I know this isn't "news" to you at this point, but it was hot in Davenport on Thursday. I mean really freakin' HOT, the type of heat that makes you yearn for any hint of a breeze, something that only came along every now and then until the sun went down. After that, only the vortex caused by twenty-eight World of Outlaws Late Models circling the quarter-mile at the Davenport Speedway would get the flag moving and provide some relief, even though it was probably more of having something to take your mind off the heat for a few minutes.
I thought that I had a plan to beat the heat. With hot laps pushed back an hour to 7:30, I arrived at the track around 6:15, bought my ticket and then made a leisurely stroll across Locust Street to have dinner in air conditioned comfort at one of the track's many fine sponsors, the Gypsy Highway. I wore my only remaining white racing shirt, a vintage Sammy Swindell Old Milwaukee one where the art had purposely been made to look like it was twenty years old even when it was new, and I hadn't even broken a sweat when I stepped into the air conditioned facility where a live band was already in action on "Bike Night".
My meal timed out perfectly for me to find a seat that had been saved for me by Fred Peters and his nephew just before hot laps and they both looked like they had just finished a marathon. Even at a Late Model show, my shirt had already drawn two compliments and was still dry at this point, but in a matter of just a few minutes it was soaked in sweat as it literally felt like you were sitting in the world's biggest sauna.
For this weekend, with the normal pit area off the back stretch setup for camping, most if not all of the teams were pitted on the black top parking lot outside of turn four and I can't even imagine how much hotter it had to be on that surface as the teams prepared for the evening.
With the sun setting in the west, and what was left of that breeze now gone, we were now ready for qualifying with the second car out, Chad Simpson turning the quickest lap for Group A at 13.473 seconds. In those first eighteen cars it looked like the track had slowed a bit with the cushion getting closer and closer to the top on both ends, but that was not the case as series point leader Bobby Pierce would tour the quarter in 13.380 as the 20th car on the clock and, as the 30th car out for qualifying, Cade Dillard would have the third fastest time of the night with a 13.508 seconds.
After four sessions of practice for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets, none with more than four cars in one session, we were finally ready to do some racing at just a few minutes before nine o'clock and the events of the first heat race were noteworthy.
Matt Ryan would get sideways in turn one and collect Brent Larson on the initial start, but both drivers would be able to continue. On the second try at a start, Kyle Bronson who was supposed to be on the inside of the third row, got "a nice jump" as an impartial announcer would say, driving under and ahead of the drivers in the second row to immediately put himself into one of the four transfer spots and when the leader, Chad Simpson, slipped off the top of turns one and two after scoring lap one, Bronson would now be lined up on the inside of Ryan Gustin in the first double row for the restart.
As the green flag waved "The Killer" was forcing Gustin high off of turn four and after stabbing the brakes Ryan would shove his nose right under the rear end of the #40B as they raced down the front stretch. Of course when Bronson set the car for the cushion entering turn one, Gustin did not make the turn driving over the banking and then having to go to the work area to try to make repairs to the nose of his car. Yes, it was the retaliation that took Gustin out of contention, but let's just say that Bronson was not making any friends in this one.
As it played out though, Shane Clanton who had started fourth would take the win followed by Bronson, the eighth starting Larson and the ninth starting Todd Cooney would complete the top four. Show me the last time that a "time 'em and then start 'em straight up" heat race had starting positions four, five, eight and nine in the top four.
Heats two and three would see the top four starters be the top four finishers while seventh starting Brian Shirley would crack the top four in the final heat. That did not come as a surprise though as "The Squirrel" had stumbled on the cushion in turns one and two on both of his qualifying laps, so you knew that he was faster than what he had posted.
Simpson would redeem himself by winning the first Last Chance Showdown while Jason Rauen advanced from sixth to score the third and final transfer spot while the top three starters, Tyler Bruening, Spencer Diercks and Trevor Gundaker ran that way in the oddly named second Last Chance Showdown.
After another set of Midget hot laps the stage was set for thirty-five laps of feature racing with $10,000 going to the winner on night one of this three day weekend promoted by the Outlaws with Dennis Erb Jr. and Shane Clanton starting from the front row. Erb would show that the low line was now working by leading lap one only to have Clanton go sailing by on the outside to take the point on the second circuit. Third starting Bobby Pierce made it a three car race and he was testing both lines while looking for racing room around the two veteran drivers.
It was an entertaining three car battle for the lead until Pierce pounded the cushion in turns three and four and vaulted to the lead on lap six and he then left his competitors in his wake. With the race going non-stop, Erb would keep the leader in his sights as they both maneuvered through traffic, but he would get no closer than half of a straightaway back as Bobby Pierce cruised to victory on this steamy August evening. Brandon Sheppard would work his way up to third at the checkers after starting sixth, Nick Hoffman finished fourth and Bronson advanced from seventh to fifth. Again it would be no surprise that Brian Shirley would be the Hard Charger coming from sixteenth to sixth with Chris Madden, Cade Dillard, Tanner English and Brent Larson closing out the top ten.
Hustling back out to the car to not only beat the traffic, but to get to the air conditioner as soon as possible, I got one more "love the Swindell shirt" from a younger fan that was much faster than I am and it was sweet relief once the AC took hold.
The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets will join the Late Models for the final two nights of the Hoker 150 here at Davenport. The "Drive for 5 Finale" at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson has been postponed from tonight to next Thursday August 31st, a decision that I had privately questioned until sitting in the grandstands on this night. The IRA Sprint Car show is still on for tonight at 34 Raceway with the start time pushed back by a half hour with fans encouraged to arrive a bit later than normal and to stay hydrated!
I will be one of those later arrivals tonight at 34 and then on Sunday night we plan on making the drive north to Vinton for Season Championship night along with the 2023 finale for the PRO Late Model tour. Hope to see you out there on the Back Stretch!
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