Yes,
I hate the fact that my last column had an underlying weather theme and that I
am coming right back with another lead paragraph featuring the climate, but I
couldn’t help but to notice the contrast. On Friday night I sat in the stands
at the I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska, and literally shivered through
the final laps facing a stiff north wind and a temperature in the upper
thirties. Two nights later, just a couple of hundred miles to the east in
Quincy, Illinois, I enjoyed shirtsleeve weather until about an hour after the
sunset. Early April racing in the Midwest, you have to love it. Just make sure
that you have enough coats and a blanket or two on standby for at least another
month or two!
Fifty-three
IMCA Late Models filled the infield at I-80 on Friday night in, what I believe
was the Summer Series’ first-ever event to be held in Nebraska. This was my
first time to see a race at the quick 4/10th-mile oval and the
setting served as truly a neutral site for the Deery Series to open the 2005
season. Brian Harris sat on the pole for the 35-lap main event and quickly
established himself as the man to beat opening up a comfortable cushion on the
rest of the field. While Harris was set on cruise control there was plenty of
good racing behind him as Jay Johnson, Lonnie Bailey and Terry Neal went at it
for the runner-up spot. Neal, driving Brad Coin’s #28c that was often wheeled
by Ray Guss Jr. in 2004, would prevail to finish second with Johnson and Bailey
taking third and fourth respectively. Nebraska driver Eddie Moore completed the
top five.
The
Western Dirt Racing Association (WDRA) Late Models were also on the card for
Friday night and I was a bit disappointed in how few of the WDRA drivers
decided to make the trip east. Defending series champion Kelly Boen did put on
quite a show in the twenty-five-lap feature though as he found the very top
groove to his liking at the mid-race mark. With his right rear quarter panel
nearly skimming the guardrails on each end of the speedway Boen quickly moved
from around eighth up to second, but he ran out of laps and race-long leader
John Anderson picked up the $1,500 winners check. Denny Eckrich finished behind
Boen in third followed by Steve Kosiski and Mark Wyman.
I-80
Notes…..Moore’s fifth place run in the IMCA feature started from the tenth
position. Jeff Aikey, who finished behind Moore in sixth, came from the
twentieth starting spot after fuel line problems in his heat race forced a
B-Main transfer effort….Todd Cooney made a final turn pass of Darrell DeFrance
for the final transfer from the third IMCA heat race…..Travis Roth had the
third and final transfer out of the fifth IMCA heat locked up until a flash
fire in the engine compartment a half lap from the checkers brought out the red.
This put Tom Darbyshire into the feature line-up. Roth returned to run a
B-Main, but could not crack the top four….Harris, who did double-duty taking 15th
in the WDRA portion of the program, stayed in Nebraska for Saturday’s WDRL
opener….Neal went on to win the Deery Series feature at Webster City on
Saturday night and will now head to 34 Raceway this Saturday as the point
leader. I wonder if running for the point championship was in the original
plans for Coin’s team?….Other than Boen, who by the way picked up the I-80 WDRL
victory on Saturday night, the only other WDRA competitors whom I recognized
were Dean Moore and Gary Dechant. Moore had mechanical woes after hot laps and
did not run the rest of the night while Dechant missed qualifying out of the B
and, as somewhat of a surprise, was not added as a provisional to the A-Main. I
was too cold to track somebody down to find out why….Matt Furman put a sizzle
in the crowd with a foot-to-the-floor threading of the needle move coming off
of turn two during the second WDRA heat race. The youngster from Iowa City was
an early retiree from the main event….Travis Dickes is a young Late Model
driver that you may want to keep an eye on. He won a weekly show at I-80 last
year and ran a solid eighth in Friday’s main event….Ace Ihm was the last Late
Model to arrive at the speedway and was the last car to make it into the WDRA
feature as Keith Foss slowed with a flat tire on the final lap of the B-Main
handing the fourth spot to Ihm. Foss ended up starting the feature with a
provisional….I enjoyed talking with internet scribe “Bruton” prior to the show
and, after one night at the I-80 Speedway, I can see why race fans in western
Iowa and eastern Nebraska would want to make this a regular Sunday night
destination. Thanks to the entire Nebraska Raceway Park staff for their
hospitality and a well presented racing program. I hope to return soon on a
warmer evening!
It
was a beautiful Sunday evening making it real easy for fans to make their way
out to the 2005 season opener at the Quincy Raceway, and it was a large group
that turned out. With this being a non-points event, and with several of the
Quincy Late Model regulars having spent the past two nights on the road with
the Deery series, I was actually expecting a short field of cars. It was a
pleasant surprise to see nineteen IMCA Late Models in the pits along with solid
fields in the A-Mods, B-Mods and Bombers. Looks like 2005 is going to be a good
year for Quincy!
The
Late Model field was missing likely regulars Boone McLaughlin and Gary Russell,
but some impressive looking rookies kept the car count near twenty. Jason
Connoyer, who picked up a USMTS victory at Peoria in 2004, is now driving one
of Denny Woodworth’s Late Models. Connoyer looked strong in his heat, finishing
third, but then passed on a second row starting sport in the feature and tagged
the tail instead. He was credited with 18th. Matt Bailey, who I
assume is Lonnie Bailey’s son, made his Late Model debut and gained speed all
night long finishing 14th. Matt has some go-kart experience, but it
was reported that this was his first night of competition in a full-bodied
racecar. Kevin Tomlinson, who I believe ran some Late Model shows late last
year, finished 13th on the first night that I have seen him in the
division. These guys, and everybody else, were left chasing Brent Slocum as he
jumped from his pole position and ran off with the feature win. Not even
perennial QR champion Mark Burgtorf could close ground on Slocum while
finishing second. Lonnie Bailey edged out the young gun Justin Reed for third
and veteran driver Mike Dyche was an impressive fifth.
 |
| My shot of Lonnie Bailey from the 1990's |
The
A-Mod feature was dominated by Michael Long in his sleek looking Kraft Kar as
he went flag-to-flag for the opening night victory. Hank DeLonjay came home
second followed by Jim Gillenwater, Ted Allen and Brandon Brown. The Late Model
feature concluded at 8:55 p.m. and we were on our way home happy with another
fun night in Quincy. Thanks to Bob and Jeff Scott and their entire crew for, as
always, putting on an efficient and entertaining Sunday night of racing. Don’t
forget that the Deery Brothers Summers Series rolls into Quincy this Sunday
night April 10th.
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