My "home" race track took center stage Tuesday night as 34 Raceway west of Burlington was the place for the second race of the 2023 High Limit Sprint Car Series schedule with an amazing field of fifty-one drivers signing in to compete for a $23,023 top prize. With around three tenths of an inch of rain falling overnight, the crew at 34 had to wait for the right moment to get the 3/8th-mile banked surface into shape for the evening and they delivered a track that was darn near perfect for a night of winged sprint car racing. The cushion started the evening midway up the track and it was steadily pushed to near the top on both ends allowing drivers to run high, low, a combination of both, or just in between come feature time making for some great racing while the green light was illuminated. Unfortunately though, and perhaps due to the pressure on the drivers to even make the show in such a talented field, there was more than a fair share of thrills and spills than you would like to see causing the show to run a little later than expected on a Tuesday evening.
It all started on the opening lap of the first heat race when Florida's Conner Morrell and NASCAR Cup driver Alex Bowman made contact entering turn one sending both cars up and over. Morrell's ride was especially scary as he catapulted end over end off the top of the turn one banking before slamming to the ground on what was left of "all fours". The car was a mess, but after a moment or two to regain his composure Morrell climbed out under his own power to the cheers of the large crowd. Bowman also was slow to emerge, but thankfully he too was uninjured in the scary dual flip. (Wednesday afternoon update, Alex Bowman released a statement saying that he had fractured a vertebra and that he would miss the next three to four Cup races. Josh Berry will replace him for those events)
Ian Madsen would take a hard ride down the front stretch in the B-Main and there was some more wreckage to come in both the main event for the 305's, and the High Limit headliner with details to follow.
Let's start with the 305's who were on hand to support with seventeen of the eighteen drivers signed in making it to the track to compete. This included southeast Missouri's Gage Montgomery and Wisconsin's Eric Wilke who both were making what I believe to be their first appearance ever at 34 Raceway to be a part of the big show that was being viewed by Sprint Car fans worldwide on FloRacing. After running their two heat races with no issues the 305's were listed on the schedule for the night to run a "fifteen lap, or fifteen minute" main event just ahead of the grand finale. When they came to the track though it was first stated that they would go for twenty laps, then I heard it would be fifteen and then it went back to twenty, but as you will see in the long run it doesn't really matter anyway.
Just eleven days earlier Jake Glasgow had won his first career feature during the Slocum 50 and he would draw the pole position alongside the young Montgomery who comes from a highly successful racing family with his father Tim and his uncle Joey. Jake would race out to the point, but soon after the first lap was scored McCain Richards would go for a spin in turn two. One more lap would go in the book before a four car tangle involving Devon Rouse, Blaine Jamison and Joshua Jones would take place in turn two. Jones would tip onto his side and Cole Helmerson would spin to avoid contact.
On this restart heat race winner Chase Richards would launch into a hard series of barrel rolls up and over the top of turn one and once back to racing just three more laps would be completed before Eric Wilke looped it in turn two. By now the announcers were convinced that, if they were able to stay green, this race would only be fifteen laps, but that the time limit was more possible as the eight minute horn had been sounded in the pits for the High Limit feature to go to the staging area.
On the restart as the third running Montgomery was perhaps a bit slow coming up to speed, the fourth place car of Dugan Thye tried to go to his outside, but instead climbed his wheels vaulting Thye into front stretch wall. I have to take a moment here to give a tip of the hat to the Beckman Towing team that has been a fixture at 34 Raceway for decades. They worked with quick precision as soon as they were given the go ahead to do so on every incident tonight, and with this race already under the threat of the time limit, Thye's car was on the hook and moved to the infield as quick as you will ever see. Wrecker crews are like an umpire in baseball, when they do their job well nobody really notices them, but having been around this sport long enough to have seen the other side of the coin, I definitely appreciated their efficiency.
Finally back to green, Jake Glasgow would set the pace with Cody Wehrle now up from a sixth place start to challenge. Smooth around the bottom, Glasgow would maintain the advantage as Wehrle tried to ride the cushion to get to the front and when Helmerson went for a spin in turn two on lap twelve, the checkers would wave as well with Glasgow going from a non-winner two weeks ago to now having a two race win streak under his belt. Wehrle would settle for second ahead of a long-time reader of the Back Stretch, Jeff Wilke wo finished third after starting next to Wehrle in the third row. Despite damage to his front wing from the incident with Thye, Gage Montgomery would hold on to the fourth spot with Noah Samuel coming from tenth to fifth.
With the pressure to get qualified behind them, the crowd was hoping that the twenty-seven High Limit drivers would put on a good clean thirty-five lap feature with plenty of action to warm them on this crisp, cool evening. Well let's just say that while there was plenty of action, it just wasn't that clean. At least for the first half of the race!
Pole-sitter Brent Marks would set the early pace before the first caution waved on lap four. Justin Peck, who had made a heart-stopping move earlier in the evening to squeeze between Marks and the start of the back stretch wall to win the third heat race, had spun in turn two after starting eighth. Two more laps would be scored before Cole Macedo coasted to a halt in turn four and as the field lined up prior to coming to the "choose cone", Kyle Larson had the fans abuzz as he had already advanced from tenth to fifth.
With the double file restart, quick qualifier on the evening Blake Hahn would spin near the top of turn two now facing the rest of the field that scrambled to miss him. As Bill Balog veered to the right to go up pit road, Kasey Kahne was still on the throttle and drilled Hahn head on to bring out the red flag. Both drivers were okay.
This would then educate us on how the High Limit series handles the "choose cone" in that if at least one lap is not scored after a double-file restart, then the ensuing restart will be single-file based upon the running order of the last scored lap. So this restart would be a clean one with fellow front row starter Buddy Kofoid now going to work on Marks for the lead. On lap ten Kofoid caught the cushion perfectly and sailed around Marks at the exit of turn two while perhaps more of the crowd was paying attention to the back and forth battle for third between Chase Randall and Kyle Larson.
Larson had prevailed before Randall slowed on lap thirteen to produce another caution and on this double-file restart Justin Peck would wind up on his side at the top of turn one to produce another red flag. The single-file restart that followed was a good one (just in case you are not catching my hints here, I will put this in parentheses for you) and the battle for the lead was again a good one with Marks regaining the point on lap nineteen when Kofoid stumbled briefly on the cushion in turn two. That pass would be negated though as Brock Zearfoss was slowing on the front stretch after tagging the wall and the caution would set up one last double file restart.
Anthony Macri would make the move to second on this one and he would now take up the chase on the leader with sparks flying from his rear brakes as he worked the low line of the speedway. Kofoid would maintain a slight advantage though until lap twenty-eight when the leader hesitated at the entry of turn one as he approached the slower car of Paulie Colagiovanni. With Kofoid's momentum scrubbed as he opted for the cushion, Macri would spark it up and head to the bottom to make the pass for the lead while still trailing Colagiovanni.
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| No sparks while running the top, Anthony Macri at 34 Raceway - Brendon Bauman Photography |
Larson would take advantage as well dropping Kofoid to third and he would now go to work on Macri as much of the crowd came to their feet in anticipation. The likeable dirt racer that rose to being a NASCAR Cup champion and who has now partnered with his brother-in-law Brad Sweet to bring more money to his beloved winged sprint car racing with the High Limit Series, Larson was up to the rear bumper of Macri with four laps to go and appeared to be ready to pounce. But the up and coming driver out of Pennsylvania did not flinch and when Larson hopped the cushion in turn one on the final lap, the win would go to Macri with a late charging Zeb Wise stealing second from Larson. Marks would fade to fourth, Tyler Courtney came from thirteenth to fifth, Rico Abreu finished sixth, Kofoid fell to seventh, Justin Sanders was eighth and the drivers who had started from the eleventh row, Brian Brown and Parker Price-Miller would complete the top ten.
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| Brendon Bauman Photography |
It was a fantastic finish to a night that had a few too many stops and starts with the final checkers waving at 10:28 p.m. Still though it should give those fans who might have been seeing 34 Raceway for the first time either in person, or on Flo, a good impression of this fine facility that has a schedule jam-packed with special events for fans of both Sprint Cars and Late Models. Just think, in the three Sprint Car races held at 34 so far this year the car counts have been 48,48 and 51, very impressive! And don't forget that the World of Outlaws will be here on July 7th, the All Stars on July 21st and the IRA returns on August 25th. Plus throw in the Sprint Invaders on May 28th and September 23rd and you have plenty of dates to mark on your calendar as a lover of "Winged Things". And, if you also enjoy the fenders, the Lucas Oil Late Model Series is at 34 on May 20th, and the World of Outlaws will be here on October 6th. Hope to see you at all of these great events!
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| Special thanks to Brendon Bauman for providing photos for use by the Back Stretch! |
With the beautiful spring weather on this Wednesday I am hoping to make the trip up to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa and then this weekend I might just add a new track to my list on Sunday, weather and work permitting. Look for me on the Back Stretch!
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