"The People's Champ" Dave Darland came into 34 Raceway on a hot streak, but on this hot and sultry Friday night Darland would have to catch a break when leader Brady Bacon lost his right rear wheel to take the win and build upon his USAC Sprint Car series point lead. Jayson Ditsworth and Tony Dunker also posted victories in support of the rare appearance by the non-wing Sprint Cars at the 3/8ths-mile high-banked oval near Burlington.
Twenty-two USAC Sprints signed in, but only twenty would take to the track for the 30-lap main event as Mitch Wissmiller flipped hard during qualifying and Aaron Farney, who qualified fourth quick, tumbled several times during the first heat. Both drivers escaped injury. Brady Bacon and Tyler Courtney would go from the front row and on the first try at a start the cars of Mike Houseman Jr., Tyler Shoemaker and Andy Huston tangled in turn two. When the race did get underway Bacon raced out to the lead, one that he would steadily build as Courtney, the leading rookie-of-the-year contender tried to hold back the competition.
Kevin Thomas Jr. finally worked by Courtney for second on the fifth lap and by then Bacon had a full straightaway advantage. And when Thomas could not make up any ground it was Darland who took over second on lap ten now finding Bacon nearly a half lap out front. That all changed in a breathtaking moment though three laps later when the right rear wheel broke away from Bacon's #69 as he raced through turns one and two and, while Bacon's car stayed upright, the wheel vaulted the fence that protects the pit area outside of the race track and while it went high into the air it thankfully landed safely without striking anybody.
On the restart it was now Darland who raced out to a healthy lead as Chris Windom maneuvered himself into the second position and when the caution waved again with ten laps remaining Windom would have his chance. When back to green Windom was able to stay within about ten car-lengths of the leader, but there would be no catching Darland as he would take the popular victory. Windom who was racing about as close as he gets to his Canton, Illinois, home on the tour had a nice cheering section applauding his second-place run, Bryan Calusen was steady in the Tony Stewart Motorsports ride taking third while California natives Justin Grant and Robert Ballou completed the top five. Sixth through tenth at the finish were Chase Stockon, Tracy Hines, Kyle Cummins, Thomas and Courtney.
Despite the near one hundred degree heat and the fact that the area has not seen rain since, like Spring, Jeff Laue and his crew did a masterful job of preparing a smooth and heavy racetrack that would be to the liking of the non-wing drivers. The surface was also more than suitable for the two support classes as well with entertaining feature races in each.
Twenty 305 Winged Sprint Cars lined up for their twenty-lap main event and it was definitely a family affair with three siblings and their uncle all in the field. Josh, Jarrod and Janelle Schneiderman would all fare better than uncle John Schulz though as the newly crowned track champion pulled to the infield late in the event while racing in the top five. Ryan Jamison would hold the early lead but with a heavy cushion this was Jayson Ditsworth's kind of race track and he powered by Jamison on the outside of turn four to take the lead on the fourth lap. The race would go flag-to-flag and while Ditsworth had several close calls while working through traffic there was no doubt that the Olson Brothers Custom Shop Special was the fastest car on the track in this one. Jamison would finish a straightaway back in second, Daniel Bergquist drove Andy Huston's #40 car to a third-place finish, Donnie Steward was fourth and Cody Wehrle was impressive moving from ninth to fifth.
The twelve car Sport Mod field had some out of town visitors and a regular Stock Car driver who has been dabbling in this division over the past few weeks. Brett Timmerman climbed aboard his father Lyle's #44 and would take the early lead with two of the best in the division Carter Vandenberg and Tony Dunker close behind. On the fourth lap Timmerman stumbled on the cushion in turn two allowing Vandenberg to edge ahead down the back stretch, but Timmerman caught the cushion perfectly in three and four to maintain the lead at the line. On the tenth lap Timmerman again bobbled in turn two and this time both Vandenberg and Dunker pulled even with him down the back chute and as they raced three-wide into turn three a bit of contact caused the car in the middle, Vandenberg to slow suddenly and come to a stop exiting turn four. With just six laps remaining Dunker would go back to work on Timmerman diving to the inside in the corners, but "the Jet" held his ground and fought off the challenge until he bobbled one last time in the same spot in turn two. This time Dunker was there to pounce and he grabbed the lead as the white flag waved to then take the win away from Timmerman. Jeff DeLonjay was not far behind the lead duo in third, Korey Meyer made the trip down from Big Rock to finish fourth and Sean Wyett completed the top five.
The entertaining three division program was in the books at 9:45 and the 34 Raceway track crew is now hard at work as they make preparations for another night of action on Saturday night as the Quads and Bikes will take center stage for the Midwest Performance and Power Clash for Cash.
This will likely wrap up my racing for the Labor Day weekend and while a trip to Boone for the final two nights of next week's IMCA Super Nationals is under consideration you will likely find me right back here at 34 Raceway next Friday and Saturday night as the MOWA 410 Sprints run a big money doubleheader.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Gustin Dominates, Hughes Tightens Point Battle As USMTS Returns To Tipton
When you go to a United States Modified Touring Series
(USMTS) event you know that you are going to see a professionally run program
with a traveling band of Modified competitors where pretty much the entire
starting grid has a legitimate shot at taking the feature win. And when you go
to a USMTS race at Tipton, on a track that has been expertly manicured by Al
Dlouhy, you can count on something special and that was the case on Thursday
night as drivers found that they could run top-to-bottom around the quarter-mile
at Tipton International Speedway.
Twenty-nine Modifieds would sign in for qualifying that would then set the field for four heat races with the four fastest in each heat inverted. Drivers would then earn points based upon their finishing position and how many cars that they passed to get there with the top twelve going directly to the A-Main while the remaining drivers would run one of two B-Main’s with the top five advancing from each. Two provisional starters would then complete the twenty-four car field for the forty-lap headliner. Qualifying the USMTS cars was something new to me, but by doing it in group fashion the session went quickly and whatever time was taken was more than worth it as the resulting heat race action was spectacular. Two of the four heats featured three-wide racing up front for the entire distance and in the third heat Bruce Hanford held off a late charge from Dan Chapman to win by just seven one hundredths of a second with Jeremy Payne right there as well looking for racing room.
Twenty-nine Modifieds would sign in for qualifying that would then set the field for four heat races with the four fastest in each heat inverted. Drivers would then earn points based upon their finishing position and how many cars that they passed to get there with the top twelve going directly to the A-Main while the remaining drivers would run one of two B-Main’s with the top five advancing from each. Two provisional starters would then complete the twenty-four car field for the forty-lap headliner. Qualifying the USMTS cars was something new to me, but by doing it in group fashion the session went quickly and whatever time was taken was more than worth it as the resulting heat race action was spectacular. Two of the four heats featured three-wide racing up front for the entire distance and in the third heat Bruce Hanford held off a late charge from Dan Chapman to win by just seven one hundredths of a second with Jeremy Payne right there as well looking for racing room.
Fourteen-year-old Trevor Hunt would bring the feature field
to the green from the pole position and the youngster from Kearney, Missouri,
would establish himself as the early leader. The first caution of the event
would wave just three laps in when the two provisional starters, Jeff Conner
and Daniel Hilsabeck would spin in turn one. On the restart Ryan Gustin made a
quick move from fourth to second and was setting up to challenge Hunt for the
lead before the caution waved again on lap six after the track tire in turn
three had been punted out onto the speedway.
Once back to green the battle for the lead was interesting
from the standpoint that Gustin, who currently holds the mark as the youngest
driver to ever win a USMTS main event, was trying to keep Hunt from eclipsing
that accomplishment and after chasing the teenager for a couple of laps “The
Reaper” was able to motor by on the top shelf. As Gustin pulled away the focus
was now on the two and three-wide action that was going on for second on back
as Hunt tried to hold his ground, but he was soon overwhelmed by the series’
top two points contenders Rodney Sanders and Johnny Scott.
The caution waved one last time at the mid-race point when
Stormy Scott started smoking badly and then stopped on the back straightway and
on the realignment you found Jason Hughes now up into the top five. Hughes was
part of that fantastic third heat race, but suffered front end damage early
after contact with Dan Chapman and he was forced to qualify out of the first B-Main.
In that event he started ninth and methodically worked his way to the victory
putting him in the 13th starting slot for the feature. On the
restart Hughes went back to work and continued his march to the front where he
would lock into a three car battle in the closing laps with Zack Vanderbeek and
Johnny Scott. As the white flag was displayed Hughes had made his move into
second, but there was no catching Ryan Gustin who was on cruise control to the
checkers. Hughes who is third in points and still very much in contention in
“The Hunt for the Championship” made up a few points on Scott and Sanders who
finished third and fifth respectively wile Vanderbeek would cash in the
fourth-place check. Brad Dierks would
head up the local contingent in sixth, Hunt would wind up seventh, Lucas Schott
finished eighth while Kelly Shryock and Jeremy Payne would fill out the top
ten.
The Hunt moves north to Chateau Raceway in Lansing,
Minnesota, tonight (Friday), then look for a big field of cars on Saturday
night at the Deer Creek Speedway and the four-race weekend wraps up on Sunday
night when the USMTS returns to the Cresco Speedway. It was great to catch up
with Todd and Janet Staley and their sons Ryne and Logan as it has been two
years since I last saw them right here at Tipton. They always ask me when I am
going to hit the road with them and while so incredibly tempting I also have to
consider the marital consequences of doing so! Maybe someday I will convince
Christine that ninety nights in a motorhome at a race track will be sooooo much
more fun than she thinks it would. It
has also been two years since I have had a chance to be entertained by series
announcer Lon Oelke and there is no doubt that he is one of the most
entertaining race announcers in the business as he had all of us laughing out
loud on a few occasions.
The Darkside also sprinkled in five support divisions that
ran feature races only and while I am sure that they would have liked to have
seen more cars sign in, the way that they did things was a perfect addition to
the program. The Four Cylinders put on about as good of a four car race as they
could as Steven Boyle held off Jake Benischek and Adam Gates to take the win.
Lucas Short appeared to have the Hobby Stock main well in hand until he exited
the race late and that then lead to a last lap showdown between Brian Carpenter
and Sheldon Hunter. The two made some contact as they charged to the checkers
with Hunter prevailing by a nose.
In the Legend Car feature Adrianne Hartman was the early
leader before veteran Warren Ropp cruised by on the outside. Hartman did not
give up though and regained the lead from Ropp late to win the 20-lap event.
Ropp dropped out of the race with three laps remaining due to apparent rear
axle issues so it was Tyler Kelley chasing the young lady Hartman to the
checkers. Craig Peekenschneider would take the third spot just ahead of Tony
Stewart’s father, Nelson Stewart.
Wayne Hora started last, fifth, in the Outlaw Super Bomber
race and he would pass Josh Neal late to take the victory while the B-Modified
main suffered through several cautions including a couple that resulted from a
bump-and-bang battle between Ben Chapman and Tyler Soppe. Soppe would lead the
race early before being passed by Dan Mohr and after two incidents with
Chapman, Soppe would end up heading to the pits before the checkers. Mohr would
go on to win the race with young Dustin Smith taking second. Kory Meyer
finished third, Chapman was fourth and Mike McGarry recovered from an early
caution to take fifth.
The temperatures were hot upon arrival but with the sunsets
coming earlier this time of year coupled with a nice east breeze it was a very
comfortable night in the stands with several of my racing friends. It was also
great to finally meet Chad Seering with IowaStockCars and to do a little bench
racing before the night’s action got underway.
We are right back at it tonight as the USAC non-wing or
“traditional” Sprint Cars will be at 34 Raceway in Burlington along with 305
Winged Sprints and the Sport Mods. Maybe come and enjoy another beautiful
sunset over a race track with us?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
All Iowa Points Battles Still Hot Heading Into Specials Season
While the “National” points races for the area’s sanctioning bodies have already, or will soon come to a close, the battle for the All Iowa Points title in each division will continue until the final race of the 2013 season has been run. And heading into “specials” season several classes are still up for grabs in the point system where drivers do not get a check for their accomplishments, but if used correctly they can parlay it into additional sponsorship money for seasons to come. Plus there is that sense of pride of being the one and only “best” in your division that lasts forever, just ask some of the previous champions.
The Late Model battle has come down to the veteran who has been close so often, but has yet to win a title, and the young driver who is enjoying a breakout year. Todd Cooney holds a slim three point advantage over Justin Kay right now, but with Kay still in the hunt for the Deery title it is likely that he will be doing more racing in September than will Cooney. For either driver it would be their first AIP championship.
Jesse Sobbing will be the first driver to win an All Iowa Points championship in one division and then move to another and win the following year as he appears set to take the Modified championship in his rookie season. This will actually be four straight championships in a row for the western Iowa driver as he was the Limited Modified champion in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Chris Abelson is still within striking distance, but would need to have Sobbing completely shut down over the following two months to catch him.
With no past champions competing full-time in the division this year a new AIP champion was guaranteed in the Limited Modified class and there are still six drivers in contention heading into the specials season. Doug Smith is the current leader and he would become the fourth different Smith brother to win a title if he is able to close it out. Carter VanDenBerg, Joel Rust, Tony Dunker, Brett Lowry and Nick Roberts are all still within striking distance.
Just like Todd Cooney in the Late Models, Damon Murty has been very close to winning an All Iowa Points championship on several occasions in the Stock Car ranks only to come up just short. And unless John Emerson goes on a winning rampage at every points-paying event he can find over the next two months Murty will not come up short again in 2013.
Two drivers who already have more than one AIP title are slugging it out at the top of the Hobby Stock list as Devin Smith now holds a nine point lead over Shannon Anderson. But you can’t yet count out Chris Luloff who might still be able to make a run if he races and wins often during the Fall.
Merv Chandler is well on his way to his second straight All Iowa Points Four Cylinder championship and that will make four state titles overall for the veteran driver who was also the Modified champ in 1984 and 1985.
This is the first season to crown an All Iowa Points champion in the Mod Lites division and it definitely looks like it will be Josh May, while in the Sprint Car divisions it appears that three drivers will add to their number of All Iowa Points titles. In the 410’s either Mark Dobmeier or Terry McCarl will again end up on top. Clint Garner holds the lead in the 360’s and it would be his second championship after winning in 2002 although both Gregg Bakker, Skylar Prochaska and Russ Hall could still track down Garner if he sits idle the remainder of the season. And in the 305’s it looks as though Mike Boston will score his first championship in this division after previously winning in the 360 ranks.
A complete rundown for each division can be found on the Points tab at www.PositivelyRacing.com.
The Late Model battle has come down to the veteran who has been close so often, but has yet to win a title, and the young driver who is enjoying a breakout year. Todd Cooney holds a slim three point advantage over Justin Kay right now, but with Kay still in the hunt for the Deery title it is likely that he will be doing more racing in September than will Cooney. For either driver it would be their first AIP championship.
Jesse Sobbing will be the first driver to win an All Iowa Points championship in one division and then move to another and win the following year as he appears set to take the Modified championship in his rookie season. This will actually be four straight championships in a row for the western Iowa driver as he was the Limited Modified champion in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Chris Abelson is still within striking distance, but would need to have Sobbing completely shut down over the following two months to catch him.
With no past champions competing full-time in the division this year a new AIP champion was guaranteed in the Limited Modified class and there are still six drivers in contention heading into the specials season. Doug Smith is the current leader and he would become the fourth different Smith brother to win a title if he is able to close it out. Carter VanDenBerg, Joel Rust, Tony Dunker, Brett Lowry and Nick Roberts are all still within striking distance.
Just like Todd Cooney in the Late Models, Damon Murty has been very close to winning an All Iowa Points championship on several occasions in the Stock Car ranks only to come up just short. And unless John Emerson goes on a winning rampage at every points-paying event he can find over the next two months Murty will not come up short again in 2013.
Two drivers who already have more than one AIP title are slugging it out at the top of the Hobby Stock list as Devin Smith now holds a nine point lead over Shannon Anderson. But you can’t yet count out Chris Luloff who might still be able to make a run if he races and wins often during the Fall.
Merv Chandler is well on his way to his second straight All Iowa Points Four Cylinder championship and that will make four state titles overall for the veteran driver who was also the Modified champ in 1984 and 1985.
This is the first season to crown an All Iowa Points champion in the Mod Lites division and it definitely looks like it will be Josh May, while in the Sprint Car divisions it appears that three drivers will add to their number of All Iowa Points titles. In the 410’s either Mark Dobmeier or Terry McCarl will again end up on top. Clint Garner holds the lead in the 360’s and it would be his second championship after winning in 2002 although both Gregg Bakker, Skylar Prochaska and Russ Hall could still track down Garner if he sits idle the remainder of the season. And in the 305’s it looks as though Mike Boston will score his first championship in this division after previously winning in the 360 ranks.
A complete rundown for each division can be found on the Points tab at www.PositivelyRacing.com.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
IMCA National Points Contenders Converge on Oskaloosa
Drivers battling for IMCA National Championships were on full display at the
Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday night as five of the six
divisions included drivers who are currently ranked in the top seven of the
standings for their respective class. And in the Modifieds the top two ranked
drivers each made long tows to be in competition.
The Sport Compacts were first and Bill Whalen Jr. who is currently ranked second nationally edged out Merv Chandler who is ranked sixth. However, with just three cars in attendance the results probably did not help much.
Twelve cars took the green for the Hobby Stock feature and the front row of Aaron Osweiler and Travis Bunnell did a nice job of holding off the competition early on. First Bill Bonnett and then Mike Hughes shuffled Bunnell back from second to fourth and they then went to work on Osweiler who held his ground for three laps despite the dual challenge. When Bonnett’s bid on the top side was blocked off, Hughes made his move to the inside and went from third to first on the eighth lap. On the following lap Dustin Griffiths went for a spin exiting turn four and in the scramble Bunnell ended up slamming the guardrail hard and nearly getting upside down as his car pinwheeled and spewed fluids all over the track. It was a tough ending for a driver who was having one of the stronger runs that I have seen out of him before. Under the red flag the leader Hughes had to have an oil fire extinguished under his hood and on the restart you could see the smoke trailing from his car as he took the green. Danny Thrasher applied some additional heat for a couple of laps before Hughes pulled away to take the win and once again, in victory lane, the fire extinguishers were needed in the engine compartment of his #11. Thrasher was the runner-up, Bonnett was third, Osweiler was impressive in fourth and Justin Hook took fifth.
Hook had already stuffed a one hundred dollar bill in his driver’s suit as he was the winner of an interesting race that involved the top heat race finishers in all classes but the Sport Compact division. The start was handicapped based upon lap times during the heat race and it was the Hobby Stock driver who prevailed as the two Late Models were closing quick at the checkers.
The Sport Mods were up next with A.J. Johnson racing out to an early advantage in the 16-lap feature event. On lap five the race for third turned ugly when Tony Johnson spun Brett Lowry in turn three and while the yellow waved Lowry stayed in motion, so the caution was attributed to Johnson who was sent to the rear. Carter VanDenBerg who currently ranks seventh in the IMCA National Points Standings used the restart to move into a position to challenge A.J. Johnson and at the mid-race mark VanDenBerg made the pass for the lead. Curtis VanDerWal was chasing VanDenBerg to the front and with four laps to go he made the move on Johnson for second entering turn one. I couldn’t tell if Curtis got a bit sideways first or not, but a bit if contact between the two sent VanDerWal toward the infield and in a classy move he kept the car going to stay green while losing several positions. It was all VanDenBerg from there as he picked up the hometown win ahead of A.J. Johnson, Lowry, Logan Anderson and Eric Flander.
The Stock Cars had given us the “that race was worth the trip” moment earlier in the night during the first heat race that was won by Jason Cook in a thrilling three-wide move around the outside. However, before feature time, Cook would discover engine problems and would just take a lap at the back of the pack before calling it a night. Brad Pinkerton would lead this one from the outside front row building up a solid lead early until Zack Vanderbeek cleared the pack and moved into second. “The Z-Man” would steadily cut into that gap as the laps wound down and as the white flag waved he pulled even with Pinkerton coming down the front chute. Vanderbeek was able to make the move stick on the inside of turns one and two to secure the lead and score the win on the final lap beating Pinkerton by a couple of car lengths. Damon Murty who is currently fourth in National points slowed dramatically coming to the checkers and was at a virtual crawl as he crossed the line with an overheated motor. Murty was scored third ahead of Todd Reitzler and western Iowa visitor Bill Osbahr.
On the way to the track tonight I thought that I might see a showdown between the two drivers atop the Late Model National points standings, but apparently with the two wins that he scored at Dubuque on Sunday night Justin Kay did not need to come to Oskaloosa in order to overtake point leader Todd Cooney. Darrel DeFrance started from the front row and while Cooney made one good run on him following a lap thirteen restart there would be no stopping the veteran from scoring the flag-to-flag win in this twenty-lap feature. Nick Marolf made a late charge that came up about a foot short at the checkers as Cooney finished second while Spencer Diercks and Paul Glendenning both recovered from spins to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
The Modifieds would close out the evening and while Jesse Sobbing is no stranger to the nearly four hour tow to Osky from his Glenwood, Iowa, home you have to appreciate the commitment from current National points leader William Gould who lives just seven miles north of the Texas border in Calera, Oklahoma. Gould wanted to see how he would match up against the driver who is chasing him in the standings, Sobbing, and Wednesday’s show was that first opportunity of the week. On the opening lap of this 20-lap finale some contact in turn three left Sobbing with a flat tire that he changed after causing the caution in turn one. On the restart Andrew Schroeder would lead for another lap before yielding to Tyler Groenendyk, but there would be no stopping Colt Mather who had his Skyrocket hooked up and hauling tonight taking over the lead on lap four and then dominating the remainder of the race for the win. Gould got a quick look at Sobbing as he flew past him early and Sobbing was putting the pressure on Groenendyk for second at the checkers. Cayden Carter would finish in the fourth spot and another western Iowa visitor Nick Deal would take fifth. Gould was steady on his first race on a half-mile in some time as he finished in eight after starting twelfth. In victory lane Mather was asked how he liked running the crate motor and he quickly responded “I hate it.”
The track will take the next couple of weeks off before returning with two more weeks of weekly Wednesday night points racing on September 11th and 18th. After that the season will come to a close in fine fashion with the annual running of the Musco Fall Challenge on Friday and Saturday October 4th and 5th.
No racing for me this weekend as my wife takes priority after twelve race nights in the first twenty-one days of August. Next week I look forward to catching up with Todd Staley and the USMTS crew as they pull into Tipton on Thursday night August 29th, then on Friday it will be back down to 34 Raceway near Burlington for the USAC Sprint Cars. See you on the Back Stretch!
The Sport Compacts were first and Bill Whalen Jr. who is currently ranked second nationally edged out Merv Chandler who is ranked sixth. However, with just three cars in attendance the results probably did not help much.
Twelve cars took the green for the Hobby Stock feature and the front row of Aaron Osweiler and Travis Bunnell did a nice job of holding off the competition early on. First Bill Bonnett and then Mike Hughes shuffled Bunnell back from second to fourth and they then went to work on Osweiler who held his ground for three laps despite the dual challenge. When Bonnett’s bid on the top side was blocked off, Hughes made his move to the inside and went from third to first on the eighth lap. On the following lap Dustin Griffiths went for a spin exiting turn four and in the scramble Bunnell ended up slamming the guardrail hard and nearly getting upside down as his car pinwheeled and spewed fluids all over the track. It was a tough ending for a driver who was having one of the stronger runs that I have seen out of him before. Under the red flag the leader Hughes had to have an oil fire extinguished under his hood and on the restart you could see the smoke trailing from his car as he took the green. Danny Thrasher applied some additional heat for a couple of laps before Hughes pulled away to take the win and once again, in victory lane, the fire extinguishers were needed in the engine compartment of his #11. Thrasher was the runner-up, Bonnett was third, Osweiler was impressive in fourth and Justin Hook took fifth.
Hook had already stuffed a one hundred dollar bill in his driver’s suit as he was the winner of an interesting race that involved the top heat race finishers in all classes but the Sport Compact division. The start was handicapped based upon lap times during the heat race and it was the Hobby Stock driver who prevailed as the two Late Models were closing quick at the checkers.
The Sport Mods were up next with A.J. Johnson racing out to an early advantage in the 16-lap feature event. On lap five the race for third turned ugly when Tony Johnson spun Brett Lowry in turn three and while the yellow waved Lowry stayed in motion, so the caution was attributed to Johnson who was sent to the rear. Carter VanDenBerg who currently ranks seventh in the IMCA National Points Standings used the restart to move into a position to challenge A.J. Johnson and at the mid-race mark VanDenBerg made the pass for the lead. Curtis VanDerWal was chasing VanDenBerg to the front and with four laps to go he made the move on Johnson for second entering turn one. I couldn’t tell if Curtis got a bit sideways first or not, but a bit if contact between the two sent VanDerWal toward the infield and in a classy move he kept the car going to stay green while losing several positions. It was all VanDenBerg from there as he picked up the hometown win ahead of A.J. Johnson, Lowry, Logan Anderson and Eric Flander.
The Stock Cars had given us the “that race was worth the trip” moment earlier in the night during the first heat race that was won by Jason Cook in a thrilling three-wide move around the outside. However, before feature time, Cook would discover engine problems and would just take a lap at the back of the pack before calling it a night. Brad Pinkerton would lead this one from the outside front row building up a solid lead early until Zack Vanderbeek cleared the pack and moved into second. “The Z-Man” would steadily cut into that gap as the laps wound down and as the white flag waved he pulled even with Pinkerton coming down the front chute. Vanderbeek was able to make the move stick on the inside of turns one and two to secure the lead and score the win on the final lap beating Pinkerton by a couple of car lengths. Damon Murty who is currently fourth in National points slowed dramatically coming to the checkers and was at a virtual crawl as he crossed the line with an overheated motor. Murty was scored third ahead of Todd Reitzler and western Iowa visitor Bill Osbahr.
On the way to the track tonight I thought that I might see a showdown between the two drivers atop the Late Model National points standings, but apparently with the two wins that he scored at Dubuque on Sunday night Justin Kay did not need to come to Oskaloosa in order to overtake point leader Todd Cooney. Darrel DeFrance started from the front row and while Cooney made one good run on him following a lap thirteen restart there would be no stopping the veteran from scoring the flag-to-flag win in this twenty-lap feature. Nick Marolf made a late charge that came up about a foot short at the checkers as Cooney finished second while Spencer Diercks and Paul Glendenning both recovered from spins to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
The Modifieds would close out the evening and while Jesse Sobbing is no stranger to the nearly four hour tow to Osky from his Glenwood, Iowa, home you have to appreciate the commitment from current National points leader William Gould who lives just seven miles north of the Texas border in Calera, Oklahoma. Gould wanted to see how he would match up against the driver who is chasing him in the standings, Sobbing, and Wednesday’s show was that first opportunity of the week. On the opening lap of this 20-lap finale some contact in turn three left Sobbing with a flat tire that he changed after causing the caution in turn one. On the restart Andrew Schroeder would lead for another lap before yielding to Tyler Groenendyk, but there would be no stopping Colt Mather who had his Skyrocket hooked up and hauling tonight taking over the lead on lap four and then dominating the remainder of the race for the win. Gould got a quick look at Sobbing as he flew past him early and Sobbing was putting the pressure on Groenendyk for second at the checkers. Cayden Carter would finish in the fourth spot and another western Iowa visitor Nick Deal would take fifth. Gould was steady on his first race on a half-mile in some time as he finished in eight after starting twelfth. In victory lane Mather was asked how he liked running the crate motor and he quickly responded “I hate it.”
The track will take the next couple of weeks off before returning with two more weeks of weekly Wednesday night points racing on September 11th and 18th. After that the season will come to a close in fine fashion with the annual running of the Musco Fall Challenge on Friday and Saturday October 4th and 5th.
No racing for me this weekend as my wife takes priority after twelve race nights in the first twenty-one days of August. Next week I look forward to catching up with Todd Staley and the USMTS crew as they pull into Tipton on Thursday night August 29th, then on Friday it will be back down to 34 Raceway near Burlington for the USAC Sprint Cars. See you on the Back Stretch!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Moughan Cruises, Hall Works For Sprint Invader Wins at 34
The Night of the Twins for the Brockway Mechanical and Roofing Sprint Invaders is becoming a traditional way for Sprint Car fans to get their fix after the Knoxville Nationals and with twenty-eight winged sprints in the pits at 34 Raceway Saturday night the stage was set for not one, but two great feature races.
In the first 20-lap event Miranda Arnold and Joey Moughan lined up side-by-side on the front row with Moughan putting the Wilson Brothers Racing #15 to the point at the drop of the green. The car was formerly driven by Donny Schatz and still carries the Armor All #15 paint job and Moughan's domination was reminiscent of the seven-time Nationals champion as he drove away from the field. The race to watch was now for second where Arnold, making her first ever appearance at 34 Raceway, was trying to hold off current Invaders point leader Russ Hall. With just a handful of laps remaining Arnold tried the low line while working traffic, and that allowed Hall to skip around her on the outside to pick up the position that he would then hold to the finish. Paul Nienheiser and Josh Schneiderman would round out the top five.
For Moughan this made for an interesting streak in his last three appearances here at 34 Raceway. Last September he was called upon on race day to drive the car of Mike Hess in the Sprint Invaders season championship, a race that he would go on to win to wrap up the 2012 season. Then on March 30th of this year, Moughan served as the crew chief for 16-year-old Paul Nienheiser who was running his first ever 360 Sprint race and the combination delivered a victory in 2013 opener for the Sprint Invaders. So with the win in tonight's opener Moughan had been involved in three straight victories here at 34 Raceway, a track that he spoke very highly of. "This is such a nice facility, I love this place. I wish that I could run here thirty nights a year," said Moughan. "Jeff and Amy (Laue) do a spectacular job here."
All cars that were on the lead lap at the conclusion of the first feature were inverted for the second twenty-lapper and despite Moughan's dominance, the parity of the field showed as eighteen cars were inverted. Ryan Jamison would race out to a big early lead in this one as drivers who finished near the top of the first main event, for the most part, struggled to make much progress. That is except for Russ Hall who had moved from 17th to seventh when the caution waved on lap eleven for a flat tire on Matt Krieger's car. On the restart the first six cars all went to the bottom in turns one and two allowing Hall to zip around the topside to get all the way up to third as he raced down the back stretch, but with Miranda Arnold failing to come up to speed the caution waved again to wipe out that effort.
After seeing Hall blow by them I would have figured that at least one of those four cars would have went to the cushion on the ensuing restart, but again they all went to the bottom and Hall flew past again to get into the top three. The next lap Hall was in second and on lap fifteen he blew past Jamison for the lead. It was then heartbreak for Jamison a lap later when it appeared that his motor let go and he drove the car to the pit area as the race stayed green. There was no catching Hall as he cruised on to an impressive victory and with Jamison's bad luck it would appear that Hall has the series title all but locked up with one event remaining. That will be the Season Championship for the Sprint Invaders here at 34 Raceway on Saturday, September 21st. Jimmy Davies driving a car borrowed from the Deuce Motorsports Team after damaging his car the night before in Bloomfield drove a solid race to finish in second, Jarrod Schneiderman was third, Justin Newberry posted a strong fourth place run while Dustin Selvage came from the seventh row to take fifth.
The UMP Late Models were also on the card tonight and while the count was light the quality was definitely there as all seven drivers were capable of winning the main event. Mark Burgtorf raced out to a big early lead and usually that would mean the race was over here, but Chris Simpson had other plans as he reeled in the leader and then executed the perfect slide job in turns three and four with just a few laps to go to make the pass for the win. Burgtorf would have to be content with second tonight, Dustin Griffin would take third ahead of Denny Woodworth, Ray Guss Jr., Jason Perry and Ron Elbe.
Shon Sanders started on the pole and walked away for the win in the Mod Lites. There was a great battle for second that saw Daniel Keltner make a nifty move late to slip by Evan Epperson and as the two took the checkers Keltner slowed immediately and Epperson had to take evasive action to keep from plowing into the back of Keltner's ride. Not sure if there was contact or not, but Keltner then caught up with Epperson and drilled him in the back bumper as the cars were headed for tech a move that resulted in a disqualification for the night. That moved Epperson to second at the pay window, Justin Bucholz to third, fourth went to Devon Rouse and Gary Snyder was credited with fifth.
As usual there was a nice field of Four Cylinders at 34 Raceway with nineteen cars checking in for the night and it looked as though Rachel Reger was headed to her first ever feature win. Ron Kibbe was challenging and Kimberly Abbott was close behind in third as the white flag waved and when Reger bobbled just a bit in turn two on the final lap that was all that Kibee needed to make the pass and take the win. The cagey veteran Wayne Noble gained two spots on that final lap to finish in second, Reger slipped to third just ahead of Abbott while Austen Becerra completed the top five.
It was an absolutely spectacular night for racing weather-wise and the full program was completed just a few minutes before ten o'clock. Next Saturday will be Season Championship night at 34 Raceway then on Friday night August 30th the USAC Sprint Cars come to town.
Next up for us will be the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa this Wednesday night, August 21st, as the IMCA Late Models will join the weekly program for the evening. Hope to see you there!
In the first 20-lap event Miranda Arnold and Joey Moughan lined up side-by-side on the front row with Moughan putting the Wilson Brothers Racing #15 to the point at the drop of the green. The car was formerly driven by Donny Schatz and still carries the Armor All #15 paint job and Moughan's domination was reminiscent of the seven-time Nationals champion as he drove away from the field. The race to watch was now for second where Arnold, making her first ever appearance at 34 Raceway, was trying to hold off current Invaders point leader Russ Hall. With just a handful of laps remaining Arnold tried the low line while working traffic, and that allowed Hall to skip around her on the outside to pick up the position that he would then hold to the finish. Paul Nienheiser and Josh Schneiderman would round out the top five.
For Moughan this made for an interesting streak in his last three appearances here at 34 Raceway. Last September he was called upon on race day to drive the car of Mike Hess in the Sprint Invaders season championship, a race that he would go on to win to wrap up the 2012 season. Then on March 30th of this year, Moughan served as the crew chief for 16-year-old Paul Nienheiser who was running his first ever 360 Sprint race and the combination delivered a victory in 2013 opener for the Sprint Invaders. So with the win in tonight's opener Moughan had been involved in three straight victories here at 34 Raceway, a track that he spoke very highly of. "This is such a nice facility, I love this place. I wish that I could run here thirty nights a year," said Moughan. "Jeff and Amy (Laue) do a spectacular job here."
All cars that were on the lead lap at the conclusion of the first feature were inverted for the second twenty-lapper and despite Moughan's dominance, the parity of the field showed as eighteen cars were inverted. Ryan Jamison would race out to a big early lead in this one as drivers who finished near the top of the first main event, for the most part, struggled to make much progress. That is except for Russ Hall who had moved from 17th to seventh when the caution waved on lap eleven for a flat tire on Matt Krieger's car. On the restart the first six cars all went to the bottom in turns one and two allowing Hall to zip around the topside to get all the way up to third as he raced down the back stretch, but with Miranda Arnold failing to come up to speed the caution waved again to wipe out that effort.
After seeing Hall blow by them I would have figured that at least one of those four cars would have went to the cushion on the ensuing restart, but again they all went to the bottom and Hall flew past again to get into the top three. The next lap Hall was in second and on lap fifteen he blew past Jamison for the lead. It was then heartbreak for Jamison a lap later when it appeared that his motor let go and he drove the car to the pit area as the race stayed green. There was no catching Hall as he cruised on to an impressive victory and with Jamison's bad luck it would appear that Hall has the series title all but locked up with one event remaining. That will be the Season Championship for the Sprint Invaders here at 34 Raceway on Saturday, September 21st. Jimmy Davies driving a car borrowed from the Deuce Motorsports Team after damaging his car the night before in Bloomfield drove a solid race to finish in second, Jarrod Schneiderman was third, Justin Newberry posted a strong fourth place run while Dustin Selvage came from the seventh row to take fifth.
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The UMP Late Models were also on the card tonight and while the count was light the quality was definitely there as all seven drivers were capable of winning the main event. Mark Burgtorf raced out to a big early lead and usually that would mean the race was over here, but Chris Simpson had other plans as he reeled in the leader and then executed the perfect slide job in turns three and four with just a few laps to go to make the pass for the win. Burgtorf would have to be content with second tonight, Dustin Griffin would take third ahead of Denny Woodworth, Ray Guss Jr., Jason Perry and Ron Elbe.
Shon Sanders started on the pole and walked away for the win in the Mod Lites. There was a great battle for second that saw Daniel Keltner make a nifty move late to slip by Evan Epperson and as the two took the checkers Keltner slowed immediately and Epperson had to take evasive action to keep from plowing into the back of Keltner's ride. Not sure if there was contact or not, but Keltner then caught up with Epperson and drilled him in the back bumper as the cars were headed for tech a move that resulted in a disqualification for the night. That moved Epperson to second at the pay window, Justin Bucholz to third, fourth went to Devon Rouse and Gary Snyder was credited with fifth.
As usual there was a nice field of Four Cylinders at 34 Raceway with nineteen cars checking in for the night and it looked as though Rachel Reger was headed to her first ever feature win. Ron Kibbe was challenging and Kimberly Abbott was close behind in third as the white flag waved and when Reger bobbled just a bit in turn two on the final lap that was all that Kibee needed to make the pass and take the win. The cagey veteran Wayne Noble gained two spots on that final lap to finish in second, Reger slipped to third just ahead of Abbott while Austen Becerra completed the top five.
It was an absolutely spectacular night for racing weather-wise and the full program was completed just a few minutes before ten o'clock. Next Saturday will be Season Championship night at 34 Raceway then on Friday night August 30th the USAC Sprint Cars come to town.
Next up for us will be the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa this Wednesday night, August 21st, as the IMCA Late Models will join the weekly program for the evening. Hope to see you there!
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