Current Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions point leader Chad Kemenah may have been caught off guard by a late race pass, but he came charging back to collect the feature win on a hot and windy night at 34 Raceway near Burlington Sunday. A strong and diverse field of 35 Sprint Cars, including series owner Tony Stewart, put on a good show despite the challenging conditions with a temperature in the low nineties and a stiff south wind.
The thirty lap main event got off to a wild start as just after five cars near the back of the field tangled in turn two, outside front row starter Ian Madsen smacked the wall and rolled a couple of times in turn four. The work area then became busy as not only did drivers from the turn two scramble head there to check damage, Madsen also had his car towed there for quick repairs and all twenty-four cars were able to make the restart.
Pole-sitter Chad Kemenah would lead the field into turn one only to have Brian Brown pass him off of turn two. Kemenah then charged back under Brown in three and four to officially lead lap one and nearly every driver then scrambled for the bottom line around the 3/8th-mile high-banked oval. For several laps it looked and felt like this would be a one lane parade around the bottom, and that must have been Kemenah's opinion too as he settled in behind the lapped car of Jake Blackhurst mid-race. Behind him though business had picked up with both Kerry Madsen and Bill Balog finding that the the top side, especially in turns one and two, had plenty of bite to offer.
Those two drivers had originally started on the fourth row and as they made their way toward the front other drivers, including Danny Lasoski and Brian Brown took notice and also left the bottom and the pack of four quickly reeled in Kemenah. As they were gaining on the leader the battle between Balog and Madsen was entertaining enough in itself as they swapped the position several times and it would be Balog who would surprise Kemenah by sweeping around him on the outside to take the lead on lap twenty-one.
This put an obvious spark into Kemenah as he went elbows up and started to use more of the track himself to dispense of Blackhurst and go after Balog while still primarily using the low line around the speedway. With six laps remaining Kemenah would drive back under Balog to regain the lead and as he pulled away to take the win the battle for second continued to the checkers with Balog holding off Kerry Madsen. Brown and Lasoski were joined by Paul Nienheiser for a thrilling battle for fourth that went to Brown. Nienheiser who restarted the race in fifth was completely sideways off turn four on the opening lap, but somehow made the save without being drilled by the rest of the field. He may have been the fastest car on the track at the finish though as he fought his way back to fifth passing Lasoski in the final laps. Dominic Scelzi finished in seventh, Ryan Smith was eighth, Tony Stewart won his heat race earlier in the night and finished ninth while Brooke Tatnell completed the top ten.
Support class action included the Aaron Hull Memorial for the IMRA Midgets, a 24-lap feature paying tribute to the young driver who was lost in a tragic shop accident a year ago. Jeff Mallonee raced to the lead at the drop of the green only to have Tyson Hart pass him coming off of turn four to lead the opening lap. As Hart maintained the lead Dillon Morley moved to second and when Hart suddenly slowed and drove to the pits on lap fifteen Morley gladly assumed the point. He had challengers though in Jeremy Hull, Mallonee and Adam Taylor, but when Hull got sideways in turn two on lap eighteen all three of those drivers stacked up eliminating Mallonee and sending the other two to the back of the field for the restart.
Brett Burrow now found himself in second and he applied some pressure for a lap or two before Morley pulled away for the win. Burrow would be the runner-up ahead of Jacob Sollenberger while Hull and Taylor would race their way back into the top five at the checkers.
With Mike Morrill starting on the front row of the fourteen car Mod Lite main event this one figured to be a race for second and Morrill lived up to expectations in the early laps. The race was stopped early when Scott Sappington Jr. rolled his car at the end of the front stretch on a lap two restart and once back to racing everybody was chasing Morrill. With Jason Masengarb applying some pressure though, Morrill spun in turn two on lap seven to bring out the caution and he would go to the back of the twelve car realignment. There would be no challenging Masengarb from there as he cruised to the win over young guns Wyatt Wilkerson and Devon Rouse. Randy Bryan finished fourth while Morrill made it back up to fifth at the finish.
The Crazy Coyote Mini Hauler Trucks gave the crowd a thrill as Billy Stanford and Dane Fenton crossed the finish line side-by-side with Stanford awarded the victory by inches in a photo finish.
The crowd was a good-sized one, but not as large as I had expected and hoped for with this unique event that not only brought in drivers who seldom, if ever race in Iowa, but also had the star draw of Tony Stewart in action. Several factors went against it though including the heat and the wind, although I must say that a solid job of track preparation kept the dust factor at a level much lower than I would have thought it would be. Also, a Sunday show following two nights of World of Outlaws at Knoxville may have been a strain on the Sprint Car fans' budget. Hopefully the bottom line was good enough though to bring the All Stars back to 34 Raceway again in 2018!
No racing on this Monday night before a busy stretch of four in a row starting with the Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Models and the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modifieds at the West Liberty Raceway on Tuesday night. It will be my third annual "Old Ladies Night Out" event so stop down and say hi to my mother Dee and her cousin Jean, two of three women who got me hooked on this sport at an early age. I am sure that grandma Velma will be joining us in spirit as well.
Monday, June 12, 2017
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Schatz Dominates Brownell's Big Gun Bash at Knoxville
It is not exactly "breaking news" when it comes to Donny Schatz having a dominate performance at the Knoxville Raceway and such was the case Saturday night as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars wrapped up a two night visit to the World Capital of Sprint Car Racing. Brad Sweet had won the opener on Friday night with David Gravel second and Schatz in third and on Saturday those same three drivers found their way to the podium, but in different positions.
Sweet and Schatz would start the 25-lap headliner from the front row and they would keep the large crowd on the edge of their seats jousting for the lead over the first two laps. Officially Schatz would be shown as the leader, but the transponder had to confirm it as they passed by the flagstand side-by-side on laps one and two with Sweet leading at times within each trip around the fast half-mile. Schatz would establish himself as the true leader on lap three just before the caution waved for a stalled Dakota Hendrickson in turn four.
Sweet tried to challenge on the restart, but the action was again slowed on lap eight when Jason Sides spun in turn one. On this restart David Gravel would take second away from Sweet, but even he could not match the pace of the leader as Schatz steadily built an advantage. The race for second through traffic was now the focal point as Sweet was able to get back around Gravel for a couple of laps as Ian Madsen also joined the battle and at the checkers Schatz would enjoy a full straightaway lead in taking the win. Gravel would prevail for second over Sweet and Madsen while current track point leader Brian Brown made steady progress coming from tenth to fifth. Shane Stewart started in the eighth row and raced his way up to sixth, Logan Schuchart had a solid night in seventh, Daryn Pittman faded from third to eighth, Danny Lasoski was ninth and defending Knoxville Nationals champion Jason Johnson was tenth.
The 360's served as the appetizer on this night with twenty-four cars lined up for 18 laps of racing. Sawyer Phillips looked strong leading the way from the drop of the green until he started to work traffic on lap six. Unable to dispense of McKenna Haase right away, Phillips had Nate Van Haaften and Matt Moro closing on him fast on lap nine when Ben Woods went for a tumble down the back stretch. Haase and the leaders were just coming off of turn two when the red light came on and as Haase and Phillips slowed Van Haaften slid sideways colliding with the push bar of the leader while point leader Clint Garner had the misfortune of running over one of the wheels off of Woods' car.
The damage to Garner's ride was enough to end his night while Van Haaften would restart second with his right side nerf bar shoved to within an inch of his rear tire. There were no ill effects from that damage though as Van Haaften drove past Phillips on the restart and then drove away to victory, his first here since the Outlaw weekend in June here last year. Phillips was impressive in second, Matt Moro finished third, Jon Agan showed smoke over the final ten laps but he was able to nurse his ride to the checkers in fourth while Joe Beaver completed the top five.
With the Outlaws in town and a big crowd on hand to watch despite the hot temperatures the night already has me anticipating the 2017 Nationals, but there is still plenty of exciting weekly action to come here at Knoxville over the next six weeks before we get to that. Plan your next visit soon!
Tonight the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions close out their three night swing west at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Sprint Car fans will get an opportunity to see several drivers that do not make it in to Iowa often and some that have never raced out this way before. Plus, while it is not a guarantee that he will be in action tonight, series owner Tony Stewart has raced at both Lincoln on Friday and Macon on Saturday.
Hope to see you there!
Sweet and Schatz would start the 25-lap headliner from the front row and they would keep the large crowd on the edge of their seats jousting for the lead over the first two laps. Officially Schatz would be shown as the leader, but the transponder had to confirm it as they passed by the flagstand side-by-side on laps one and two with Sweet leading at times within each trip around the fast half-mile. Schatz would establish himself as the true leader on lap three just before the caution waved for a stalled Dakota Hendrickson in turn four.
Sweet tried to challenge on the restart, but the action was again slowed on lap eight when Jason Sides spun in turn one. On this restart David Gravel would take second away from Sweet, but even he could not match the pace of the leader as Schatz steadily built an advantage. The race for second through traffic was now the focal point as Sweet was able to get back around Gravel for a couple of laps as Ian Madsen also joined the battle and at the checkers Schatz would enjoy a full straightaway lead in taking the win. Gravel would prevail for second over Sweet and Madsen while current track point leader Brian Brown made steady progress coming from tenth to fifth. Shane Stewart started in the eighth row and raced his way up to sixth, Logan Schuchart had a solid night in seventh, Daryn Pittman faded from third to eighth, Danny Lasoski was ninth and defending Knoxville Nationals champion Jason Johnson was tenth.
The 360's served as the appetizer on this night with twenty-four cars lined up for 18 laps of racing. Sawyer Phillips looked strong leading the way from the drop of the green until he started to work traffic on lap six. Unable to dispense of McKenna Haase right away, Phillips had Nate Van Haaften and Matt Moro closing on him fast on lap nine when Ben Woods went for a tumble down the back stretch. Haase and the leaders were just coming off of turn two when the red light came on and as Haase and Phillips slowed Van Haaften slid sideways colliding with the push bar of the leader while point leader Clint Garner had the misfortune of running over one of the wheels off of Woods' car.
The damage to Garner's ride was enough to end his night while Van Haaften would restart second with his right side nerf bar shoved to within an inch of his rear tire. There were no ill effects from that damage though as Van Haaften drove past Phillips on the restart and then drove away to victory, his first here since the Outlaw weekend in June here last year. Phillips was impressive in second, Matt Moro finished third, Jon Agan showed smoke over the final ten laps but he was able to nurse his ride to the checkers in fourth while Joe Beaver completed the top five.
With the Outlaws in town and a big crowd on hand to watch despite the hot temperatures the night already has me anticipating the 2017 Nationals, but there is still plenty of exciting weekly action to come here at Knoxville over the next six weeks before we get to that. Plan your next visit soon!
Tonight the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions close out their three night swing west at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Sprint Car fans will get an opportunity to see several drivers that do not make it in to Iowa often and some that have never raced out this way before. Plus, while it is not a guarantee that he will be in action tonight, series owner Tony Stewart has raced at both Lincoln on Friday and Macon on Saturday.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Sunshine and The Kiwi Open Indiana Midget Week With Wins
The annual USAC Indiana Midget Week featuring six straight nights of racing around the Hoosier state kicked off on Tuesday night at the Montpelier Motor Speedway and then made the short trip west to Gas City on Wednesday night drawing large and enthusiastic crowds at each.
This was the second year in a row that I was able to attend these two events and my enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I was able to sit with friends and neighbors despite the fact that we were all six or more hours from home.
Last year's opener at Montpelier was threatened by rain and ran late into the night. This year a lack of moisture in the surface created another long night as 41 Midgets, 20 wingless Sprints and 27 UMP Modifieds filled the pit area. Qualifying for all three divisions got underway shortly after the 6 p.m. schedule and by the time those were completed the cushion in turn two had been pushed all the way over the top of the banking. The Midget heats were dusty, but entertaining and thank goodness the stiff breeze was coming from behind the grandstand otherwise it might have been unbearable. When the Sprints came to the track for their three heats it was like they were skating on ice and the winners found that a light throttle right around the bottom was the way to go.
Officials knew that this would not be acceptable so out came the grader even before the four Modified heats and the entire track was turned over in the hour long session. I took advantage of the break to get in my walk around the sleepy northeast Indiana town and I returned just in time for the Midget C-Main. Modified heats followed with some good racing and the dust increased with each before the Midget B-Main was contested. It was now just past 10:30 and so instead of coming back with the Modified B, USAC officials called up the Midget headliner and the 23-car field was pushed to the track.
Yes, the dust would fly, but the action was intense as the drivers were able to use the entire track for the thirty lap finale with pole-sitter Alex Bright setting the early pace as drivers dodged and darted for position just behind him. Tyler Courtney, sporting the nickname "Sunshine" and current NASCAR Cup point leader Kyle Larson started in row three and both made quick moves to the front with Courtney's being more successful taking the lead on lap five. Larson made it up to third early before being shuffled back to sixth as Courtney pulled away to a big advantage.
When Tyler Thomas stopped at the top of turn four on lap 27 that would setup a three-lap dash to the checkers with Courtney once again in sight of his challengers. Sunshine was not to be denied though as he again pulled away over the final laps helped out by the fact that those behind him were waging a thrilling four-wide war for second. Brady Bacon had lined up for the restart in second, but at the finish he had been dropped to fourth with New Zealand's Michael Pickens and Larson getting by him at the checkers while Alex Bright, the current ARDC Midget point leader held on for fifth.
It was now just before 11 p.m. and with work commitments the following morning I was forced to skip the remaining events for the Modifieds and Sprints. While the Modifieds had nothing to do with the delay, after my two experiences here I would suggest that Montpelier go with only the Midgets and the Sprints if they are once again the opener of this week of racing in 2018 because as proven on Wednesday night at Gas City, these two divisions are more than enough to put on a fantastic show.
My friends were able to secure the best seats in the house at Gas City and I was relieved to see standing water on the track just before the 31 sprint Cars were called out for wheel packing before their combined hot laps and qualifying session. Tonight's track had character and while it did require some re-working on two occasions, they were quick sessions and helped the racing go from great to fantastic!
The Midgets were first up come feature time and for the second night in the row Alex Bright would bring the field to green for thirty laps from the pole position. Defending USAC National Champion Tanner Thorson would grab the lead though with Justin Grant taking up the challenge. Grant would bicycle in turn one on lap three though stalling his car and on the restart Ryan Robinson and Zach Daum would tangle in turn two sending all three contenders to the back of the field. Once back to racing Rico Abreu would swing wide around Thorson to take the lead on lap seven and he would first pull away a bit before Thorson reeled him back in to challenge. With Thorson now digging on the inside he and Abreu were locked in a battle for the lead when the red flag waved on lap 18 for a flip in turn one. Chance Morton who had won the C-Main, then raced his way into the top six in the B to earn an eleventh row starting spot in the feature was climbing out of his car uninjured after getting up to twelfth before the crash.
When the green waved the race for the lead resumed with Thorson getting by Abreu on lap twenty and the action was enhanced by Kyle Larson's charge on the outside making it a three-car battle. Larson had a big run on lap twenty-two, but he got sideways on the cushion in turn four and was just not able to make the save bringing out the caution once again. For the restart the previous night's top two, Courtney and Pickens were now in contention, but after one more lap of racing Courtney coasted to a stop to necessitate the final caution of the event with eight laps to go.
Pickens was the fourth fastest qualifier on the evening, but failed to transfer from his heat so he had to win the B-Main to make the show and he was announced as to be starting the feature just outside of the invert in seventh. However, as the field formed for the start he was on the inside of row six for some reason and perhaps he just wanted to make it more interesting for the group of fans that had come from New Zealand on a Motor Sports Tour to watch him compete for two weeks. On the restart Pickens applied the pressure to Thorson and when Tanner bobbled at the exit of turn four, Pickens tried to get under the leader who squeezed them both down nearly getting into the infield grass. This allowed Brady Bacon to join the battle and after being cut off down low, Pickens looked one line higher than Thorson and took over the lead with four laps remaining. Thorson tried to get back to the lead for a third time in this race, but he now had Bacon to deal with as the New Zealanders waved their flags with pride as Pickens scored the win. The race for second was too close to call with the transponders giving it to Bacon while Thorson was a dejected third-place finisher. Abreu would hold down fourth as Spencer Bayston came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
Very few fans made their way to the parking lot as the Sprint Cars came to the track for 25-laps to close out the evening and with Brady Bacon and Kevin Thomas Jr. starting from the front row you had to figure that this one would be a two-car battle. Shane Cottle had other plans though as he found a bite through the middle and drove past both of the rim riding leaders on lap eight. Caution waved for a slowing Logan Jarrett on lap thirteen and on the restart Bacon pounded the cushion once again to drive past Cottle on lap sixteen. A Kyle Simon spin with five laps to go saw Thomas searching for a new line and he found it on the restart entering turn one above the cushion and then vaulting through the middle off turn two to take second from Cottle. He was gaining on Bacon as well, but running out of laps until Travis Hery spun in turn one just as the lead duo took the white flag. Under USAC's method of split scoring there would be just one lap remaining on the restart and that one lap alone would be worth the price of admission on this night as Thomas used his new line to get a run on Bacon off of turn two. However, with Brady sliding up the track on the back stretch, Thomas stabbed the brakes and then dove into turn three to execute the perfect slide job catching the cushion in four to take the win. Bacon would hold off Cottle for second, Justin Grant was fourth and Robert Ballou came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
What a great night of racing and all completed by 11 p.m.! While Midget Week continues here in Indiana I will return home to Iowa anticipating another great weekend of open wheel racing, this time with the winged 410 Sprints as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars are at the Knoxville Raceway Friday and Saturday night, I will be there for Saturday, and then the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will be at 34 Raceway on Sunday night.
Hope to see you there!!
This was the second year in a row that I was able to attend these two events and my enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I was able to sit with friends and neighbors despite the fact that we were all six or more hours from home.
Last year's opener at Montpelier was threatened by rain and ran late into the night. This year a lack of moisture in the surface created another long night as 41 Midgets, 20 wingless Sprints and 27 UMP Modifieds filled the pit area. Qualifying for all three divisions got underway shortly after the 6 p.m. schedule and by the time those were completed the cushion in turn two had been pushed all the way over the top of the banking. The Midget heats were dusty, but entertaining and thank goodness the stiff breeze was coming from behind the grandstand otherwise it might have been unbearable. When the Sprints came to the track for their three heats it was like they were skating on ice and the winners found that a light throttle right around the bottom was the way to go.
Officials knew that this would not be acceptable so out came the grader even before the four Modified heats and the entire track was turned over in the hour long session. I took advantage of the break to get in my walk around the sleepy northeast Indiana town and I returned just in time for the Midget C-Main. Modified heats followed with some good racing and the dust increased with each before the Midget B-Main was contested. It was now just past 10:30 and so instead of coming back with the Modified B, USAC officials called up the Midget headliner and the 23-car field was pushed to the track.
Yes, the dust would fly, but the action was intense as the drivers were able to use the entire track for the thirty lap finale with pole-sitter Alex Bright setting the early pace as drivers dodged and darted for position just behind him. Tyler Courtney, sporting the nickname "Sunshine" and current NASCAR Cup point leader Kyle Larson started in row three and both made quick moves to the front with Courtney's being more successful taking the lead on lap five. Larson made it up to third early before being shuffled back to sixth as Courtney pulled away to a big advantage.
When Tyler Thomas stopped at the top of turn four on lap 27 that would setup a three-lap dash to the checkers with Courtney once again in sight of his challengers. Sunshine was not to be denied though as he again pulled away over the final laps helped out by the fact that those behind him were waging a thrilling four-wide war for second. Brady Bacon had lined up for the restart in second, but at the finish he had been dropped to fourth with New Zealand's Michael Pickens and Larson getting by him at the checkers while Alex Bright, the current ARDC Midget point leader held on for fifth.
It was now just before 11 p.m. and with work commitments the following morning I was forced to skip the remaining events for the Modifieds and Sprints. While the Modifieds had nothing to do with the delay, after my two experiences here I would suggest that Montpelier go with only the Midgets and the Sprints if they are once again the opener of this week of racing in 2018 because as proven on Wednesday night at Gas City, these two divisions are more than enough to put on a fantastic show.
My friends were able to secure the best seats in the house at Gas City and I was relieved to see standing water on the track just before the 31 sprint Cars were called out for wheel packing before their combined hot laps and qualifying session. Tonight's track had character and while it did require some re-working on two occasions, they were quick sessions and helped the racing go from great to fantastic!
The Midgets were first up come feature time and for the second night in the row Alex Bright would bring the field to green for thirty laps from the pole position. Defending USAC National Champion Tanner Thorson would grab the lead though with Justin Grant taking up the challenge. Grant would bicycle in turn one on lap three though stalling his car and on the restart Ryan Robinson and Zach Daum would tangle in turn two sending all three contenders to the back of the field. Once back to racing Rico Abreu would swing wide around Thorson to take the lead on lap seven and he would first pull away a bit before Thorson reeled him back in to challenge. With Thorson now digging on the inside he and Abreu were locked in a battle for the lead when the red flag waved on lap 18 for a flip in turn one. Chance Morton who had won the C-Main, then raced his way into the top six in the B to earn an eleventh row starting spot in the feature was climbing out of his car uninjured after getting up to twelfth before the crash.
When the green waved the race for the lead resumed with Thorson getting by Abreu on lap twenty and the action was enhanced by Kyle Larson's charge on the outside making it a three-car battle. Larson had a big run on lap twenty-two, but he got sideways on the cushion in turn four and was just not able to make the save bringing out the caution once again. For the restart the previous night's top two, Courtney and Pickens were now in contention, but after one more lap of racing Courtney coasted to a stop to necessitate the final caution of the event with eight laps to go.
Pickens was the fourth fastest qualifier on the evening, but failed to transfer from his heat so he had to win the B-Main to make the show and he was announced as to be starting the feature just outside of the invert in seventh. However, as the field formed for the start he was on the inside of row six for some reason and perhaps he just wanted to make it more interesting for the group of fans that had come from New Zealand on a Motor Sports Tour to watch him compete for two weeks. On the restart Pickens applied the pressure to Thorson and when Tanner bobbled at the exit of turn four, Pickens tried to get under the leader who squeezed them both down nearly getting into the infield grass. This allowed Brady Bacon to join the battle and after being cut off down low, Pickens looked one line higher than Thorson and took over the lead with four laps remaining. Thorson tried to get back to the lead for a third time in this race, but he now had Bacon to deal with as the New Zealanders waved their flags with pride as Pickens scored the win. The race for second was too close to call with the transponders giving it to Bacon while Thorson was a dejected third-place finisher. Abreu would hold down fourth as Spencer Bayston came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
Very few fans made their way to the parking lot as the Sprint Cars came to the track for 25-laps to close out the evening and with Brady Bacon and Kevin Thomas Jr. starting from the front row you had to figure that this one would be a two-car battle. Shane Cottle had other plans though as he found a bite through the middle and drove past both of the rim riding leaders on lap eight. Caution waved for a slowing Logan Jarrett on lap thirteen and on the restart Bacon pounded the cushion once again to drive past Cottle on lap sixteen. A Kyle Simon spin with five laps to go saw Thomas searching for a new line and he found it on the restart entering turn one above the cushion and then vaulting through the middle off turn two to take second from Cottle. He was gaining on Bacon as well, but running out of laps until Travis Hery spun in turn one just as the lead duo took the white flag. Under USAC's method of split scoring there would be just one lap remaining on the restart and that one lap alone would be worth the price of admission on this night as Thomas used his new line to get a run on Bacon off of turn two. However, with Brady sliding up the track on the back stretch, Thomas stabbed the brakes and then dove into turn three to execute the perfect slide job catching the cushion in four to take the win. Bacon would hold off Cottle for second, Justin Grant was fourth and Robert Ballou came from the seventh row to finish fifth.
What a great night of racing and all completed by 11 p.m.! While Midget Week continues here in Indiana I will return home to Iowa anticipating another great weekend of open wheel racing, this time with the winged 410 Sprints as the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars are at the Knoxville Raceway Friday and Saturday night, I will be there for Saturday, and then the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will be at 34 Raceway on Sunday night.
Hope to see you there!!
Friday, June 2, 2017
Simpson and Simpson Set Sail At Donnellson
The Simpson brothers, Chris and Chad finished one-two as the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models returned to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson Friday night. For Chris it completed the clean sweep in the two series events to be held at the southeast Iowa oval in 2017.
After setting quick time in group one and then winning the first heat from the pole, Chris Simpson drew the pole for the forty-lap main event and this one was essentially over after that as he would open a half of a lap lead over brother Chad before lapped traffic came into play. Chad had started third, but quickly dropped Jordan Yaggy back a spot as he would go the whole race in second. Yaggy nearly lost the third spot while trying to get around the lapped car of Matt Furman, but with ten laps remaining and the track now locked down Yaggy settled in behind the lapper and would stay there to join the Simpsons on the podium ahead of Brent Larson and Jesse Stovall. Bobby Pierce finished where he started in sixth, current MLRA point leader Tony Jackson Jr. was seventh, Rodney Sanders was eighth, Dave Eckrich was ninth and Randy Timms completed the top ten in a race that went non-stop,
It was the second time this season that Chris Simpson was able to collect the win at Donnellson without having to pass a single car for position as the MLRA has gone to the group qualifying/start the fast guys in front format for 2017.
The track's five weekly divisions were also in action in front of a large crowd on the first "hot" night of the 2017 season signaling that June has definitely arrived.
The Sport Compacts batted lead off with David Prim leading the way in the opening laps. He had plenty of company though and on lap three the four cars battling for the lead tangled in turn two sending Travis DeMint sideways in front of Ron Kibbe. Damage on Kibbe's car caused him to slow down the back stretch and that, along with a wandering track tire, necessitated a caution. On the restart Prim again did his best to ward off his challengers, but on lap five DeMint went low while Barry Taft went high and they crossed the stripe three-wide for the lead. DeMint would take over from there and he would hold off Taft for his second win of the season here, the first coming on opening night. Brandon Reu would finish third ahead of Daniel Fellows and while Josh Barnes would cross the stripe in fifth he would be penalized for mid-race contact that turned Kimberly Abbott sideways. This would then move Mike Reu into the top five.
The Stock Cars would serve as the last appetizer before the MLRA feature and as the green flag waved current All Iowa Points leader John Oliver Jr. did not come up to speed and his night ended as he coasted to the pits. Corey Strothman would lead the way until David Brandies tested out the freshly watered top side and Brandies would take the point on lap six of the 18-lap affair. The bottom was still the preferred line for Michael Jaenette though and after clearing Strothman for second he quickly reeled in the leader. Jaenette pulled even with Brandies in turns three and four on lap twelve and when Brandies was able to use the momentum off the top side to retain the lead he then wisely moved to the bottom to take away Jaenette's line. Brandies would then hold the challenger at bay the rest of the way to take the win with Jaenette an impressive runner-up in his first appearance here this season. Strothman would emerge from an entertaining four car battle to take third with Jason Cook nipping Jason See by inches at the finish for fourth.
The track was black and slick after the MLRA feature was run and the Sport Mods showed that it was still to their liking as Brandon Lennox, Austen Becerra and John Oliver Jr. raced three-wide for the lead on lap one and then on lap two it was too close to call at the stripe between Lennox and Becerra. Lennox would establish himself as the leader on lap three just before Jeffrey DeLonjay, making his first start in a Sport Mod after having been in the Sport Compacts the past few years, looped his car exiting turn four. Lennox would maintain his lead after the restart, but when DeLonjay spun again with four laps to go the leader would now have Tony Dunker and Austin Howes lined up behind him.
Howes would take up the challenge and pass Lennox for the lead with three laps remaining, but his apparent victory was wiped away in tech when it was discovered that he did not have the proper seals on his crate engine. This would turn the win over to Lennox ahead of Dunker, Becerra and Daniel Keltner.
Denny Woodworth drew the pole position for the twenty-lap UMP Pro Late Model main event, a division that uses a draw/redraw format each week rather than the average point inverts, and he would dominate for the flag-to-flag win. Sam Halstead would survive contact with the lapped car of Derek Sammons to finish second, Todd Frank came from ninth to third, Jeff Guengerich finished fourth and Derek Liles took fifth. Woodworth's primary challenger at both here and Quincy, Tommy Elston dropped out of the race on lap twelve while running in the fourth position.
The IMCA Modified feature would close out the night with pole-sitter Dugan Thye leading the way early. Top contender Michael Long clipped a track tire in turn four as he was trying to squeeze by another car for position on lap two and that ended his evening. Cayden Carter had started eighth and he moved to the second spot on lap eight. Then, when Thye left the door open entering turn one on lap ten, Carter charged to his inside to take the lead before Thye spun to the infield exiting turn four to bring out the caution. There would be no challenging Carter after the restart as he cruised to another win in his new VanderBuilt Modified. Chris Zogg made the most of his rare appearance here by running second, another visitor Bruce Hanford was third while weekly regulars Bill Roberts Jr. and Blake Woodruff completed the top five.
The MLRA Late Models will close out this three-race swing on Saturday night at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly.
That's all for me this weekend as other commitments will keep me away from the track before I take in four nights of open wheel racing next week topped off by the Craftsman World of Outlaws at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night and the Arctic Cat All Stars at 34 Raceway on Sunday night. Hope to see you there!
After setting quick time in group one and then winning the first heat from the pole, Chris Simpson drew the pole for the forty-lap main event and this one was essentially over after that as he would open a half of a lap lead over brother Chad before lapped traffic came into play. Chad had started third, but quickly dropped Jordan Yaggy back a spot as he would go the whole race in second. Yaggy nearly lost the third spot while trying to get around the lapped car of Matt Furman, but with ten laps remaining and the track now locked down Yaggy settled in behind the lapper and would stay there to join the Simpsons on the podium ahead of Brent Larson and Jesse Stovall. Bobby Pierce finished where he started in sixth, current MLRA point leader Tony Jackson Jr. was seventh, Rodney Sanders was eighth, Dave Eckrich was ninth and Randy Timms completed the top ten in a race that went non-stop,
It was the second time this season that Chris Simpson was able to collect the win at Donnellson without having to pass a single car for position as the MLRA has gone to the group qualifying/start the fast guys in front format for 2017.
The track's five weekly divisions were also in action in front of a large crowd on the first "hot" night of the 2017 season signaling that June has definitely arrived.
The Sport Compacts batted lead off with David Prim leading the way in the opening laps. He had plenty of company though and on lap three the four cars battling for the lead tangled in turn two sending Travis DeMint sideways in front of Ron Kibbe. Damage on Kibbe's car caused him to slow down the back stretch and that, along with a wandering track tire, necessitated a caution. On the restart Prim again did his best to ward off his challengers, but on lap five DeMint went low while Barry Taft went high and they crossed the stripe three-wide for the lead. DeMint would take over from there and he would hold off Taft for his second win of the season here, the first coming on opening night. Brandon Reu would finish third ahead of Daniel Fellows and while Josh Barnes would cross the stripe in fifth he would be penalized for mid-race contact that turned Kimberly Abbott sideways. This would then move Mike Reu into the top five.
The Stock Cars would serve as the last appetizer before the MLRA feature and as the green flag waved current All Iowa Points leader John Oliver Jr. did not come up to speed and his night ended as he coasted to the pits. Corey Strothman would lead the way until David Brandies tested out the freshly watered top side and Brandies would take the point on lap six of the 18-lap affair. The bottom was still the preferred line for Michael Jaenette though and after clearing Strothman for second he quickly reeled in the leader. Jaenette pulled even with Brandies in turns three and four on lap twelve and when Brandies was able to use the momentum off the top side to retain the lead he then wisely moved to the bottom to take away Jaenette's line. Brandies would then hold the challenger at bay the rest of the way to take the win with Jaenette an impressive runner-up in his first appearance here this season. Strothman would emerge from an entertaining four car battle to take third with Jason Cook nipping Jason See by inches at the finish for fourth.
The track was black and slick after the MLRA feature was run and the Sport Mods showed that it was still to their liking as Brandon Lennox, Austen Becerra and John Oliver Jr. raced three-wide for the lead on lap one and then on lap two it was too close to call at the stripe between Lennox and Becerra. Lennox would establish himself as the leader on lap three just before Jeffrey DeLonjay, making his first start in a Sport Mod after having been in the Sport Compacts the past few years, looped his car exiting turn four. Lennox would maintain his lead after the restart, but when DeLonjay spun again with four laps to go the leader would now have Tony Dunker and Austin Howes lined up behind him.
Howes would take up the challenge and pass Lennox for the lead with three laps remaining, but his apparent victory was wiped away in tech when it was discovered that he did not have the proper seals on his crate engine. This would turn the win over to Lennox ahead of Dunker, Becerra and Daniel Keltner.
Denny Woodworth drew the pole position for the twenty-lap UMP Pro Late Model main event, a division that uses a draw/redraw format each week rather than the average point inverts, and he would dominate for the flag-to-flag win. Sam Halstead would survive contact with the lapped car of Derek Sammons to finish second, Todd Frank came from ninth to third, Jeff Guengerich finished fourth and Derek Liles took fifth. Woodworth's primary challenger at both here and Quincy, Tommy Elston dropped out of the race on lap twelve while running in the fourth position.
The IMCA Modified feature would close out the night with pole-sitter Dugan Thye leading the way early. Top contender Michael Long clipped a track tire in turn four as he was trying to squeeze by another car for position on lap two and that ended his evening. Cayden Carter had started eighth and he moved to the second spot on lap eight. Then, when Thye left the door open entering turn one on lap ten, Carter charged to his inside to take the lead before Thye spun to the infield exiting turn four to bring out the caution. There would be no challenging Carter after the restart as he cruised to another win in his new VanderBuilt Modified. Chris Zogg made the most of his rare appearance here by running second, another visitor Bruce Hanford was third while weekly regulars Bill Roberts Jr. and Blake Woodruff completed the top five.
The MLRA Late Models will close out this three-race swing on Saturday night at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly.
That's all for me this weekend as other commitments will keep me away from the track before I take in four nights of open wheel racing next week topped off by the Craftsman World of Outlaws at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night and the Arctic Cat All Stars at 34 Raceway on Sunday night. Hope to see you there!
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Ian Madsen Dominates; Garner and Higday Also Win at Knoxville
Ian Madsen was unstoppable, while Clint Garner and Kade Higday both had to chase down another driver to win on Slideways Karting Center night at the Knoxville Raceway, a night that was punctuated by a pair of scary crashes. Thankfully in both, no drivers were injured.
The first of those came during the running of the B-Main for the 360's as Alex Hill and Alan Zoutte battled for position near the front of the field. Hill, the young lady from British Columbia, passed Zoutte on the inside racing down the front stretch and then drove up in front of him entering turn one. When doing so her car jerked sideways and Zuotte, with absolutely no time to react, t-boned her at full speed, When Hill's car started to roll side-to-side this vaulted Zoutte's car high into the air, so high that he cleared the tall guardrail and crashed through the Slideways billboard ending up outside of the race track. Now if you have never been to Knoxville before, the apex of turns one and two is no more than ten yards from Highway 14 so not only was there concern for the safety of the two drivers involved, but a quick prayer went out that nobody had been walking along the sidewalk and, that if the car had reached the road, that nobody else had been in harms way.
One of track's fantastic safety crew scaled the rail fence that has to be at least fifteen feet tall to get to Alan as quickly as he could and it was soon announced that the drivers were okay and that nobody else outside the track had been effected. I have seen three cars flip over the fence in turn three over the years, but this is the first one that I have seen leave the park in one and two and it definitely makes your stomach drop each time. In all instances though the driver has amazingly escaped injury although for the low budget hometown racer Zoutte, it will be awhile before he can rebuild and get back to racing.
The second wild crash occurred early in the 305 main event as three cars got upside down in turn four. Matt Stephenson and Corey Kautz both went for a tumble, but Joe Simbro had the scariest ride when he jumped a wheel and sailed virtually head on into the guardrail. Simbro too had some serious air time and came close to clearing the fence, but when it was all over the drivers were able to walk away from the mangled mess of Sprint carnage.
In that fifteen lap 305 feature Mike Mayberry would lead the first two laps before he slid sideways in turn four. He was able to recover after jumping the inside berm, but gave up eight positions before doing so as Brad Comegys assumed the lead just before the caution waved on lap four when Brandon Whittington spun in turn four. The red flag slowed the action soon after that and once back to racing Comegys did his best to hold the top spot. Eric Bridger had come from the fourth row to second and looked like he would be the man to challenge, but Kade Higday was able to pass Bridger on a restart then, with four laps to go, he drove around the outside of Comegys to take the lead. It was all over from there as the quick qualifier on the evening drove away for his first win in 2017. Comegys was strong in second Ryan Leavitt fought his way back to third, Bridger was fourth and Matthew Stelzer was fifth.
Sawyer Phillips and Matt Moro started from the front row in the 18-lap feature for the 360's and they had a spirited battle going early as Phillips was elbows up holding off Moro. Just after Moro was able to complete the pass the caution waved for John Anderson's spin in turn four and on the restart Phillips' bid to retake the lead was stopped at lap six when Anderson spun again at the same place on the track. On this restart Clint Garner flexed his muscles and drove around Moro for a lead that he would not relinquish on his way to victory. Cap Henry doing double-duty in the Buffalo Wild Wings ride stayed close, but never mounted a challenge in second, Moro came home third with Phillips in fourth and Ryan Giles completed the top five.
The first three rows of the 410 finale were stacked with two Madsens, two McCarls a Tatnell and a Brown and it would be Ian Madsen going from the pole to a quick lead at the drop of the green. Tim Kaeding's spin on lap two brought the field back to Ian and while Brooke Tatnell chased the leader, the racing for position just behind him was intense. So much so that when Tasker Phillips spun with four laps remaining there were some drivers pulling alongside each other under caution to communicate their thoughts on some of the action.
On the restart it was no surprise that Ian was able to drive away once again to score the flag-to-flag win over Tatnell. Current point leader Brian Brown slipped by Kerry Madsen late to finish third while Austin McCarl finished fifth, one position ahead of his father Terry who will be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame here next Saturday night when the USAC Sprint Cars will be the headliner,
Tonight (Sunday) the Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invaders will be at 34 Raceway west of Burlington and due to post-race travel I will not have a report here on the Back Stretch. I encourage you to check in on Bill Wright's OpenWheel101 for that race story as well as all of the other news from the world of open wheel racing.
Have a safe and pleasant Memorial Day while keeping in mind the real meaning of the holiday.
The first of those came during the running of the B-Main for the 360's as Alex Hill and Alan Zoutte battled for position near the front of the field. Hill, the young lady from British Columbia, passed Zoutte on the inside racing down the front stretch and then drove up in front of him entering turn one. When doing so her car jerked sideways and Zuotte, with absolutely no time to react, t-boned her at full speed, When Hill's car started to roll side-to-side this vaulted Zoutte's car high into the air, so high that he cleared the tall guardrail and crashed through the Slideways billboard ending up outside of the race track. Now if you have never been to Knoxville before, the apex of turns one and two is no more than ten yards from Highway 14 so not only was there concern for the safety of the two drivers involved, but a quick prayer went out that nobody had been walking along the sidewalk and, that if the car had reached the road, that nobody else had been in harms way.
One of track's fantastic safety crew scaled the rail fence that has to be at least fifteen feet tall to get to Alan as quickly as he could and it was soon announced that the drivers were okay and that nobody else outside the track had been effected. I have seen three cars flip over the fence in turn three over the years, but this is the first one that I have seen leave the park in one and two and it definitely makes your stomach drop each time. In all instances though the driver has amazingly escaped injury although for the low budget hometown racer Zoutte, it will be awhile before he can rebuild and get back to racing.
The second wild crash occurred early in the 305 main event as three cars got upside down in turn four. Matt Stephenson and Corey Kautz both went for a tumble, but Joe Simbro had the scariest ride when he jumped a wheel and sailed virtually head on into the guardrail. Simbro too had some serious air time and came close to clearing the fence, but when it was all over the drivers were able to walk away from the mangled mess of Sprint carnage.
In that fifteen lap 305 feature Mike Mayberry would lead the first two laps before he slid sideways in turn four. He was able to recover after jumping the inside berm, but gave up eight positions before doing so as Brad Comegys assumed the lead just before the caution waved on lap four when Brandon Whittington spun in turn four. The red flag slowed the action soon after that and once back to racing Comegys did his best to hold the top spot. Eric Bridger had come from the fourth row to second and looked like he would be the man to challenge, but Kade Higday was able to pass Bridger on a restart then, with four laps to go, he drove around the outside of Comegys to take the lead. It was all over from there as the quick qualifier on the evening drove away for his first win in 2017. Comegys was strong in second Ryan Leavitt fought his way back to third, Bridger was fourth and Matthew Stelzer was fifth.
Sawyer Phillips and Matt Moro started from the front row in the 18-lap feature for the 360's and they had a spirited battle going early as Phillips was elbows up holding off Moro. Just after Moro was able to complete the pass the caution waved for John Anderson's spin in turn four and on the restart Phillips' bid to retake the lead was stopped at lap six when Anderson spun again at the same place on the track. On this restart Clint Garner flexed his muscles and drove around Moro for a lead that he would not relinquish on his way to victory. Cap Henry doing double-duty in the Buffalo Wild Wings ride stayed close, but never mounted a challenge in second, Moro came home third with Phillips in fourth and Ryan Giles completed the top five.
The first three rows of the 410 finale were stacked with two Madsens, two McCarls a Tatnell and a Brown and it would be Ian Madsen going from the pole to a quick lead at the drop of the green. Tim Kaeding's spin on lap two brought the field back to Ian and while Brooke Tatnell chased the leader, the racing for position just behind him was intense. So much so that when Tasker Phillips spun with four laps remaining there were some drivers pulling alongside each other under caution to communicate their thoughts on some of the action.
On the restart it was no surprise that Ian was able to drive away once again to score the flag-to-flag win over Tatnell. Current point leader Brian Brown slipped by Kerry Madsen late to finish third while Austin McCarl finished fifth, one position ahead of his father Terry who will be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame here next Saturday night when the USAC Sprint Cars will be the headliner,
Tonight (Sunday) the Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invaders will be at 34 Raceway west of Burlington and due to post-race travel I will not have a report here on the Back Stretch. I encourage you to check in on Bill Wright's OpenWheel101 for that race story as well as all of the other news from the world of open wheel racing.
Have a safe and pleasant Memorial Day while keeping in mind the real meaning of the holiday.
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