When two of the top Late Model drivers in the country stand in victory lane and tell the announcer that they have really been wanting to come and race here, you know that you are doing something right. And when they say that they can't wait to come back to the Davenport Speedway, well they are standing on the front stretch after placing first and second in one of the closest finishes that you will ever see, so of course that is what they are going to say. But seriously with the changes that have been made to the racing surface under the direction of Kay Promotions, and the finishes that fans have seen in high profile events here over the past two years, it should come as no surprise that the quarter-mile oval is now a favored destination for the nation's best.
Heck, I am so disappointed that our Sprint Invaders shows have been rained out here each of the last two years because I believe that the open wheel crowd would fall in love with the place as well once they get a taste of it!
Changes. Nothing official here, I am sure that Ricky and Brenda Kay would provide more details if asked, but just from my observations there have been two primary ones. First is that the track has been widened by at least three car widths. Not sure how they did it, perhaps by pulling in the track tires on the infield, but change number two might answer my own question. The banking off the exit of turn four and the entrance to the high line in turn one has been extended well out onto the front stretch of the half-mile. So much so that I don't believe that the ol' girl could even be used anymore without moving a lot of dirt and then having to rebuild the little gem that now has drivers wanting to to travel to Davenport.
Over the past thirty years when a special event was scheduled at Davenport the promoter would have to specify whether it would be held on the half-mile or the quarter-mile. Going forward, I don't think you need to ask.
Tuesday's show would feature the MARS Super Late Model Series running for $10,000 to win along with the IMCA Late Models and Modifieds getting one more look at the facility before the Mississippi Valley Fair opens it run and sends the big contingent of weekly competitors here on vacation, or looking for somewhere else to race until they return to action on August 13th. While this was a MARS series race only two of the top fifteen in points were on hand, Brian Shirley and Jason Feger, which would explain the car count of twenty-two, but the star power was definitely there with several drivers making the stop on the way from the Silver Dollar Nationals in Nebraska to the Prairie Dirt Classic in Illinois.
MARS uses the "qualify and start 'em straight up" format so the three heat races were a high speed parade around the lip without much action, but after some track work during intermission the fifty-lap headliner went back to the track's growing reputation of a multi-grooved, ever changing, thrill a second joyride for the big crowd sweltering in the massive grandstand.
Quick qualifier, first heat race winner and pole-sitter Stormy Scott would set the early pace still riding the rim while the battles behind him were frantic. By the time that he entered traffic around lap fifteen, Scott had dropped his line lower on the turns and soon Jason Feger and the rest of the front runners were closing in. With the cushion now pushed all the way to the top at the entrance of turns one and three that high line, while still fast, now had a new level of treachery to it and both Feger and Ricky Thornton Jr. dropped a right rear over the top each losing a couple of positions in the process. One lap later Rich Bell went over the top of turn one and when he decided to park it outside of turn two rather than racing on, the event's first caution waved with twenty-three laps complete in the Hoker Trucking 50.
It appeared to me that the leader Scott paid too much attention to his "stick man" during the caution because when the green flag flew he was changing grooves and running lines that he had not yet used apparently in an effort to ward off the tide and on lap twenty-six Hudson O'Neal would go flying by him on the outside of turn two. You could hear the crowd over the roar of the motors as the race for second went four-wide down the back stretch with Scott, Shirley, Brandon Overton and Bobby Pierce all making their bid and then the collective groan when the caution waved for Spencer Diercks who had driven off the top of turns three and four.
A few laps after the restart Overton would establish himself as the primary challenger to O'Neal and as those two slugged it out for the lead, Pierce was right there waiting to take advantage of any mistakes. With O'Neal up top and Overton working the middle for every bit of traction that he could find, the two swapped the lead back and forth with Overton having the edge exiting the turns only to have O'Neal blow by him by the mid-point of the straightaways until Hudson dropped down and took away his challenger's line around lap forty.
That would give O'Neal the cushion that he needed and as he pulled away this one looked to be all but over as with nobody chasing points only eleven cars remained on the track so there was no traffic to contend with. Just before the white flag was about to wave though it was replaced by a caution as Feger had slowed on the front stretch and we would now be treated to one wild finish.
Given new life Overton again worked the middle and was able to pull ahead of O'Neal in the turns and as they raced the straights O'Neal would come charging back to the front. Entering turn three for the final time O'Neal went low to block, but as he drifted up the track a bit in turn four Overton had the drive off the bottom and it was a literal drag race to the checkers. I had to watch the replay several times this morning on Dirt On Dirt and try to hit pause at that critical split second to confirm it and after doing so I agree that it was O'Neal by inches at the line to take the win! Transponder scoring had the margin of victory at 0.026 seconds, another amazing finish that required technology to confirm it at Davenport. Pierce was close behind in third, Shirley built upon his MARS point lead in fourth and rising star Garrett Alberson filled out the top five. Ricky Weiss was sixth, Nick Hoffman rode to a seventh place finish in his debut with Team Zero, Chad Simpson was eighth, Jimmy Owens was ninth and Scott went from early leader to the final car on the track in tenth.
After a lengthy victory lane celebration most of the crowd stuck around for the Modifieds and local Late Models. In the Modifieds sixteen-year-old rookie Charlie Mohr would lead the first half of the twenty-lap distance, but when Spencer Diercks pulled alongside of him in turns three and four Mohr went for a spin causing the race's only caution. It is my understanding that the young driver is under the tutelage of a recently retired driver who was one the area's best for four decades, but I until I have that confirmed I won't share the name. You can bet though that this will be a lesson learned that giving up one spot is better that over driving the car and restarting at the back. Given that Charlie already has five top-five finishes against stout fields in the Quad Cities this season he is obviously a good student.
Diercks would bring the field back to green, but after starting the race from twelfth there was Matt Werner ready to challenge in the low groove. Diercks would fight him off for four circuits and once he was out front, Werner would drive away to an impressive victory. Diercks would chase him in for second, Jason Pershy finished third, Brandon Durbin also came from row six to take fourth and Mitch Morris completed the top five.
Eighteen IMCA Late Models would close out the evening for twenty-five laps and when Justin Kay charged from third to first on the opening lap, one might have thought that this one was already decided. Brian Harris was not convinced though as he put the Curless Racing #99 up on the high side and drove around Kay to lead lap three, Justin came back to lead the fourth circuit before Harris established himself as the pace setter on lap five. As this exchange went on Matt Ryan had come from fifth and was closing fast taking second from Kay on lap seven and then the lead from Harris on lap nine.
As the race went on with no cautions Ryan's lead grew and then started to shrink as Kay moved to second and appeared to be headed to another late race snatch of the win, something that I have seen at least three times here over the past two years and most recently on July 16th. The nightmares of seeing the orange 15K would end tonight though as Ryan maintained some distance and would take the win unchallenged in the closing laps with Kay as the runner-up. Harris would earn his second third-place finish of the season ahead of last Friday's winner here Chuck Hanna while Andy Nezworski filled out the top five.
It was another spectacular night of racing at Davenport and we were on our way home at 9:40 p.m. on a Tuesday I saw in an interview from last weekend that Joe Kosiski said that if and when I-80 Speedway is sold that he might like to find another venue for the Silver Dollar Nationals. I think I know just the place!
For more Positively Racing Coverage from this event check in with Danny Rosencrans and Ed Reichert.
After that Late Model thriller my attention now turns to Sprint Cars for the next eighteen days starting tonight when the Sprint Invaders return to the Dubuque County Fair. Then it will be fun with the All Star Circuit of Champions at 34 Raceway on Friday night and at Knoxville on Saturday before returning to Sprint Invaders racing at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly on Sunday. Some family fun may keep me from the 360 Nationals at Knoxville, but I hope to make it to the Capitani Classic on Sunday night and Terry McCarl's Front Row Challenge on Monday in Oskaloosa before the 60th running of the Knoxville Nationals August 11th through the 14th.
Perhaps we will see each other on the Back Stretch!
No comments:
Post a Comment