The Hell Tour has a pre-set format based upon car count so at 31 we would see group qualifying within the three heat race fields with the top five advancing to the A-Main, and one "Consolation" race with the top three moving on. Four provisionals would then be added to make up the twenty-two car feature field and right from the start fans were treated the the top notch action that we are used to here at Davenport. Three drivers using three different lines raced three-wide on several occasion during the first heat. Bob Gardner, Frank Heckenast Jr. and eighteen-year-old Drake Troutman gave the fans their money's worth with Troutman going from third to first in the final lap to take the win and set the crowd abuzz on this, the longest day of the year.
Chad Simpson would dominate the second heat race, driving away to a big win after being the all around quick qualifier and his brother Chris Simpson would ward off the challenge of Ashton Winger in an entertaining third heat race. Michigan's Cody Bauer would win the Consi with southern Missouri's Austin Vincent taking a liking to the quick quarter coming from tenth to finish second ahead of another Michigan visitor Logan Nickerson. The field was now set, but before we get to the UMP Late Model headliner, a twenty-five lap IMCA Late Model feature would serve as an appetizer.
In case you haven't noticed, the IMCA Late Model car counts are on the rise in eastern Iowa in 2023 due to several drivers who are new to the class, some with names that I don't even recognize from having started in another division, and that is especially true here at Davenport where on this night twenty-four cars would sign in for the $700-to-win event. One of those new names is Evan Miller who, in the past has listed Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as his hometown, but now has switched to Silvis, Illinois, and he would draw the pole position for this one in his sharp looking #88.
Chuck Hanna would appear to get the jump on Miller at the drop of the green, but Evan would come charging back on the low line to lead the first three laps before Hanna's momentum off the cushion would send him to the front on lap four only to have Miller regain the point on the following lap. The caution would then wave for a Brandon Hamburg spin in turn two and on the restart Miller was again a bit slow to come up to speed when the green flag waved. The first double row of Hanna and Joe Beal would swallow him up exiting turn four and when the start was not called back it would now be the low riding Beal versus the ridge running Hanna in the battle for the lead.
Hanna would have the edge on laps six and seven before Beal took the point on lap eight. The pace would then be slowed three times at the mid-race point, two of the cautions for the same driver who would drive off the top of turn one and then slide to a stop well away from the racing surface ending up in nearly the same spot both times. Hanna would be re-energized on the restart and he would again lead laps fifteen through eighteen before Beal took over for good to capture his first career Late Model victory. Six lead changes across three drivers in twenty-five laps? That's why we love the Davenport Speedway!
Joel Callahan would slip past Hanna coming to the checkers for second, Justin Kay made steady progress from his sixth row starting sport to finish fourth while Miller tallied what I believe to be his first top-five finish in the division.
Regular promoter here Ricky Kay, "The Dirt Doctor" Al Dlouhy and the rest of the Davenport track crew would then do a quick rework of the wide racing surface prior to the forty-lap Super Late Model Main event and the result would be fantastic with drivers able to use the entire track, especially during the first ten laps of the race.
After warding off an early challenge from his brother Chris, Chad Simpson would race out to a solid early lead as drivers shuffled for position behind the Iowa siblings. On lap ten the sixth starting Ashton Winger would move to the second spot with Drake Troutman following him into third. Both of the these drivers were coming off of a heartbreaking evening in Moberly, Missouri, the night before where Winger's #12 lost oil pressure in the opening laps while racing in the top three and Troutman's hopes for a victory were shredded when his right rear tire disintegrated while leading with eight laps remaining. Unfortunately for Troutman, he would blow another right rear here once into third and after a quick change he would playing "catch up" after restarting from the rear. Also, kudos to those who caught the word play in the title of this entry. Rock on!
This restart would be an interesting one as when the leading Simpson brother Chad kept a slow pace entering turn three, Chris would pull completely even with him in turn four before the green flag waved. You could hear the crowd above the roar of the engines as Chris appeared to take the lead heading down the back stretch, but the caution had waved due to contact in the back of the field that had torn the nose piece off of Logan Nickerson's #21. It would have been interesting to see if the UMP officials would have let that one stand if the other incident had not taken place.
Everybody stayed where they should be for the next start with Chad Simpson maintaining the lead until lap nineteen when Doug Tye spun in turn one. Tye has now been a provisional starter in five of the first seven Summer Nationals events. On the restart Winger would find the grip on the bottom of turns one and two to drive ahead of Simpson to take the lead at mid-race and he would then go back up to the top to put some distance on the brothers Simpson.
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| Ashton Winger (12) digs to the low side of Chad Simpson - Brendon Bauman photo |
The final caution of the race would come on lap twenty-eight when the legend Billy Moyer made contact with Australian up and comer Kye Blight in turn two sending Moyer for a spin and that would bring the field back to the leader for the restart. When Winger entered turn one low and then drifted to the top out of two, that allowed Chris Simpson to motor by and he would take the point on lap twenty-nine. Winger would regroup though and as his high line brought him back to the leader with five laps remaining, Simpson's stick man must have let him know he was coming because Chris tried to get to the top entering turn one, but Winger was already there and he would drive back to the front down the back stretch and then pull away over the final four circuits to take the victory.
Chris Simpson would settle for second, Jason Feger would throw a slider at Chad Simpson to take third at the checkers and Frank Heckenast Jr. finished fifth. Bob Gardner was solid in sixth, Moberly winner Billy Moyer Jr. was seventh, Troutman rallied for eighth, Blight was ninth and Morgan Bagley finished tenth. During his victory lane interview Winger stated that Davenport was his favorite track, something that we have now heard from several national touring drivers.
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| Special thanks to Brendon Bauman for providing photos! |
North Carolina's Carson Brown finished eleventh. The fourteen-year-old who is under the tutelage of Mike Marlar and Ronnie Delk qualified second in his group, but was slow to fire at the drop of the green falling from second to fifth and was then passed late by the Hall of Famer Moyer for the fifth and final transfer. Brown again started from the front row of the consolation race, but lost positions early leaving him one spot out of the A, only to be added as a provisional likely by event promoter Tony Izzo Jr.
The Big Frog Motorsports #58 made the trip from central Florida to Davenport last August with Ashton Winger at the wheel, but at this point in the season it is twenty-year-old Tyler Clem in the ride. The twenty-year-old from St. Petersburg, who is the son of radio personality and dirt track owner "Bubba The Love Sponge" has been racing from an early age and is now getting out of the southeast to see if the Late Model division is his future. He has one victory on the 2023 season thus far, that coming in January at the wheel of a 360 Winged Sprint Car at Volusia Raceway Park and he would finish twelfth here at Davenport.
With the Hell Tour main event taking the checkers right at the ten o'clock hour, and knowing that Ben Chapman would be starting from the pole of the Sport Mod feature we decided to make an early exit for the 86 mile trip home. Checking results this morning we see that Ben scored his eleventh feature win of the season.
I was looking forward to a possible trip tonight to watch this new version of the Hell Tour at the high banks of the Spoon River Speedway near Canton, Illinois, but we heard late last night this show has been canceled due to issues with the water trucks at the track. That gives the drivers a day off before resuming action on Friday night at the Brownstown Bullring east of Saint Louis.
That means I will be right back up to the Davenport Speedway on Friday night as the Sprint Invaders will be in action along with four of the track's weekly divisions and my Saturday is now in limbo as the Invaders were then supposed to return to the Spoon River Speedway for the first time since 2009. Word is that we should have a decision on that event my mid-day on Friday. Then on Sunday night I am hoping to be there as Chuck Hanna makes his debut as the promoter at the East Moline Speedway. The team there has been working hard on putting in a new "black dirt" racing surface and reconfiguring the track itself to be more like the famous Fairbury Speedway. It will be a treat to be there for the Grand Opening this Sunday night.
Hope to see you again soon on the Back Stretch!
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