischek would lead lap ten only to have Reu nose ahead again on lap eleven. Benischek would come right back to the point on lap twelve and he would then hold that lead over the final two laps to score the weekend sweep with the victory. Reu was right behind in second as Chris Vannausdle took third, his second podium finish of the weekend after making the long pull from Villisca, Iowa. Trent Orwig and Jeffrey DeLonjay completed the top five.
The class that boasted the most cars again tonight, the Sport Mods would be the second feature to the track for a twenty lap main event. Another one of the new drivers signing in tonight, fourteen-year-old Maguire DeJong would draw the pole position and, after winning his heat race in impressive fashion, the kid from Montezuma would prove it was no fluke by opening up a five car length lead in the first two laps. The caution then waved for an apparent incident involving Tyler Inman and Jake Sachau as both had slowed on the back stretch, but neither driver was placed at the rear for the restart.
DeJong would again drive away from the talented field on the restart as we watched last night's winner Curtis Van Der Wal steadily work his way toward the front after starting from seventh. Once he made it to second Van Der Wal was cutting into the lead, but not by much until DeJong encountered lapped traffic and soon he was on the rear bumper of the young driver who has stepped up out of the go kart ranks. DeJong would maintain the lead after getting past a couple of slower cars, but on lap fifteen as he worked through turn three and into turn four the leader clipped the rear end of Jason Doyle's car sending him for a spin and at the same time the lapped car of Tony Johnson took aim at Van Der Wal's left rear causing him to spin at the exit of turn four. The caution waved and both leaders returned to the front for the restart with six laps remaining.
Jim Gillenwater would line up in the third spot for the restart and he would become the new challenger for the lead pulling even with DeJong as lap fifteen was scored and then nosing ahead to take the point with four laps remaining. Van Der Wal then moved to second and with Gillenwater working down low, Curtis went top shelf trying to get a run to the front before the checkers. On the final lap Van Der Wal blasted the cushion one more time in turns three and four, but Gillenwater who has returned from retirement more times than Brett Favre now was perfect off the bottom to take the win. Logan Anderson came from the fifth row to finish third with Brayton Carter coming from twelfth to fourth while DeJong posted the first top five finish of his career against one of the strongest field of Sport Mods you will find in the Midwest.
The Stock Cars were up next for twenty laps and it would be the same cast of characters up front as the night before in another thriller. Cayden Carter and Beau Taylor would bring the field to green, but it would be Jeff Mueller coming from the sixth starting spot and racing one line higher up than anybody else who would hold the lead as the first lap was scored. John Oliver Jr. started third and also passed the front row to run second on that first lap and he would keep the pressure on Mueller as those two, along with Carter put some distance on the rest of the field.
The battle to watch though was fourth as, count 'em, seven drivers raced in tight formation using at least three different lines and swapping positions on nearly every lap Finally it would be Jason Cook who would emerge from that pack digging around the low side to take fourth before one of those seven, Jason McDaniel had his car go up in smoke in turn four with just four laps remaining. The red flag would come out to make sure that there was no fire and during that break the right front tire on Oliver's car went flat sending him to the pits.
This would give us the same top three restart as we had late in the race on Friday with Mueller out front ahead of Carter and Johnny Spaw. This time Mueller went on the defense first blocking Spaw from repeating his winning move on the top side, but that allowed Carter to get a run on the bottom and the two crossed the stripe in a virtual dead heat on lap eighteen. How that lap was scored would be critical though as when Cody McClure spun in turn two to bring out the caution Mueller was again placed out front for the green white checkered restart.
Knowing that he now needed to protect the bottom, Mueller went low where he is more comfortable anyway sending Carter to the middle groove looking for one last run. As the field made its way through turns three and four for the final time Carter appeared to have a run on the leader only to have Mueller throw one more block sliding up the track a bit off turn four to secure the win, just his second of a frustrating 2019 season. Carter would edge out Spaw for second while Jason Cook and Daniel Hilsabeck crossed the line side-by-side just behind him with Cook getting credit for fourth.
It was a cool damp night and as the Hobby Stocks came on to the track for their fourteen lap feature an eerie fog started to roll in over turns three and four and down the back stretch. The car count had dropped to nine by feature time with Friday's top two finishers Kaden Reynolds and Miciah Hidelbaugh starting from the front row. Reynolds would lead the first two laps before Hidelbaugh nosed ahead and the caution would wave following lap three when Tyler Ball and Kinzer Ellis spun to a halt right in front of the grandstand.
Once back to racing Hidelbaugh would maintain the point with Reynolds in chase until lap ten when his right rear tire blew in the fog shrouded turn three bringing out one last caution and sending Reynolds to the pits. Rick Van Dusseldorp would try to keep pace over the final four laps but there would be no catching Hidelbaugh as he took the win. Van Dusseldorp would take second ahead of Aaron Martin, Jake Benischek would complete an impressive weekend backing up his two wins in the Sport Compact with his second fourth place run in the Hobby Stock while Ball finished in fifth.
The fog eased up a bit as the Modifieds came to the track for twenty-two laps that would close out the weekend with a pair of tens, Cayden Carter and Ronn Lauritzen starting from the front row. That would be how they completed lap one as well, side-by-side, too close to call from my vantage point before Carter established himself as the leader on lap two. As the third lap was being scored Rod McDonald spun at the entrance of turn one and backed up the track into the guardrail gathering Mike Goben in the process as the caution waved.
Once back to green flag action Carter would open up a lead as Friday's winner Michael Long moved to second after starting seventh. Those two would then drive away from the field with Long, not close enough to challenge, but still keeping pace as drivers battled for positions behind them. By lap fourteen though Long had caught the leader in traffic and this was getting good before the caution waved for a Kurt Kile spin with just four laps remaining.
While many assumed that this would be Long's chance to make a late run at Carter, Tyler Madigan who had started tenth and was now in third had other plans as he put the slider on Long to take second exiting turn turn two and heading down the back straightaway. With Long coming back at Madigan in turn three this allowed Carter to slip away and it looked like the race would be his only to have the caution wave again following lap twenty when Mitch Boles spun in turn three.
On this restart the first double row behind the leader had Long down low and Madigan up top, but when Carter paced the field to the high side in turns three and four coming the green it looked like Madigan nearly dropped the right rear off the track as they throttled up to take the green. Coming down the front stretch Madigan was now fifth and things would get even worse for him going down the back stretch when contact with Derrick Stewart sent Madigan into a high speed sideways slide off the top of the back stretch and into the grass. I have seen this before at Scotland County and it usually results in a hard barrel roll for the unfortunate driver, but tonight perhaps it was the fog and the wet grass that kept the left side from digging in as Madigan slid to a stop and was able to again restart the race, but now from the rear of the field.
With the fog again on the increase you now had the sense that we were also racing the weather as the green waved again and just as Carter took the white flag, the red light flashed on as both Boles and Madigan were sitting in turn four with the Boles #4B on its top. Mitch was uninjured and once the track was cleared we again went back to racing under foggy conditions that had no effect on Cayden Carter as he would finally put those last two circuits in the book to take the win ahead of Michael Long. Austin Howes had an impressive drive on his hometown track to finish in the third position, Ronn Lauritzen finished fourth and Dakota Simmons moved from his fifth row start up to fifth place at the checkers.
It was another well presented program by promoter Mike Van Genderen and his crew at a track that is moving up on my list of favorites with the final checkers waving just past ten o'clock. Then came a somewhat stressful seventy mile drive home watching for deer in the fog. Oh well, just another one of the challenges when it comes to late season special events!
As of right now the weather forecast for next weekend is looking clear, but cool so hopefully you will bundle up and get out to the track of your choice. For me it will be either Marshalltown or Quincy on Friday night before returning to my personal favorite event of the year, "Shiverfest" at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson on Saturday.
Hope to see you on the Back Stretch!
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