Windom Wins The WAR, Long and Becerra Also Victorious In Front Of Fans at Pepsi Lee County Speedway

After presenting four nights of racing in May on a Pay Per View basis in front of empty grandstands, the Pepsi Lee County Speedway in Donnellson welcomed back the fans with a three division special event on a beautiful Friday night in the southeast corner of Iowa. The POWRi Wingless Auto Racing (WAR) Sprint Cars, thirty strong, would be the headliners while the track's IMCA Modified and IMCA Northern Sport Mods would also run a draw/redraw program.

It was a beautiful night for racing in Donnellson!

The two-level guardrails around the turns of the 3/8th-mile D-shaped speed plant could not contain the Sprint Cars during qualifying events. On the opening lap of the second heat race pole sitter Chuck Alexander got out of shape in turn one and when C.J. Leary could not avoid him, Leary's car flipped up and over the fence between turns one and two. He was not injured and after climbing over the guardrail he made sure that Alexander knew how he felt about the situation. Strangely at the end of that event, well after the checkers had waved for all of the cars, Alexander tumbled down the back stretch on the cool down lap.

On the opening lap of the B-Main former Modified driver A.J. Johnson of Oskaloosa hopped the wheel of the car in front of him entering turn one and that launched his car up and over the guardrail as well. He was uninjured. Then, a few laps into the race, the right front wheel came off of Justin Standridge's car going down the back stretch and it sailed over the guardrail and over the fence making its way almost out to the old highway before settling down. Thankfully nobody was out there and no cars were parked in that area as this one totally left the ol' ballpark.

Thankfully things settled down come feature time and a field of twenty-two Sprint Cars assembled for twenty-five laps. Well actually there were three cautions over the first five laps, then things settled down. Chris Windom started on the outside of row one and he would go the distance to take the win with only one instance where you thought this one was in doubt. On a lap three restart Dave Darland had charged past Anthony Nicholson for second and late in the race as Windom had to pause behind a pair of lapped cars who were using both of the preferred lines, Darland was able to draw within five car lengths only to have Windom clear the traffic and then drive away to the victory.

The battle for second was a good one over the closing laps as Wyatt Burks threw a failed slider at Darland with six laps remaining and on the final lap Burks was able to make it stick as he would take second away from "The People's Champ" Darland. Matt Westfall finished where he had started in fourth and Mario Clouser advanced two positions to take fifth.

The twenty lap Modified A-Main also had a dominating performance as Michael Long drew the pole position and was never seriously challenged in posting his fourth win in five events here at Donnellson in 2020. Mark Burgtorf chased him the entire distance in second while attrition and a lap thirteen incident shaped up the remainder of the results. Dennis LaVeine and Jeff Waterman were side by side for fourth entering turn one racing for fourth when contact sent both cars spinning. LaVeine was able to return from the work area in time for the restart while Waterman could not get a flat tire changed and make other repairs in time to continue.

Denny Eckrich would drop out of the race while running third with five laps to go so it would be Austin Howes joining Long and Burgtorf on the podium. LaVeine came back to finish fourth, Jardin Fuller was fifth and Levi Smith was the final car on the track at the checkers for sixth.

In the Sport Mod eighteen lap feature Tanner Klingele would lead through two early cautions before being passed in spectacular fashion on a lap five restart. With Jim Gillenwater coming on the low line and Austen Becerra going around the top, Klingele could not defend his position from the middle as Becerra would pick up the point.

Two more single car spinners would slow the field on laps eight and thirteen, but that did not seem to trouble Becerra who sped on to victory. Gillenwater fought off a strong challenge from Adam Birck to finish second, Joe Docekal drove Ron Kibbe's #89 to a solid fourth place finish and Klingele clung to the top five in fifth.

The Pepsi Lee County Speedway will be back in action next Friday night June 12th with the regular five classes highlighted by a Drive
For Five qualifier for the IMCA Late Model division.

The non-wing Sprint Car action now moves to 34 Raceway west of Burlington on Saturday night as the USAC Amsoil National series will attack the high-banked 3/8th-mile oval. 305 Winged Sprint, Sport Mods, Stock Cars and Sport Compacts will also be in action with hot laps scheduled for 6 p.m.

Hope to see you there!