Mike Smith Leaves No Doubt In 2023 All Iowa Points Hobby Stock Chase

After being edged out by just one point by Randy Lamar in what would be the final race of the season in the 2022 All Iowa Points chase, young Mike Smith of Lake City left no doubt this season absolutely running away with the Hobby Stock championship with an amazing thirty-seven feature wins in fifty-nine top five finishes. Mike's point total of 250 matches what his uncle Devin put up during one of his championship seasons in 2012, but comes up just one point short of the Hobby Stock record single year total of 251 set by Shannon Anderson in 2009. 

Barry Johnson photo

Along with Devin, Mike's uncles Dustin and Donavon have also posted All Iowa Points titles while his father David currently ranks fourth on the Cumulative All Points list for Stock Cars from 2000 through 2023.

Chris Hovden had a stellar season winning twelve times in thirty-five top five finishes on All Iowa Points paying tracks to finish as the runner-up, plus he had several top finishes at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wisconsin, a track that goes just beyond the general "50 miles from an Iowa border" qualifier to be an AIP track. Hovden placed 27th in these standings last season.

Brandon Nielsen improved from a 16th place showing in 2022 to land in third this year winning eight times in his thirty-five top five showings. The 2020 champion Dustin Gulbrandson finished fourth and Dylan Clinton settles into fifth for the second year in a row.

The Hobby Stock Newcomer of the Year in 2023 is Beatrice, Nebraska, driver John Martinez who scored points on eight nights including five runner-up finishes placing him in the 79th position on this list.

All Iowa Points Hobby Stock Champions through the years

2023 Mike Smith, Lake City

2022 Randy Lamar, Buffalo

2021 Kaden Reynolds, Cedar Rapids

2020 Dustin Gulbrandson, Sioux Falls SD

2019 Eric Stanton, Carlisle

2018 Shannon Anderson, Atlantic

2017 Shannon Anderson, Atlantic

2016 Cody Neilsen, Spencer

2015 Shannon Anderson, Atlantic

2014 Dustin Griffiths, Ottumwa

2013 (tie) Devin Smith, Lake City and Shannon Anderson, Atlantic

2012 Devin Smith, Lake City

2011 Devin Smith, Lake City

2010 Devin Smith, Lake City

2009 Shannon Anderson, Atlantic

2008 Shannon Anderson, Atlantic

2007 Luke Wanninger, Jefferson

2006 Donavon Smith, Lake City

2005 Dustin Smith, Lake City

2004 Donavon Smith, Lake City

2003 Dustin Smith, Lake City

2002 Kris Walker, Oskaloosa

2001 Kris Walker, Oskaloosa

2000 Randy Embrey, Granger

1999 Kris Walker, Oskaloosa

1998 Don Sanders, Ottumwa

1997 Donnie Bown, Marshalltown

1996 Rodney Bliesener, Burlington

1995 John Schulz, West Burlington

1994 Tom Sexton, Riverside

1993 Larry Embrey, Granger

1992 Bryan Nevins, Des Moines

1991 Jerry Luloff, Rowley

1990 Larry Embrey, Granger

1989 Bryan Nevins, Des Moines

1988 Bryan Nevins, Des Moines

1987 Bryan Nevins, Des Moines

1986 Robert Christen, Cedar Rapids

All Iowa Points

Hobby Stock Final 2023

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Mike Smith Lake City 250

2 . Chris Hovden Cresco 135

3 . Brandon Nielsen Spencer 126

4 . Dustin Gulbrandson Hartford SD 125

5 . Dylan Clinton Edgewood 120

6 . Randy Lamar Buffalo 112

7 . Kevin Bruck Dunlap 108

8 . Calvin Dhondt Kellogg 103

9 . Luke Ramsey Bedford 97

10 . Jeremy Crimmins Fort Dodge 94

11 . Dustin Griffiths Ottumwa 92

12 . Garrett Croy Indianola 91

13 . Jeff Fink Denison 90

14 . Tracy Halouska Worthing SD 85

15 . Tucker Richardson Morning Sun 84

16 . Scott Dobel Manly 80

17 . Andrew Burk Milan IL 79

18 . Bradly Graham Victor 78

19 . Eric Knutson Slater 73

20 . Landon Krohn Rowena SD 72

21 . David Crimmins Dubuque 71

22 . Kolby Goepel Britt 69

23 . Jimmy Doescher Hollandale WI 68

24 . Aaron Martin Richland 65

25 . Bryce Sommerfeld Fort Dodge 65

26 . Josh Ludeking Decorah 64

27 . David Miller Sioux City 62

28 . Riley Christensen Audubon 62

29 . Steve Larson Decorah 61

30 . Nick Brady Sioux Falls SD 59

31 . Luke Phillips Wapello 58

32 . Adam Hensel Atlantic 57

33 . Blake Luinenburg Reading MN 57

34 . Corey VanDerwilt Sully 57

35 . Drew Barglof Sioux Rapids 57

36 . Solomon Bennett Perry 56

37 . Tom Killen Jr. Des Moines 56

38 . John Watson Des Moines 54

39 . Travis Fenton Des Moines 54

40 . Carter Koop Rockwell 51

41 . Jordan Miles Bernard 50

42 . Reggie Mitchell Cedar Rapids 48

43 . Luke Schluetter New Hampton 47

44 . Adam Wasserman Fairbury NE 46

45 . Derek Parrott Cedar Rapids 46

46 . Skylar Pruitt Stuart 46

47 . Dayton Ulrich Kiron 45

48 . Dylan Nelson Adel 45

49 . Joel McGee Palm Beach Gardens FL 45

50 . Joren Fisher Garrison 45

51 . Justin Frederick Cleghorn 45

52 . Adam Petrzelka Norway 44

53 . Gavin Bussinger Granada MN 43

54 . J.R. Croy Norwalk 43

55 . John Cain Homer NE 43

56 . Lukas Short Maquoketa 43

57 . Cory Probst Worthington MN 42

58 . Josh Sidles Emmetsburg 42

59 . Paul Seabrooke Elgin 41

60 . Buddy Haidsiak Bedford 40

61 . Tyler Smith Sioux City 40

62 . Parker Anderson Welcome MN 39

63 . Ryan Gilland Beatrice NE 39

64 . Keaton Gordon Ottumwa 38

65 . Eric Stanton Carlisle 37

66 . Mailk Sampson Worthington MN 37

67 . Blake McCann Adair 36

68 . Leonard Loftus Des Moines 36

69 . Brandon Long Norwalk 35

70 . Jaeden Strandberg Worthington MN 35

71 . Daniel Wauters Tipton 32

72 . Cody Werner Clearfield 31

73 . Scott Spilde Ridgeway 31

74 . Alec Stapleton Denison 30

75 . Eric Gaul Rushmore MN 30

76 . James Johnson Cherokee 30

77 . Neil Pella Adams NE 30

78 . David Carter Fremont NE 29

79 . John Martinez Beatrice NE 28

80 . Benji Irvine Oelwein 27

81 . Chris Krug Emmetsburg 27

82 . Jared Miles Bernard 26

83 . Nick Schwebach Fountain MN 26

84 . Jacob Floyd Cedar Rapids 25

85 . Michael Swenson Lone Rock WI 25

86 . Riley Crimmins Fort Dodge 25

87 . Scott Wetter Platteville WI 25

88 . Steve Wickman Emmetsburg 25

89 . Aaron Shearn Sioux City 24

90 . Justin Wacha Vinton 24

91 . Kalyb Brunssen LeMars 24

92 . Matt Brown Dysart 24

93 . Michael Wade Dorchester NE 24

94 . Zack Smidt Mason City 24

95 . John Briggs Cherokee 23

96 . Tom Myers Glenwood 23

97 . Tristan Grape Columbus NE 23

98 . Cody Hubbell Rolfe 22

99 . Mark Neis Benton WI 22

100 . Tyson Overton Carlisle 22

101 . Andrew Burg Maricopa AZ 21

102 . James Burns Algona 21

103 . Jason Sherman Marengo 21

104 . Joey Young 21

105 . Andy Hoffman Sioux City 20

106 . Braelynn Long Norwalk 20

107 . Jerid Lund Greenfield 20

108 . Michael Steier Bennington NE 20

109 . Tyler Ball Independence 20

110 . Zac Smith Manly 20

111 . Caden Helle Garnavillo 19

112 . Dalton Weepie Dunkerton 19

113 . Greg Sidles Fairmont MN 19

114 . John Alexander Carlisle 19

115 . Jordan Ahlers Slayton MN 19

116 . Matt Bennett Shullsburg WI 19

117 . Seth Butler Scranton 19

118 . Christian Huffman New Sharon 18

119 . Colby Christensen Audubon 18

120 . Daryl Moss West Union 18

121 . Jeremy Peterson Ridgeway 18

122 . Lowell Janssen Yankton SD 18

123 . Quinton Miller Independence 18

124 . Rick VanDusseldorp Oskaloosa 18

125 . Sam West Ferguson 18

126 . Scott Siems Cedar Rapids 18

127 . Trevor Tanner Knoxville 18

128 . Tyler Jackson Lincoln NE 18

129 . Brad Schreiner Weeping Water NE 17

130 . Jason Fusselman Shelby 17

131 . Justin Hanson Hawkeye 17

132 . Zach McNeese Independence 17

133 . Jason Tetzlaff Council Bluffs 16

134 . Brandon Jurrens Rock Rapids 15

135 . Keith Lilly Morrison IL 15

136 . Kyle Gannon Lincoln NE 15

137 . Kyler Hefty Potosi WI 15

138 . Ryan Leedom Sioux City 15

139 . Travis Vanden Top Rock Rapids 15

140 . Austin Barnes Des Moines 14

141 . Billy Stanford Wapello 14

142 . Daniel Ayers Duncombe 14

143 . Daniel Smith Lake City 14

144 . Parker Larson Granada MN 14

145 . Tony Fetterman Elk Point SD 14

146 . Zachary Bierman Adrian MN 14

147 . Adam Streeter Walker 13

148 . Brian Lund Northwood 13

149 . Briar Kriegel Brooklyn 13

150 . Chad Dubac Hartford SD 13

151 . Cody Staley Muscatine 13

152 . Curt Reed Des Moines 13

153 . Derek Myers Glenwood 13

154 . Doug Wickman Algona 13

155 . Evan Schettler Adrian MN 13

156 . Rick Goldsberry Runnells 13

157 . Trenton Neuhaus Quasqueton 13

158 . Brandon Bombardo New Prague MN 12

159 . Bryant Klaassen Adrian MN 12

160 . Charles Belew Adel 12

161 . David McCalla Cedar Rapids 12

162 . James Adams Harrisburg SD 12

163 . Justin Lichty Waterloo 12

164 . Marc Johnson Brodhead WI 12

165 . Rusty Bates Casey 12

166 . Tyler Ollendieck Tripoli 12

167 . Aaron Kleppe Cedar Rapids 11

168 . Bo Lundquist Sioux City 11

169 . Brett Doege Buffalo Center 11

170 . Cody Williams Minneapolis KS 11

171 . Darin DeZwarte Knoxville 11

172 . Jason Bradley Sioux Falls SD 11

173 . Jason Collins Pleasantville 11

174 . Jesse Williams New Sharon 11

175 . Jevon Robbins Kieler WI 11

176 . Junior Boyer Calmar 11

177 . Kenny Johnson Carlisle 11

178 . Mike Hansen Weeping Water NE 11

179 . Weston Koop Rockwell 11

180 . Aron Fye Alden 10

181 . Justin Shearn Sioux City 10

182 . Kale Hemsley Sigourney 10

183 . Michael Eddinger Altoona 10

184 . Wayne Gifford Boone 10

185 . Zach Hemmingsen Walnut 10

186 . Bennett Johnson Red Oak 9

187 . Brandon Fisher Lincoln NE 9

188 . Devin Holthaus Cresco 9

189 . Kurtis Bonneson Aurelia 9

190 . Peyton Stephens Bussey 9

191 . Preston McDonald Keota 9

192 . Brandon White Cascade 8

193 . Chad Volk Lake Crystal MN 8

194 . Chuck Madden Jr. Avoca 8

195 . Corey Black Mankato MN 8

196 . Dan Hanselman Algona 8

197 . David Castellano Des Moines 8

198 . Dustin O'Brien Jr. Glidden 8

199 . Jonathon Hynes Winnebago MN 8

200 . Jordan Androy Dunlap 8

201 . Josh Most Red Oak 8

202 . Kyle Jared Troy Mills 8

203 . Lincoln Miller Eagle Grove 8

204 . Roy Armstrong Beatrice NE 8

205 . Seth Janssen Ogden 8

206 . Tanner Dixon Nodaway 8

207 . Tyler Gray Clarinda 8

208 . Zach Bales Merrill 8

209 . Brad Stephens Bussey 7

210 . Craig Clift Sioux City 7

211 . Gavin Gilbertson Vermillion SD 7

212 . Greyson Markhardt Barneveld WI 7

213 . Jason Schutterle Letts 7

214 . Jason Sweeney Waukon 7

215 . Kile Vohringer Maquoketa 7

216 . Mike Kimm Vinton 7

217 . Preston Kline Brooklyn 7

218 . Dan Markham Plattsmouth NE 6

219 . Dustin Filloon Tama 6

220 . Ernie Dailey Worthington MN 6

221 . Gavin Bartel Kasson MN 6

222 . Jason Kohl Missouri Valley 6

223 . Joel Norris Sioux Falls SD 6

224 . John Ross Rushmore MN 6

225 . Lucas Smith Iowa Falls 6

226 . Michael Minnier Monona 6

227 . Shane Richardson Wapello 6

228 . Aaron Rudolph Grand Junction 5

229 . B.J. Dahl Calmar 5

230 . Bill Chistiansen Garretson SD 5

231 . Brendon Stigge Fairbury NE 5

232 . Clayton Sogge State Center 5

233 . Dakota Eccles Harlan 5

234 . Jake Nelson Newton 5

235 . Jared Myers Indianola 5

236 . Jared Smith Adair 5

237 . Joe Doran Paton 5

238 . Josh Bradley Harrisburg SD 5

239 . Matt McDonald Scranton 5

240 . Max Jones Waterville 5

241 . Mike Eddinger Des Moines 5

242 . Morgan Olmstead Overton NE 5

243 . Nate Regnerus Sioux Center 5

244 . Nick Castellano 5

245 . Nick Schilling Sanborn 5

246 . Payce Herrera Price UT 5

247 . Roger Haupt Webster City 5

248 . Shila Erickson Sioux Falls SD 5

249 . Tim Sidles Emmetsburg 5

250 . Travis Fink Dow City 5

251 . Trevor Fleming Elkader 5

252 . Wade Gilliland Callendar 5

253 . August Bach Milton 4

254 . Austin Lundquist Sioux City 4

255 . Austin Shaffer Platteville WI 4

256 . Billy Rhoades Maynard 4

257 . Brandon Willemsen Grimes 4

258 . Craig Brotherton Wall Lake 4

259 . Derrick Barglof Sioux Rapids 4

260 . Don Wilson Platteville WI 4

261 . Dustin Forbes Rock Falls IL 4

262 . Dustin Jackson O'Neill NE 4

263 . Eric Hensley Mount Ayr 4

264 . Garrett Ball Independence 4

265 . Ian Roschewski Beatrice NE 4

266 . Jace Hanson Klemme 4

267 . Jade Lange Humboldt 4

268 . Jared Miller West Branch 4

269 . Jason Goans Kirkman 4

270 . Joe Wollenhaupt Neola 4

271 . Josh Froseth Sioux Falls SD 4

272 . Kegan Ewoldt Centerville 4

273 . Kris Chadwick Harlan 4

274 . Matt Rezac Tabor SD 4

275 . Mike Swain Cherokee 4

276 . Nathan Ballard Marengo 4

277 . Steve Dwyer La Crosse WI 4

278 . Thomas Daffern Brawley CA 4

279 . Travis Christensen Sioux Falls SD 4

280 . Adam Tiernan Madrid 3

281 . Austin Stalder Washington 3

282 . Blake Schneekloth Brandon SD 3

283 . Bobby Key Corning 3

284 . Braden Gifford Boone 3

285 . Brandon Schneider Mechanicsville 3

286 . Brett Vanous Quasqueton 3

287 . Brian Ashburn Callendar 3

288 . Brian Buboltz Avoca 3

289 . Brint Lemke Lincoln NE 3

290 . Carson Reinig Harlan 3

291 . Chad Rigby Madrid 3

292 . Cody Pontious Sac City 3

293 . Craig Brown Eldon 3

294 . Craig Fowler Ledyard 3

295 . Dale Sherman 3

296 . Derek Kirkland Centerville 3

297 . Donald Cole Sterling IL 3

298 . Dylan Andal Beresford SD 3

299 . Jason Wilkinson Neligh NE 3

300 . Jay Sidles Emmetsburg 3

301 . Jim Tull Redding 3

302 . Josh Vancannon Ogden 3

303 . Kenny Roberts Lincoln NE 3

304 . Kevin Millard 3

305 . Landon Hunter Olin 3

306 . Mark Hidelbaugh Ames 3

307 . Matthew Hudson Mount Ayr 3

308 . Nick Jacobson Brodhead WI 3

309 . Noah Graves Dallas 3

310 . Robbie Wilson 3

311 . Scott Herron Brainerd MN 3

312 . Shawn Kuennen Oelwein 3

313 . Sheldon Hunter Olin 3

314 . Tanner Jones Boone 3

315 . Trevor Iverson Welcome MN 3

316 . Will Bird Luzerne 3

317 . Adam Speicher Fredericksburg 2

318 . Angela Downs Hartford SD 2

319 . Anthony Fletchall Grant City MO 2

320 . Arthur Schott Clermont 2

321 . Austin Wolfgram Webster City 2

322 . Ben Becher Lincoln NE 2

323 . Ben Schneiders Sioux City 2

324 . Brett Maasdam Sully 2

325 . Chris Bates Anita 2

326 . Cody Cleghorn Des Moines 2

327 . D.J. Clinton Estherville 2

328 . Derek Smith Hinton 2

329 . Derrick McNeese Eldora 2

330 . Dustin Grout Prescott 2

331 . Dylan Said Maquoketa 2

332 . Gary Ollendieck Sumner 2

333 . George Reeh Missouri Valley 2

334 . Grag Lammers Owatonna MN 2

335 . James Pilkington Hedrick 2

336 . Jeff Watts Beatrice NE 2

337 . Jeremy Honts Muscatine 2

338 . Justin Myre Carter Lake 2

339 . Kaiden Hixson Orion IL 2

340 . Kyle Shamp Lincoln NE 2

341 . Lee Bailey Marengo 2

342 . Lily Hartwig New Sharon 2

343 . Manny Bennett Shullsburg WI 2

344 . Micah Lavrenz Burt 2

345 . Mike Kincaid Cincinnati 2

346 . Randy Roberts 2

347 . Roger Winkers Platteville WI 2

348 . Ryan Happel Holmen WI 2

349 . T.J. Patz Coal Valley IL 2

350 . Tanner Green Hampton 2

351 . Terry Quam Cresco 2

352 . Trenton Dowty Fremont NE 2

353 . Tyler Shutterworth What Cheer 2

354 . Will Smith Lake City 2

355 . Zach Cleghorn 2

356 . Zach Tate Casa Grande AZ 2

357 . Amanda Lee 1

358 . Anthony Bruhn Creston NE 1

359 . Brad Burhenne Council Bluffs 1

360 . Carter Davis Hinton 1

361 . Carter Jonsgaard Lewistin MN 1

362 . Chad Clubine Janesville 1

363 . Chase Hixson Orion IL 1

364 . Chris Hupp Boone 1

365 . Christian Cook Coon Rapids 1

366 . Cody Weih Durant 1

367 . Colton Monson Humboldt 1

368 . David Bennett Shullsburg WI 1

369 . David Gilliand Fort Dodge 1

370 . Jace Taylor Sioux Falls SD 1

371 . Jeremy Dooley Promise City 1

372 . Jeremy Johnson Worthington MN 1

373 . Jerry Miles Dubuque 1

374 . Kaden Staley Muscatine 1

375 . Ken Adams Stacyville 1

376 . Kevin Lebeau Dallas Center 1

377 . Lance Baker Barnes City 1

378 . Logan Andrews Marshalltown 1

379 . Logan Fitzpatrick Worthing SD 1

380 . Logan Knudson Buffalo Center 1

381 . Matt Petrzelka Norway 1

382 . Mitchell Thomas Marshalltown 1

383 . Paul Markhardt Barnevald WI 1

384 . Preston Bright Indianola 1

385 . Ryan Crooks Ionia 1

386 . Ryan Havel Lone Tree 1

387 . Steve Holthaus Cresco 1

388 . Tanner Dowty Fremont NE 1

389 . Travis Cavin Bedford 1

390 . Ty Tish Brooklyn 1

391 . Tyler Saathoff Holland NE 1

392 . Virgil Paul Jr. Davenport 1

393 . Willy Ransom Irwin 1

394 . Wyatt Steenhoven George 1

395 . Zach Ankrum Sioux City 1

396 . Zach Olmstead Overton NE 1

Worth The Wait, Shiverfest Closes Out The 2023 Season In Iowa

With cold, wet and windy weather in the forecast for last weekend, promoters Brian and Marcie Gaylord made an early decision to postpone the annual finale at the Lee County Speedway "Shiverfest" to Saturday November 4th and what a good call that would be! With a beautiful autumn day in southeast Iowa including a high temperature pushing sixty degrees, drivers from five states made their way in to compete in what would be the final race in the state of Iowa for 2023, and the final event for the husband and wife promoting team after an eight year run.

The Stock Cars would be the first of six main events on the evening with Abe Huls pacing the opening lap before John Oliver Jr. went charging by on the outside. Oliver had started sixth and he was showing his strength early before the caution waved for a two car tangle in turn four on lap three. On the restart John would again drive away as the fifth starting Dustin Griffiths and the eleventh starting Todd Reitzler worked their way to the front. Reitzler moved to second on lap seven, but had a full straightaway to make up on the  leader until the caution waved again for Donnie Pearson's spin on lap ten.

Pearson was getting a feel for the car that he had purchased from Tom Schmitt and a lap later when there was contact from a another car, he would slide sideways and roll over onto his top. After the red flag situation, Reitzler, Griffiths and Miciah Hidlebaugh would maintain Oliver's pace in hope of trying to mount a challenge over the final laps and as the white flag was waving for the leader, the fifth place car of Tom Cannon would spin in turn four to require a green, white, checkers restart.

Oliver would continue to stay out of reach over the last two laps to take the win while Griffiths would claim the runner-up spot ahead of Reitzler. Hidlebaugh had pulled to the infield prior to going back to green and that allowed Huls and Austin Meiners to complete the top ten.

With pre-race favorites Tim Ward, Austen Becerra and Chris Spalding drawing the first three starting positions, the twenty lap Modified feature would likely be won from the front. The first pair of turns were not good for Spalding though as he went high in turn two and got shuffled back to twelfth on the opening lap as Ward took the advantage over Becerra. Kurt Kile's spin in turn two would bring a caution on lap three and just as Becerra was mounting a challenge for the lead mid-race, the caution waved again for debris with nine laps remaining.

Ward had seen where Austen had the advantage, so he wisely changed his line after the restart and this year's IMCA Super Nationals champion would again pull away to take the victory in just the second night driving this new car. Becerra would hold on for second ahead of young Charlie Mohr, while veteran drivers Mark Burgtorf and Bill Roberts Jr. would complete the top five.

Tim Ward on his way to a Shiverfest victory - Micheil Farr photo

After a disappointing finish to Friday night's race at Memphis, C.J. Horn was on a mission and when he drew the front row for the twenty-five lap Late Model feature this one was pretty much decided from the start. Horn was gone from the drop of the green leading by half a lap when the only caution of the event flew on lap fourteen and on the restart there was nobody that could match the pace as Horn dominated for the victory. Thankfully there was some great racing for second involving Jeff Tharp, Darrel DeFrance and Tommy Elston. Tharp was behind the wheel of Andy Nezworki's #7 and had come from the fifth row, DeFrance had started from the seventh spot while Elston had started twelfth and they would go three-wide on a couple of occasions late in the race.

In the end it would be DeFrance prevailing to finish second with Tharp in third. Elston closed out his All Iowa Points championship season with a fourth place run while Sam Halstead held off Josh Foster for fifth.

C.J. Horn left no doubt as to who would be the Late Model winner - Micheil Farr photo

It had also been a frustrating weekend thus far for central Missouri driver Chris Spalding as he had been been spun out of the lead in the Modified feature at Memphis on Friday night and then earlier here, he had dominated his Modified heat race only to lose nine positions at the start of the feature. His redemption would come in tonight's Sport Mod main event where he would start from the pole position and lead all twenty laps to take the win. John Oliver Jr. stayed right with Spalding through the first half of the race, but during a pair of lap eleven caution periods he would exit to the pit area with mechanical issues.

That would now put the focus on Brayton Carter who had started ninth and was now up to second looking for his thirty-second feature win of the season. Once he grabbed that second spot though he was about ten car lengths back from the leader and with Spalding turning flawless laps around the bottom, Carter was unable to mount a challenge as he settled for second. Tanner Klingele finished where he had started, in third, Tony Olson made a strong run from fifteenth to fourth while Logan Anderson filled out the top five after starting from eleventh.

The Sport Compacts would also see a fast car draw the pole in Travis DeMint, but after problems while leading his heat race, perhaps an even faster car was starting from the twenty-first and final position in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, visitor Brody Rivest. DeMint would power away from the field in the first seven laps before a red flag was needed when Blaine Lambert got upside down in turn two. Rivest was well into the top ten by this point and he would move to second with just five laps remaining and DeMint nearly a full straightaway ahead of him.

That lead was shrinking noticeably over the next three circuits and when David Prim slowed on the back stretch with two to go that would plant Rivest right on the back bumper of the leader for the restart. DeMint would get a nice jump with the drop of the green only to have Rivest reel him back in and the challenger would give the leader a good "shot in the shorts" as announcer Tony Paris would say in turn two on the final lap. Working through the final set of turns Rivest would swing to the outside, but he could not overtake DeMint before going under the checkers. They were three wide just behind the top two with Chevy Barnes nosing out Dyllan Bonk and Barry Taft for the final spot on the podium.

It was now a few minutes past ten o'clock and the chilled November air would send me looking for the warmth of my car as the Mini Haulers started their feature where Roger "Fireball" Brockett would take the win over Brian Tipps. 

It was a great way for the Gaylords to close out their tenure here at Donnellson after announcing in August that they would be stepping away at the end of the season. And, during the drivers meeting, Neal Kohlmorgan and Patrick Profeta were introduced as the new leaders of the Lee County Speedway for 2024. They are currently working on their plans and will release information in the weeks to come at the track's Facebook page. 

It was a fun evening enjoying the racing with a couple of my regular traveling partners Fred Peters and Daryl Voth, plus we were joined by Wisconsin visitors David Schlise and Russell Wicker. They were going to take full advantage of the changing of the clocks in their seven hour drive home!

Two more nights of racing remain on my calendar with our annual trip to Springfield, Missouri, for the Turkey Bowl on November 17th and 18th. Perhaps we will see you there!

Chills, Spills and Thrills At Memphis Halloween Race-Tacular

A dismal looking radar during the late afternoon may have tamped down both the car count and the attendance a bit, but the persistent sprinkles only made the track wider and faster for what turned out to be a very intriguing night of racing at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri, Friday night. Originally scheduled for last week, the "Halloween Race-tacular" was able to run in weather that was pretty decent for the first weekend of November and while I had my sleeping bag ready to crawl into to stay warm, it was never needed as the well presented program was competed by 10:05.

The Stock Cars would get things rolling come feature time with Dustin Griffiths and Les Blakley bringing the field to green for their eighteen lap main event. Griffiths would get the early lead and as the field came out of turn four to score lap number two, one of the heat race winners Jacob Murray shucked a drive shaft and slowed up next to the guardrail on the front stretch. As the back of the field dodged him, Eric Glass got caught with no place to go and, while he braked hard, he could not avoid contact with Murray's coasting ride.

On the restart Jason See would power under Griffiths in turns one and two to take the point on lap three and on the next trip around the 3/8th-mile the fourth place car of Todd Reitzler would bicycle up on two wheels as he entered turn three. Turning to the right would bring the car back down on all four wheels, but it would also send him sailing off the top of the race track and into the darkness. Thankfully the bean field had been harvested and after about a minute or two Reitzler drove back up onto the racing surface swerving back and forth to make sure that nothing had been damaged during that harrowing ride.

He would restart at the rear of the now thirteen car field and See would now have to deal with the challenges of John Oliver Jr. over the next six laps. Caution waved again mid-race when Blakley slowed and there were two separate incidents that would result in a red flag situation after lap ten went in the books. Veteran drivers Wade Francis and Brad Pinkerton had tangled in turn two and just as the caution started to wave a car behind them driven by Josh Robinson took a hard tumble in turn one. The hometown driver was able to climb from his crumpled race car with no injuries.

The final eight laps would run under the green and this would be a good one as Oliver applied the pressure on See. With four laps remaining there was Reitzler, back at the front again and ready to make it a three car battle as he dropped Oliver to third with three laps to go and then on lap seventeen he would squeeze under See in turn two to steal the victory. The driver from Grinnell, Iowa, received a nice round of applause while in victory lane for his efforts. See and Oliver would go second and third, Griffiths would hold down fourth while Jason McDaniel closed out the top five.

Modifieds would be up next with a fast front row in Kurt Kile and Austen Becerra. It would be Kile that would set the pace with Becerra in hot pursuit until lap nine when the defending All Iowa Points champion would slip by to take the lead. Chris Spalding was the man on the move though coming from the sixth starting spot and after driving past Kile for second he would set his sights on the leader. With five laps remaining as Becerra entered turn three midway up the track, Spalding dove to the bottom and took the lead. With such a deep run into the corner, I am guessing the Becerra thought that Spalding would then drift up the track in turn four, so he aimed to make the crossover move going to the bottom. Somehow though, Spalding was able to stick to the bottom so when Becerra tried to root under him coming out of four the contact would turn Spalding sideways and up on two wheels for a split second before he came to a halt on the apron.

Many in the crowd were voicing their opinion of the incident as officials made the decision to send both drivers to the back for the restart and it would be Kile and Jarrett Brown bringing the field back to green double file. Kile would regain the lead and then hold off IMCA Super Nationals champion Tim Ward over the final three laps to claim the victory. Brown would take third while Spalding flew through the field to get back to fourth ahead of Mark Burgtorf. 

Kurt Kile regained the lead and eventually the victory at Memphis - Carroll Hoover photo

Twelve laps would be the distance for the Sport Compacts and with two former All Iowa Points champions on the front row in Barry Taft and Cyle Hawkins, you knew it was going have a quick pace. Hawkins would win the drag race into turn one and he would work the bottom of the speedway lifting his left rear wheel high in the air through the corners. As Taft faded a bit, Chevy Barnes would move to second and try to keep pace with Hawkins while Jeffrey DeLonjay started to find the high side to his liking in third. At lap five DeLonjay would move to second and then lap by lap he would close in on Hawkins until he pulled even with the leader on lap nine.

Just after DeLonjay was scored the leader, the caution would come out as Taft coasted around the high side of the speedway and we would now have a green, white, checkers restart. Entering turn one Hawkins would charge to the bottom looking to take back the lead, but he would slow suddenly in turn two and then drive into the infield. Barnes would now be right on the rear bumper of the leader, but as the field took the white flag my attention was on the car of Hawkins that had now burst into flames in the middle of the infield.

Cyle had climbed out and was trying to get the attention of the fire crew while the race went on and as the checkered flag waved the flames were finally extinguished. DeLonjay would be your winner followed by Barnes and Matt Moore. Rick DeFord made up most of his ground in the closing laps to come from ninth to fourth while Garrett Porter finished fifth.

This would be the first appearance for the Late Models here in several years and a stout field of seventeen would sign in for this late season event. Young Kayden Clatt would start next to division rookie Josh Foster on the front row and it would be Foster that would take the early lead. Evan Miller would pick up the challenge and they would run wheel-to-wheel in the corners while Foster's high side momentum would allow him to have the edge at the stripe. On lap six Miller would get the advantage and the eighth starting C.J. Horn would soon follow him into second. Now it would be these two who would battle side by side with Horn on the bottom and Miller up top.

This battle would get even more interesting in the closing laps when lapped traffic came into play and, as the white flag waved, the leaders were door-to-door going into turn one. Both were aiming for the bottom and with Horn on the inside that would put him precariously close to the implement tire marking the infield. I can't say for sure whether or not he made any contact with said tire, but C.J. would spin sideways and come to a halt just past it to bring out the caution and send it to a green, white, checker finish.

There would be no stopping Miller from there as he captured his second victory of the season and Tommy Elston gained a position in those last two laps to finish second. Darrel DeFrance was able to slip by Foster in the final lap to take third while it was Foster's best Late Model finish thus far in fourth. The race for fifth was settled in the final lap as well and that was significant as Andy Nezworski was able to get by Sam Halstead to keep his hopes for an All Iowa Points championship alive going into the final race of the season. While Tommy Elston has clinched a share of the title, Nezworski can join him as a champion with a win today at Shiverfest as long as Elston does not finish in the top five.

After leading early, Josh Foster would finish fourth, his best yet in this his rookie year in a Late Model - Carroll Hoover photo

Two of the best drivers in our region would treat the crowd to an entertaining eighteen laps of Sport Mod feature racing as John Oliver Jr. and Brayton Carter squared off. Oliver would take the lead from the front row while Carter followed him to second from row two and the next several laps would play out in this fashion. Oliver would run the high line in turns one and two and while Carter was able to pull even with him on the bottom, John would have the momentum to get back to the front down the back stretch and then block Carter on the bottom of turns three and four. At the exit of turn four, as Oliver would go back up the track, Brayton would get a run on the bottom and would get a nose under him by the start/finish line before the whole process would repeat itself once again.

This would continue for eight laps until Carter was able to stay even with the leader going down the back straightaway forcing John to now try the cushion in turns three and four and, when it worked for him, it would now be the battle of two different lines on both ends of the speedway. Finally on lap thirteen Carter would drive a bit deeper into turn one and then drift slightly up the track to break Oliver's momentum and that would allow "Speedy Bray" to take the lead and then open up a few car lengths of an advantage before scoring his 31st victory of an amazing season. Oliver would back up his third place finish in the Stock Cars with a runner-up showing here while Brandon Lennox drove Jim Gillnewater's #10G to a third place finish. Chris Spalding would get his second fourth place finish of the night, this time in Gary Wilson's #11, while Logan Anderson filled out the top five.

After a thrilling battle with John Oliver Jr., Brayton Carter would win his 31st feature of the season - Carroll Hoover photo

The ten Hobby Stocks on hand would close out the evening for twelve laps with Red Oak, Iowa's, Bennett Johnson going flag-to-flag to earn what I believe to be his first career feature win. The young driver started up front and raced out a to a big advantage while pre-race favorites Nathan Ballard and Dustin Griffiths worked their way through the field. Griffiths who started last after dropping out of his heat race, would get to third before a flat tire sidelined him with two laps remaining. Ballard would move from seventh to finish second, Tom Killen Jr. took third, fourth went to Preston McDonald and fifth was Kale Hemsley. 

I want to take a moment to give a mention to Hobby Stock driver Andy Peck who made the tow down from Newton, Iowa. Andy is one of those drivers who will make the long pull to support the division whenever he can and he is a regular competitor at the Marshalltown Speedway as well. His big blue #17 is not as fast as the other cars in the field, but he races clean and on the grandstand side of the car he has "Thank You Race Fans" painted bold and bright. It is always easy to call out the guys who are winning races, but it is racers like Andy that really makes this sport what it is, so make sure that as a Race Fan, you say "thanks" to him the next time that you have the chance.

The 2023 racing season comes to a close today with the annual running of "Shiverfest" at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. The sun is shining right now in southeast Iowa and it is going to be a great day for Hayrack Rides, Trick-or-Treating, Box Car Races and of course some great dirt track racing as well. Hope to see you there!

Friday Notebook November 3, 2023

Time to dust off the ol' notebook as I anticipate a great weekend of racing here close to home. When cold and rainy weather last week forced promoters Brian and Marcie Gaylord to push both the Halloween Race-tacular at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis and the annual Shiverfest at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson to this coming weekend one of the comments on Facebook was "It could be snowing next weekend". I hope that wasn't this person's way of saying that they should have tried to race last weekend because that would have been an epic failure. I wanted to immediately reply that it could in the 60's as well and, if I had, my uninformed weather prognostication skills would have proved to be much better than his.

It looks like we will have great weather to go racing tonight in Memphis and tomorrow at Donnellson and while there is a very slight chance of precipitation at some point during the proceedings, it sounds like it will be no more than a couple of sprinkles. Hopefully I will see many of you at one or both tracks this weekend!

These will be the final two races for the All Iowa Points in 2023 and there is still one championship to be determined. That is the Late Model division where Tommy Elston, on the strength of his clean sweep at Lee County's Harvest Hustle on the first weekend of October, moved ahead of season long leader Andy Nezworski. The difference is just two points so with the 5-point scale of a win being worth 5, second getting 4, third earning 3 points and so on, this could go right down to the final night if both drivers choose to attend. Elston is likely to be there since both tracks are about a half hour tow from his Keokuk home, but whether or not Nezworski will be there is the question. His last outing was back in WISSOTA country when he ran the annual Red Clay Classic at the ABC Raceway in Ashland, Wisconsin, and that might have been his way of closing out his 2023 campaign. Recall that Andy was a competitor in the WISSOTA Super Stock division before he relocated to Buffalo, Iowa, and switched to the IMCA Late Model class.

The All Iowa Points are for bragging rights only and, if used properly, drivers can use it to better promote themselves when it comes to sponsorships. I am very proud that the legendary drivers who have made it into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame including Gary Webb, Ed Sanger, Curt Hansen, Verlin Eaker, Joe Kosiski, Ray Guss Jr., Ken Walton, Red Droste, Tom Hearst, Roger Dolan, Jeff Aikey and Steve Boley all had their All Iowa Points championship, or championships, listed on their resume as they went through the voting process. After this weekend either Tommy Elston or Andy Nezworski will add their name to the list of these and others who have earned an All Iowa Points Late Model Championship, not a bad group to be included in! 

Tommy Elston charges to the inside of Tyler Bruening in April of 2014 at the West Liberty Raceway- Barry Johnson photo

Like many of you, I'm sure, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook when it comes to racing. By following all of the tracks in the region I am able to stay updated on what is going on at each and it is interesting to see how promoters use this social media venue to highlight sponsors as well. What do I hate about it? Well of course, the comments! It is amazing to me how vindictive and, or narcissistic people can be when they make comments on a Facebook post that, for example, let's people know that a race has been postponed a week due to weather. Calling the decision into question because you can't make it the following week has to be some of the dumbest things that I have ever seen. Plus, the relentless requests to add classes to a roster that already has five divisions on the card annoys me as well. "If you add the Bombers, I'll bring three cars with me from over three hours away". First of all, prove it, and second, if that now makes my Bomber car count a total of nine, people in the stands are wondering why the hell the Bombers were added to what is already a busy night of racing.

There are a lot of people who insist that promoters need to take all comments seriously as a form of constructive criticism. I vehemently disagree! There is just too much stupidity to weed through to find anything constructive and all of that takes a toll on a promoter who works his or her ass off all week only to find that the vocal minority are the ones taking shots at them. We have already seen a couple of promoters walk away with this being one of the reasons. My advice to promoters is to make your post and don't come back to review the comments, you don't need the agony and I would like to think that the true race fans know enough to disregard most comments in the first place.

One trend though that I am starting to see from tracks is that when they make a post they are adding #followers which then sends a Messenger notification to my phone alerting me to the new post. I'm sure that's all well and good for those people who are only following their local track, but for someone like me that follows all dirt tracks across a fourteen state area, I don't like getting those pop up notifications all the time. If you do it once in awhile, that's fine, but I had a track make four posts in three days last week using this method and I made the decision to no longer follow that track. Don't over use this new toy, promoters!

I am also amused by the new trend of making "Save The Date" posts for special events, particularly for events that just completed this Fall. It feels like I'm being invited to a wedding or a graduation party again! I get it, as a promoter you want to get that date out there not only for your fans to put it on their schedule for 2024, but perhaps more importantly to let other promoters know that "this is my weekend, don't you dare schedule on top of me!" I have said it before, and I will say it again. We live in the absolute best area to be a dirt track racing fan due to all of the tracks and the drivers there are to compete at them. Unless you schedule something for the first two weeks of March, or the month of November you are always going to have more than just one event going on in the region and, in my eyes, that is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with a little competition, plus if the events are a couple of hours or more away from each other, inclement weather might hamper one while missing the other giving drivers and fans a choice.

It is also that time of year where some tracks feel the need to get their 2024 schedule out there despite the fact that they have several dates listed as TBA or "To Be Announced". One track that decided not to race beyond the end of August this year, put out a 2024 schedule last week that listed three different "2 Day Specials" in September and October. No details, so to me that is just another "Save The Date" ploy just like the lonely cat lady that posted a "Save The Date" for her wedding in 2025 despite the fact that she has no boyfriend at this moment.

Promoters, if you post your schedule for 2024 I will include the actual dates that you have listed in Positively Racing's Special Events Calendar, however when you move any of those, or if you actually add the details for your TBA dates, I cannot guarantee that they will be updated or included in that calendar if I don't catch that update. And, if you overuse #followers in your posts, I will miss the update because I will no longer be following your track on Facebook. :)

Speaking of changes, I see that the XR Super Series has made another change to their season finale in Florida. The race that was originally scheduled for the final weekend of October at the All Tech Raceway was then moved to the first weekend in December, and this week it was announced that the purse would be cut from a $100,000-to-win finale to two separate shows paying $10,000 on Friday and $20,000 on Saturday. Don't get me wrong, that is still some nice money out there at a time when there is little on the schedule, but it continues the trend that we have seen with the XR events throughout 2023. The schedule has been "fluid" to say the least and hopefully that will settle down a bit next season when one of our favorites, the Yankee Dirt Classic at Farley is run under the XR banner for the first time.

Plenty of rumors flying around our area right now, some that have been confirmed and others that may be found to be true or false in the days and weeks to come. I will do my best to summarize without getting into too much detail.

Jeff Struck Jr. will be the new promoter of weekly racing at the Davenport Speedway in 2024. As one of the top drivers in the "Outlaw" Street Stock class in the Quad Cities for the past several years, it will be interesting to see what he has for a division roster next year. Ricky and Brenda Kay added the IMCA Stock Cars this past season in what some viewed as an attempt to build up that class while phasing out the Outlaws, but with the IMCA counts not exceeding the Outlaws over the closing weeks of the season it would seem that Struck would be justified in dropping the sanctioned division. As a first time promoter running a track that runs under a curfew, the last thing that you need is too many classes to get completed.

Neal Kohlmorgan confirmed on a Facebook post this week that he and Patrick Profeta will be the new promoters at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for 2024. Neal has been a part-time competitor in the Stock Car class for a few years with his last event seeing him take a wild ride over the top of the guardrail in turn three at Donnellson in mid-September, while Profeta is a former Modified racer who has turned the wheel over to his son Nicholas for the past couple of seasons with the young driver showing big improvement here in 2023. While this is big news in itself, I have heard that the new promoters may have an even more impactful announcement to make this weekend, so we will find out soon if there will be a change in the race nights at Donnellson as well.

Mike Van Genderen has been putting on the races for the fair board at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis for the past several years, but he will be absent tonight as he had a commitment to Peyton Taylor to do the track work at the Natural State Nationals at the Central Arkansas Speedway this weekend. With the Independence Motor Speedway putting out their "Mark Your Calendar" post for the 2024 Fall Madness being September 24-26, this is a track that Mike co-promotes and those dates would be against the traditional September event at Memphis, so it seems that the northeast Missouri facility may be going in a different direction in 2024. I have heard that the Fuller family would like to have more shows than the four or five nights that the track has been having each season, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out as well. I know that I am biased with it only being a 62 mile trip for me, but I think that the track in Memphis is one of those "rustic gems" that every dirt track fan needs to check out even just once. And remember, you can do that tonight with the Halloween Race-tacular!

Prominent Dirt Late Model supporter Jeff Hoker revealed that the World of Outlaws Late Model event that he has sponsored as The Hoker 150 at the Davenport Speedway the past couple of years will now be moved to the Maquoketa Speedway in August of 2024. And yes, he confirmed that the track prep will be handled by Rick Kay and the "Dirt Doctor" Al Dlouhy. When everything went down with the Kays leaving Davenport, Hoker stated that he would not support those who did not support them and he is keeping his word with this move. Unfortunately for me the projected dates are for the weekend after the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals which usually means that we will have a couple of events scheduled for the Sprint Invaders at the same time, but hey, that's the beauty of where we are located. There will always be plenty of choices, especially at that time of the season.

I have heard the rumor that Hoker Trucking may not be back as the title sponsor for the SLMR East Series in 2024, but that remains to be seen. And, if they do not return, it will be a good opportunity for somebody else to step up and get some good exposure with the series directed by Joe Kosiski.

I'm going to make a statement here that may offend some while others might agree, but after a few seasons of stepping on each other I feel that it is time for these regional Late Model series to determine who has the "rights" to eastern Iowa. While the MLRA has been strong in early season races primarily at Davenport and Burlington, by the time they come back to eastern Iowa they have been down to just four or five drivers that are still chasing points and the overall car count lags. With the change of promoters at Davenport, the one time that the MARS series dipped their toes into the state of Iowa may no longer be on the schedule anyway so that would appear to put the SLMR in the position to BE the regional Super Late Model series in Eastern Iowa. Let's see how the 2024 schedules shake out.

Sprint Car fans are on the edge of their seats right now waiting to see what comes of the purchase of the All Stars by the High Limit Series. Will they try to build more of a full-time "national" brand making it Floracing vs. DirtVision as well, or will they stick to the script of keeping the All Stars primarily east of the Missouri River while maintaining the mid-week High Limits events as well? We should know more of the plans by the PRI show in early December.

Congratulations to Mike Marlar on scoring a victory at the World Finals in Charlotte on Thursday night. It was the first night for Marlar with Skyline Motorsports as a teammate to Iowa's Tyler Bruening marking the official beginning of "silly season" when it comes to who will be driving for whom in 2024.

That's it, the notebook now goes back out to the car as it is about time to pack up and make the drive to Memphis, Missouri. Hope to see you there tonight and at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson on Saturday!