Familiar Names Find Victory Lane at Lee County Speedway

It is a great day when my wife sends me a text around the noon hour that says "where are we going racing tonight?" While I have been going to around 60 to 65 nights of racing per year over the past several seasons, Christine will only join me about two or three times a year so it is really cool when she makes the suggestion that we go together and our choice for the evening was the nearby Lee County Speedway in Donnellson.

With this being a "Drive For 5" Qualifier there was a solid field of twenty-three Late Models signed in along with double-digits in each of the other four divisions. In this day and age, that's a win especially knowing that the average point invert lineup procedure would be in use for those four classes. It was a near perfect evening weather wise and after eleven qualifying heat races were completed, the first feature would roll to the track framed by a brilliant sunset.

The Sport Compacts would go for fifteen laps only to have the caution wave on the initial start when Noah Kayser and Kimberly Abbott tangled in turn one. Once underway it would be Barry Taft setting the pace with Josh Barnes in hot pursuit and when the leaders closed in on the lapped car of Doug White, Barnes would go to the bottom while Taft squeezed between White and the front stretch wall. This would allow Barnes to take the point for laps six and seven, but then turn about is fair play as when they closed in on a slow moving Blaine Lambert they would again split the lapper with Taft regaining the advantage.

Barnes would only stay in contention for three more laps before slowing with mechanical issues and that would allow Luke Fraise to make a late run at the leader. Lifting his left rear in the air when entering the corners, Fraise looked one lie higher than Taft on the final two laps, but Barry was too strong and would take the victory. Chevy Barnes would take third, Brandon Reu came from eighth to fourth with Chandler Fullenkamp completing the top five. 

The Stock Cars would be up next for eighteen laps, but the fifth starting John Oliver Jr. only needed two trips around the 3/8ths-mile "D" shaped track to take the lead from Kevin Koontz. With Oliver hugging the bottom, some lined up behind him while others tried the top to see if they could mount a challenge. The only caution of the race would come on lap nine when last week's winner here, Cole Mather spun while trying to take fourth from Beau Taylor. Mather who towed all the way down from Oelwein had started eleventh after also spinning during his heat race.

On the restart Derrick Agee would battle his way into second and he would keep the pressure on the leader for the remainder of the race. After trying a slightly higher line with no success, Agee was able to wedge his nose under Oliver late in the race, but with John protecting the bottom Agee backed off rather than making contact and that would be the way that they would finish. It was a milestone win for Oliver with his 100th career IMCA Stock Car victory. This would be the second time in four days that I watched Agee race with class while settling for second, Jeremy Pundt started ninth and finished third, Josh Foster returned to his old stompin' grounds to take fourth with division rookie Dakota Simonsen in fifth.

Jesse Belez would pace the first three laps of the eighteen lap IMCA Modified headliner before fifth starting Drew Janssen squeezed under him for the advantage. Austen Becerra was on the move from row five and on lap seven he would go from third to first with one quick move down the back stretch and into turn three. Cautions would wave on lap ten for Brian Reed and lap eleven for Mike Benjamin, then again on the restart when Dennis LaVeine and Daniel Fellows tangled in turn two.

It was only delaying the inevitable though as Becerra would walk away from the field over the final seven laps to secure the victory. Janssen fought of Mark Burgtorf late to finish second, Bill Roberts Jr. was fourth and Mitch Boles filled out the top five.

If Nick Marolf draws the pole in an IMCA Late Model feature here at Donnellson, or really at any track these days, it is a good bet that you will see him go flag-to-flag for the win and that is exactly what he did on this night. A lap twelve caution for a slowing Ed Hollenbeck did create some interest up front though when Tommy Elston used the high side to go from fifth to second on the restart.

Elston's high line momentum allowed him to stay with the leader for a lap or two before Marolf again pulled away only to have the caution wave again with four laps remaining. Apparently drivers from two distinctly different generations had gotten together in turn four with Gary Webb ending up facing the wrong direction. The wily veteran then made it very clear that he was not happy with Darin Weisinger  Jr. who was sent to the rear for the contact.

Elston would give the higher line one more try on the restart, but there was no staying with Marolf who cruised to the dominating win. Denny Woodworth would follow Elston in for third, Jay Johnson used the high line to run fourth with C.J. Horn holding down the fifth position.

The IMCA Sport Mods would close out the evening as Brandt Ames would lead the opening lap before a caution for pole-sitter Trayton Buckallew who had spun in turn two. Nobody is as hooked up right now as Brayton Carter is as he had moved from tenth to sixth for the restart and it would then take him just two laps to take the lead passing both Ames and Adam Birck going down the back stretch.

The leaders had stretched this one out enough that I was already writing down the top five in my notebook with three laps to go before one last caution waved when Cole Gillenwater and Brandon Lambert both ended up facing the wrong direction at the exit of turn four. On the restart Brandon Dale would take second from Birck and with two laps remaining he would drive deep into turn one to pull even with Carter to the leader's outside. Brayton would not flinch though getting the bite that he needed to drive away in the final lap and a half to record his state leading eleventh feature win of the season. Dale and Birck would join the podium with Sean Wyett taking fourth away from John Oliver Jr. in the final laps.

Four of the five feature winners tonight are former All Iowa Points Champions showing the caliber of drivers that compete regularly here at the Lee County Speedway:

Barry Taft - Four Cylinder AIP Champion 2017 and 2018

John Oliver Jr. - Stock Car AIP Champion 2018

Austen Becerra - Four Cylinder AIP Champion in 2014 and Modified AIP Champion in 2022

Brayton Carter - Limited Modified Champion 2020

It would have been special in more ways than one if the ageless veteran and eight-time All Iowa Points Champion Gary Webb could have made it a "former champ" sweep in the Late Models. Think of this, Webb was the champion over the following years, 1980-81, 1993-97 and 2000. Even now in his mid-70's Gary is still competing, and still winning races! A member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, he will always be one of my favorites.

A big thank you to promoters Brian and Marcie Gaylord and the entire Lee County Speedway team for putting on a smooth and efficient program that wrapped up at ten minutes before ten. A night like this might just get me another text from my beautiful wife soon saying "where are we gong racing tonight?"

We will kickoff the 2023 season for the Sprint Invaders this Sunday night at 34 Raceway with the Mini Haulers and the Hobby Stocks also on the card. Hope to see you there!