Donnellson, IA (June 12, 2009) - The Lee County Speedway was able to avoid mother nature, which looked threating all night long, to get in there weekly Friday night of racing. Jeff Aikey (IMCA Late Models), Wyatt Lantz (IMCA Modifieds), Jeff Mueller (IMCA Stock Cars), Rod Staats (IMCA Sport Mods), Dan Wenig (Hobby Stocks), and Chris Loring Jr. (Wild Things) all took home feature wins on Denny Woodworth Attorney at Law / Backslash Technologies Night at the speedway.
The first feature of the night was the 23 car 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Thad Trump and Jay Chenoweth leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Trump would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1. The one and only caution of the event came out on lap 5, when Jason Frankel, Gary Russell, Matt Strassheim and Tony Fraise tangled on the backstretch. All cars, except Strassheim, would be able to rejoin the back of the field. On the restart Trump once again jumped out into the lead, with Jay Chenoweth and Jeff Aikey battling for the second spot. Trump would hold the top spot until lap 7, when Aikey slipped by for the lead. Aikey then led the final 13 laps to pick up his first win of 2009 at Lee County and the $1,000 top prize. Boone McLaughlin came from 8th to finish in second, Denny Woodworth started 10th and came home third, Mark Burgtorf came from 11th to finish in fourth, with Justin Reed rounding out the top five.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Corey Strothman and Rick Hutcherson on the front row. A nine car pile up in turn one, amazingly enough all cars would be able to continue, on the start would make for an original restart. Strothman would jumped out into the lead on the restart and then held it until lap 3, when Abe Huls got by for the top spot. Abe's lead only last for one lap as Chris Wibbell jumped to his outside on lap 4 to take over the top spot. A spin by Strothman and John Oliver Jr. would slow the feature down on lap 5. On the restart Wibbell again grabbed the early lead, with Jeff Mueller and Huls battling for second.. Wibbell would hold the top spot until lap 8, when Mueller slipped under him to take over the lead. The final caution of the event came out on lap 9, when Nick Fenton slowed with a right front flat tire. Mueller would move out front on the restart and then held on to claim his second win of 2009 at the speedway. Huls would finish in second, Jason Cook came from 9th to finish in third, Wibbell held on to fourth, with Doug Huls coming home in fifth.
Lonnie Heap and Mike Weikert Jr. would lead the field to the drop of the green flag in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Heap grabbing the lead on lap 1. Heap would only hold the lead for one lap, as Rob Kirchner slipped by to grab the top spot. But Heap would come back on the next lap to take the lead back from Kirchner. A caution on lap 7 for the stalled car of Jeff Gerhardt, would bring the field back to Heap's bumper. Heap would hold off all challenges on the restart until another caution came out on lap 11 for Kirchner, who had a flat tire and ended his good run at the front. On the restart Wyatt Lantz would jump to the outside of Heap down the backstretch to take over the top spot on lap 12. The final two cautions of the event came out on lap 13 when Weikert Jr. and Bill Roberts got together coming out of turn four. On the restart Dean McGee was turned and backed his car hard into the turn four wall, heavy damage on the back of the car would end is night. At the same time Michael Long, who was running fourth pulled into the pits with mechanical troubles. Lantz would jump back out into the lead on the restart and then lead the final 7 laps to pick up his second consecutive win at the Lee County Speedway. Tyler Cale came from 16th to edge out Josh Foster, who started 10th, for the battle for second, Heap held on to finish in fourth, with Adam Birck having a great run to finish in fifth.
The 15 lap Hobby Stock feature had troubles getting there feature event started, but once it got going the finish was worth the wait. After three attempts at a start the field was put into single file formation, with Jon Rooney leading the field to the green. But it was Jeremy Pundt who would take the lead on lap 1, with Tim Tucker slipping by him to grab the top spot on lap 2. The final yellow of the event came out on lap 8, when Dane Fenton spun in turn two. On the restart Tucker now had to work to hold back Dan Wenig, who started 8th, and Derek St. Clair, who came from 12th. Tucker would come off turn four on lap 10 and got sideways allowing Wenig to get by for the lead. Wenig and St. Clair would take the white flag side-by-side, with Wenig grabbing the advantage going into turn three. Wenig would come out of four with the lead, which he held on for his second win of 2009 at the speedway. St. Clair would settle for second, Jim Lynch came from 10th to finish in third, Pundt held on for fourth, with Jim Oliver Jr. have a great run to fifth, after starting 17th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Mod feature, with Paul Lawson, back behind the wheel of Derek Higdon's number 45, and Jim Kuhlmeier leading the field to green. Rod Staats came from his third row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1, with the first and only caution of the event coming out on lap 2 for a spin by Thad Gaylord. On the restart Staats once again jumped out into the lead, with Lawson challenging him for the top spot. Lawson would make a last lap attempt to get by Staats, but Staats would hold him off at the line to claim his first career Sport Mod feature. Rodger Dresden would come home in third, Jason Cook came from 9th to finish in fourth, with Phillip Cossel rounding out the top five, after starting 10th.
The final feature of the night was the 12 lap Wild Things, with Jerry Ostby and Gabe Harrison making up the front row. Ostby would take advantage of his front row starting spot to jump into the lead on lap 1. The first of two cautions came out on lap 2 for a spin by Andrew Davis in turn two. On the restart Chris Loring Jr. would slip by Ostby to take over the top spot. The final caution of the event came out on lap 7 for the stalled car of Nick Wilkerson in turn four. Loring Jr. would again grab the top spot on the restart, but now had Dakota Fenton and James Oliver III, who started 8th, challenging him for the lead. Loring Jr. would hold off all there challenges over the final 5 laps to pick up his second consecutive win at the speedway. Oliver III would edge out Fenton at the line for the battle for second. Ostby held on for fourth, with Chuck Fullenkamp rounding out the top five.
Next Friday night at the Lee County Speedway will be Family Motors Night, with a car to be given away on the night donated by Family Motors. It will also be the Doug Townsend Memorial Race, with the IMCA Modifieds going for a $1,000 top prize. Also in action will be the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks and Wild Things.
Notes from LCS: 120 cars sign into the night to do battle, with 23 Late Models, 26 Modfieds, 19 Stock Cars, 14 Sport Mods, 19 Hobby Stocks and 19 Wild things......Jason Frankel who was invloved in a lap 5 caution and had to go to the tail, worked his way back up to finish 10th in the Late Model feature. The run by Frankel was done with no cautions in the final 20 laps of the event..Charlie McKenna made the long pull down from Clear Lake, IA, but had troubles in his heat to put him shot gun on the field for the feature. McKenna would pass 11 cars to finish 12th in the feature. But McKenna would pick up the Automotive Engine & Machine (AEM) hard charger award. A $100 product certificate presented to the driver who passing the most cars in all the Late Model feature events......19 Stock Cars signed into the night, thanks to two late arrivals from Columbus Junction, which helped them all earn $25 extra thanks to Budweiser and Lawson Racing Engines.. Phillip Beard, one of the late arrivals, came from 18th on the starting grid to finish in sixth......Rich Smith, who started 9th, had worked his way into third by lap 17 in the Modified feature. But he pulled into the infield on lap 18 with mechanical troubles to end his run to the front......Rod Staats' win in the Sport Mod feature made him the fifth different winner in six nights of racing in the division......Danny Riekena made the long pull from Mapleton, IL to compete in the Wild Things feature. He would start the feature in the 10th spot and was edged out at the line by Chuck Fullenkamp to finish in sixth.
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