(Note: Great minds think alike? The official press release from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series posted at about the same time that this story went up on the Back Stretch had nearly the exact same headline. The only difference is that theirs had the word "Oil" in it.)
When Saturday morning was cold and wet in West Burlington 34 Raceway owners Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt were faced with losing their ninth event of ten scheduled already for 2022. And this was a big one with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, so with a favorable forecast for the next day they decided to roll the dice and postpone the big money show to Sunday starting an hour earlier than originally scheduled.
With a high sun and a steady breeze that early start soon produced day race conditions as after the Stock Cars and Sport Mods raced all over the track in their qualifiers, the Late Models ran their three heats single file around the bottom and that hour was then committed to a track prep session to allow the touring Late Model drivers to put on a show for the Sunday night crowd.
As the sun was now setting twenty-two Lucas Oil Late Models lined up for fifty laps on the freshly prepared 3/8th-mile oval and it would be outside pole-sitter Tim McCreadie that would snag the early advantage. Brandon Sheppard would try to keep pace early as the favored groove again settled to the bottom, but McCreadie was on a rail pulling away to a big advantage by lap fifteen. Not even lapped traffic would keep the defending series champion from extending his lead and when the fifty non-stop laps of racing came to an end the margin of victory was by more than half a lap.
Earl Pearson Jr. was able to draw even with Sheppard on the final lap only to have Brandon fight him off for runner-up honors and extending his non-winning streak here at 34, something that I was not aware of until Sheppard admitted as much during his quick qualifier interview. Rookie-of-the-Year contender Garrett Alberson finished fourth and Hudson O'Neal fought back a mid-race challenge from Bobby Pierce to complete the top five.
After the top five were all interviewed in victory lane the Sport Mods were up next for fourteen laps of racing with Sean Wyett leading the way while keeping his #12s pinned to the bottom. Logan Anderson had settled in behind Wyett and appeared content to follow him to the checkers until a caution waved with four laps remaining.
On the restart Tyler Heckart was able to squeeze down between Wyett and Anderson to take second and that sent Anderson one line up the track looking to regain the spot. Not only did he get past Heckart, but Logan found that higher line better than the leader as well taking the point coming to the white flag and then holding off Wyett over that final lap to score the win. Heckart finished third with Travis Hartman fourth while Rex Widmer had his best night yet since returning to racing after a two decade layoff by finishing fifth.
The Stock Cars would close out the night and even though their numbers were short, as usual they would put on a great show. Abe Huls would set the early pace with Jason Cook hounding him all the way and as they battled up front Corey Strothman was coming to join them after starting sixth. Perhaps seeing what Anderson had done in the Sport Mods while sitting in the staging area, Strothman went one groove higher and in just two laps drove around both Cook and Huls to take the lead on lap six.
Leaving the bottom himself now, Huls tried to battle back and was able to stick his nose under the leader a couple of times, but there would be no passing Strothman as he completed the win ahead of Huls, Cook, Chad Krogmeier and Chris Wibbell.
After having to use a Sunday to get their second show of the season in, 34 Raceway will hope for better weather next weekend as the track presents a Memorial Day weekend doubleheader. Saturday night will feature the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Sport Compacts while Sunday night the Sprint Invaders will come to town and will be joined by the Mini Hauler truck division.
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