Russell, Roberts and Kinsley Get First Wins of 2009 at 34 Raceway

Burlington, IA (July 25, 2009) - It was a beautiful night for racing on Christmas in July at 34 Raceway, with five classes racing for feature wins and points. Taking home trophies on the night were Gary Russell (IMCA Late Models), Bobby Mincer (305 Sprints), Bill Roberts (IMCA Modifieds), Kirk Kinsley (IMCA Stock Cars) and Derek St. Clair (Hobby Stocks).

The first feature on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Levi Smith and Dustin Crear on the front row. Smith would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, with Crear close behind in second. Crear's run would end on lap 3, when he slowed to a stop on the front stretch. On the restart Smith had to work to hold off Jeremy Harris, before another caution came out on lap 4 for a spin in four by Adam Swanson. The restart brought out another caution, when Andy Krieger spun in turn three and collected Scott Hogan, Dusty Kraklio, Kevin Goben, Allen Johnston and Swanson. All drivers were able to continue, except for Swanson as he had damaged to the front end of his car. On the restart, Josh Foster who started12th, jumped to the outside of the track and went from fourth to the lead. But Foster made a rare mistake on the next lap, as he drove of turn two and fell back to sixth. Bill Roberts would inherit the lead from Foster's mistake. Foster would work his way back to second by lap 15 and was going for the lead on lap 16, when Roberts made contact with Foster's left rear. Roberts would get the lead back, with Foster slowing for a flat tire. Roberts would go on to hold off a charging Hogan to claim his first win of 2009. Harris was would hold on for third, Krieger was fourth, with Lonnie Heap coming home in fifth.

Bill Roberts of Burlington, IA won his first IMCA Modified feature of 2009 at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Photo by Dana Royer.

Up next was the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Destini Clark and Tim Rose leading the field to the drop of the green. Clark would hold off Jayson Dittsworth, who started 10th, at the line to lead lap 1. Ditsworth would jump to the outside of Clark on the next lap to grab the top spot and looked to be pulling away when the caution came out on lap 7. On the restart, Ditsworth moved back out front but now had Bobby Mincer and Kevin Hetrick, who started 9th, battling him for the lead. Mincer would work under Ditsworth on lap 14 to take over the lead, with the caution coming out on the completion of the lap to set up a great finish. Mincer jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Ditsworth close behind. Mincer then held off Ditsworth over the final 6 laps to claim another win. Hetrick was third, Matt Krieger was fourth, with John Draper rounding out the top five.

The 305 Sprint feature at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA on Saturday, July 25, 2009 went to Bobby Mincer of Burlington, IA. Photo by Dana Royer.

John Brockway and Brett Timmerman were on the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, but it was fourth place starter Kirk Kinsley grabbing the lead on lap 1. The first of three yellows came out on lap 4, when Brian Holmes slowed to a stop on the front stretch. On the restart Kinsley moved out front, with Corey Strothman and Cale Samberg, who started 7th, close behind. Another yellow would wave over the track on lap 6, as Nick Fenton spun in turn two and was hit head on by Travis Finke. Fenton was able to continue, but Finke had heavy damage on the front of his car ending his night. Kinsley once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Strothman and Abe Huls, who started 10th, following. The final caution of the event came out on lap 12, when Timmerman spun in turn one. Kinsley now had to work to hold off Huls on the restart. Huls would try several times to get by Kinlsey, but Kinsley would hold on to claim his first win of 2009 at 34 Raceway. Samberg was third, Strothman fourth, with Chris Webb coming home in fifth.

Kirk Kinsley of Wapello, IA won his first IMCA Stock Car feature of 2009 at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Photo by Dan Royer.

Up next was the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Jay Chenoweth and Gary Russell leading the field to the green. Russell would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1. Russell would work the first half of the feature to hold off Sam Halstead. But Keith Pratt would get by Halstead on lap 17 and then worked his way up to challenge Russell for the lead. But Russell would hold of Pratt on the final lap to pick up his first win of 2009, in a caution free race. Halstead held on for third, Tom Darbyshire was fourth, with Matt Strassheim coming home in fifth.

The IMCA Late Model feature on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA was won by Biggsville, Illinos' Gary Russell. It was Russell's first win of 2009. Photo by Dana Royer.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Roger Krieger, who was suppose to start on the pole electing to go to the tail, putting Jake Wenig and Chad Krogmeier on the front row. Wenig would grab the lead on the drop of the green, with a caution coming out on the completion of the lap for a spin by Dane Fenton. Also involved was the cars of Johnnie Smith and Heather Wilsey, with Smith's the only car unable to continue. Four more caution would come out before lap 2 could be completed, the first was by a spin in turn two for Dugan Thye, with the second coming out for Thye again in turn two ending his night with two solo spins. Krogmeier would bring out the third caution as he slowed to a stop on the front stretch, with the fourth and final caution coming out when a right rear tire came off of Kent Rhum's car. On the restart Wenig once again jumped out front, with Derek St. Clair, who started 11th, charging to the front. St. Clair would slip under Wenig on lap 9 and then pulled away over the final 6 laps to claim his 5th win of 2009 at Burlington. Wenig came home second, Victor Hastings was third, Lane Kauffman was fourth, with Jason Gerdes rounding out the top five.

Derek St. Clair of Donnellson, IA won his fifth Hobby Stock feature of 2009 at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Photo by Dana Royer.

Notes from 34: Hogan recovered from a flat tire on lap 4 of the Modified feature to charge back up to a close second place finish....Krieger came from the rear after a spin on lap 4 to come home in fourth....Foster limped his car around the track on a flat left rear tire over the final three laps to take home a 10th place finish, after challenging for the lead......Jeff Mueller had troubles in his heat and started the Stock Car feature in 17th. He had worked his way up to fifth by lap 15, when he pulled off the track with troubles once again......Fenton who spun on lap 1 of the Hobby Stock and went to the rear, charged back up to take home a 7th place finish.

Lee County Speedway Beats Mother Nature, With Fraise Claiming His First Career Late Model Win

Donnellson, IA (July 24, 2009) - What started out as a beautiful night for racing turned into a race to beat mother nature, on Friday Night at the Lee County Speedway. But all six features were put into the books before the rains started to fall, with Tony Fraise (IMCA Late Models), Rich Smith (IMCA Modifieds), Jeff Mueller (IMCA Stock Cras), Jacob Smith (IMCA Sport Mods), Derek St. Clair (Hobby Stocks) and Gabe Harrison (Wild Things) taking home victories.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Mods, with Derrick Higdon and Jim Kuhlmeier leading the field to the drop of the green. But it was third place starter Jacob Smith grabbing the lead on lap 1, with Thad Gaylord close behind. While Smith worked to hold off Gaylord, Rodger Dresden who started 9th was working his way to the front. Dresden would move in on Smith on lap 15 to set up a great battle to the checkered. Smith, who was running the bottom of the speedway, and Dresden, who was in the middle, raced the to last two laps side-by-side. Coming off of turn four for the checkered the two drivers would cross the finish line almost in a dead heat, but Smith was ahead by inches to pick up the win in a caution free race. Gaylord would finish third, Rod Staats was fourth, with Rick Barlow Jr. coming home in fifth.

Up next was the 30 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Sam Halstead and Jay Chenoweth on the front row. Halstead would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, with Tony Fraise close behind in second. Halstead only held the lead for one lap, as Fraise would slip by on lap 2 to take over the top spot. The first and only caution of the event would come out on lap 3, when a tire was clipped and moved out into the racing groove. Fraise would move out front on the restart and pulled away over the final 22 laps to claim his first career Late Model feature win. Tom Goble came from sixth to finish in second, Mark Burgtorf started ninth and finished third, Halstead held on for fourth, with Jeff Aikey rounding out the top five.

Brad Ford and Jeff Gerhardt led the field to the green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, but a yellow on the start for a spin on the backstretch would bunch the field back up. On the restart, Ford would grab the lead on lap 1, with Rob Kirchner close behind in second. Kirchner would slip under Ford on lap 3 to grab the top spot and then held it until lap 7, when Josh Foster who started 12th jumped to his outside to grab the lead. A caution on lap 12 would bring the field back to Foster's back bumber. On the restart, Foster now had to work to hold off Rich Smith, who started 10th. Smith, who was working the bottom, slipped under Foster, who was up top, on lap 16 to take over the top spot. A caution on the completion of the lap set up a green-white-checkered finish, as the time limit was up. Smith would hold off all challenges by Foster to pick up his first win of 2009 at Lee County. Kirchner held on for third, Ford was fourth, with Andy Krieger coming home fifth.

The 15 lap Hobby Stock feature was next, with Chuck Fullenkamp and Brandon Symmonds on the front row. Symmonds would grab the lead on lap 1, with a yellow coming out on the completion of the lap for a spin by Dan Wenig in turn two. On the restart, Symmonds would jump back into the lead and now had to work to hold off Jake Wenig and Dean Kratzer, who started 8th. But the man on the move, was 16 year old Derek St. Clair, as he started 12th. On lap 7 St. Clair would work under Symmonds for the lead and then pulled away over the final 8 laps to pick up another win. Jake Wenig was second, Dan Wenig recovered from an early spin to finish in third, Kratzer was fourth, with Brent Hartley rounding out the top five.

Corey Strothman and Dennis Harwood made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Strothman grabbing the lead on the drop of the green flag. While Strothman was out front, Jeff Mueller who started 1oth was working his way to the front. Mueller would work the bottom of the speedway to grab the lead away from Strothman on lap 9 and then pulled away over the final 6 laps to claim the win. Strothman held on for second, Aaron Brocksick was third, Jason Cook came from 9th to finish in fourth, with Paul Lawson coming home fifth.

The final feature of the night was the 12 lap Wild Things, with Andrew Davis and Seith Woodruff leading the field to the green. But a yellow on the start for a spin by Derek Randall, Chuck Fullenkamp and Andrew Davis, would put Nick Wilkerson and Woodruff on the front row. Woodruff would take advantage of his start to grab the lead on lap 1, with the yellow coming out at the completion of the lap for a spin by Chantel Bergheger in turn four. Woodruff jumped out front on the restart and then held the lead until lap 4, when Gabe Harrison slipped by. Harrison looked to be pulling away, when a late caution on lap 9 for a second solo spin by Bergheger would bring the field back to his bumper. Harrison now had to work to hold off Kimberly Abbott, who started 17th, and Dakota Fenton, who started 20th. Harrison would hold them off over the final 3 laps to claim his first win of 2009 at the speedway. Abbott was second, Fenton third, Jacob Darbyshire was fourth after starting 11th, with Chris Loring Jr. rounding out the top five.

LCS Notes: Boone McLaughlin would take home the hard charger award in the Late Model feature, as he started 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th......Wyatt Lantz, who was running sixth after lap 1 of the Modified feature, pitted for a flat tire and came back out in 19th. Lantz then moved up nicely thru the field to take home a 8th place finish....Bill Roberts started 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Michael Browning started 19th and passed 9 cars to take home a 10th place finish....Hunter Marriott of Brookfiled, MO made the pull to Lee County Speedway and started the Modified feature in last, 23rd. He would then pass 12 cars on his way to a 11th place finish......Dane Fenton started the Hobby Stock feature in 20th and passed 13 cars to take home a 7th place finish......Kimberly Abbott was leading her heat race, with Dakota Fenton close behind her in second. Coming off of four for the checkered the two made contact and Abbott would spin. Both drivers were credited for last place finishes, putting both in the back of the feature. But both did a nice job of recovering from that to take home nice finishes in the feature. Abbott would come on strong to finish a close second, with Fenton close behind her in third.

2nd Annual Liberty Cup Wins Go To Long, Mueller and Cook

Donnellson, IA (July 2, 2009) - A another beautiful night for racing at the Lee County Speedway on Thursday Night, as it was the 2nd Annual Liberty Cup presented by Pepsi. Forty-four IMCA Modifieds, 34 IMCA Stock Cars and 10 IMCA Sport Mods showed up in hopes of taking home the big prize in all three divisions. The big winners of the night were Michael Long (IMCA Modifieds), Jeff Mueller (IMCA Stock Cars) and Jason Cook (IMCA Sport Mods).

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Mods, with Jacob Smith and Rodger Dresden drawing the front row for the event. The one and only caution of the night would come out on the start, as Patrick Profeta and Jim Kuhlmeier would spin in turn two. On the restart Smith would jump out into the lead, as Dresden and Jason Cook battled for second. Cook would make his move into the lead on lap 5, as he passed Smith on the bottom of the speedway to grab the advantage. Cook would lead the final 10 laps to pick up his first career Sport Mod feature and the $500 top prize to go with it. Smith held on for second, Dresden was third, Paul Underwood was fourth, with Phillip Cossel driving Lonnie McCarty's machine to a fifth place finish.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Rick Girard and Cole Simmons taking the field to the drop of the green flag. Girard would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, followed closely by Aaron Brocksick. Brocksick would slip by Girard on lap 3 to take over the top spot, with Jeff Mueller who started 8th following him into second. Brocksick would work the bottom of the speedway and tried to hold back Mueller, but Mueller would find an opening on lap 6 to take over the lead. The first of three yellows would come out on lap 10, when Matt Krieger spun in turn two. Mueller would jump out into the lead on the restart and was pulling away, when a late caution came out on lap 17 for a slowed Girard, who had a tire go down. On the restart, Kirk Kinsley would spin in turn four to bring the caution back out for the final time. Mueller once again grabbed the lead on the restart and pulled away over the final 3 laps to claim his third win in a row and fourth in the last five races at Lee County. The win was also worth $1,000 for Mueller. Mike Van Genderen would slip past Brocksick to finish in second, Abe Huls charged from 17th to finish in fourth, with Darin Thye rounding out the top five.

Shawn Fisher and Jeff Waterman drew the front row for the 25 lap IMCA Modified feature, but it was sixth place starter Wyatt Lantz edging into the lead on lap 1. Lantz would only hold the lead for one lap, as Troy Cordes slipped by for the top spot. A yellow as the lap was complete would come out for a spin by Brandon Savage in turn three. Cordes would jump into the lead on the restart, but another caution would come out on lap 4 when Tyler Cale spun Lantz in turn four. Lantz would retire to the pits, with Cale being sent to the rear. On the restart, Michael Long moved to the top of the speedway to take the lead from Cordes and then pulled away over the final 20 laps to claim his second win in a row and fourth overall at the track. Long's win was worth $1,500. Josh Foster charged from 17th to second, Dusty Kraklio came from 12th to finish in third, Cordes held on for third, with 16 year old Nate Caruth rounding out the top five.

The Lee County Speedway returns to action tonight (Friday, July 3) with the Pilot Grove Savings Bank / Ideal Ready Mix "Drive For Five" for IMCA Late Models back in action. Also racing will be the 305 Sprints, Hobby Stocks and Wild Things.

Notes from LCS: The defending Liberty Cup Stock Car winner, Abe Huls had a rough start to the night, as he was involved in a crash in the heat and had to run a B. Huls would recover to win the B and start 17th in the A-Main. Huls slowly worked his way to a fourth place finish at the end of the 20 lap event.... Jim Redmann started 18th in the feature and passed 11 cars to finish in 7th.... Doug Huls started 21st in the feature and passed 10 cars to take home a 11th place finish....Phil Holtz was the final driver to quailify in the first B, which put him 23rd on the starting grid. He would pass 11 cars to finish in 12th....Paul Lawson was running fifth in the Stock Car feature when he pulled into the pits on the lap 10 caution with mechanical problems......Foster amused the fans in the Modified feature, as he won the first B and had to start the feature in 17th. Foster would go low, high and three wide at times to make a nice run to second at the finish....Jacob Murray would started the A-Main in the 22nd starting spot and then passed 12 cars to take home a top ten finish......The longest pull award would have to be Robby Rosselli, who pulled his IMCA Stock Car to Donnellson from Minot, N.D. Rosselli who raced at Alta on Tuesday and then Independence on Thursday would make the A-Main and finished in 20th.