Donnellson, IA (August 21, 2009) - The next to the last week for points in 2009 was held at the Lee County Speedway, with the battle for valuable points continuing to go down to the wire in three of the six classes. Taking home feature wins on the night were Josh Foster (IMCA Modifieds), Abe Huls (IMCA Stock Car), Phillip Cossel (IMCA Sport Mods), Dean Kratzer (Hobby Stocks) and James Olive III (Wild Things).
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Mods, with Rich Uppinghouse and Lonnie McCarty on the front row for the event. A caution on the start would slow the field down, as Rod Staats, Derek Coleman, McCarty, Jason Cook and Harley Hill collided going into turn one. All would continue except McCarty, Cook and Hill. On the restart, Coleman would jump out into the lead on lap 1 and held it until the caution came back out on lap 7. Paul Underwood would spin in turn four, with Phillip Cossel going to the pits with mechanical troubles while running fifth. Cossel would return and start in the back of the field, while Coleman grabbed the lead on the restart. But a caution on lap 9 for a spin by Thad Gaylord, who was running 2nd, who collected Staats, who was running 4th, and Rick Barlow Jr.,who was running 5th, slowed the event. Once again Coleman grabbed the lead on the restart, only to be slowed again on lap 10 for a spin by Uppinghouse and Staats in turn two. Coleman again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Rodger Dresden now battling him for the top spot. Dresden would try to get under Coleman in turn one on the white flag lap, but had no room to make the pass and got into Coleman and spun him. Both drivers were sent to the back, with Cossel inherited the lead for the green-white-checkered finish. Cosssel would hold on to claim his first win of 2009 at the speedway. Derrick Higdon got a career best finish second after starting 14th, Dresden recovered to finish in third, Uppinghouse was fourth, with Jim Kuhlmeier coming home fifth after starting 13th.
Up next was the 12 lap Wild Things feature, with Drew Zane and Matt Marshall leading the field to the green. But it was third place starter David Probasco jumping out into the lead on lap 1, with a caution coming out for the completion of the lap for Marshall, who stopped on the backstretch. On the restart Probasco grabbed the lead and then held it until lap 4, when James Oliver III, who started 8th, jumped to his outside to take over the top spot. A caution on the completion of lap four, for Zane and Rex Smart would bunch the field back up. On the restart, Casey Lambert would spin in turn two to bring the yellow back out. Once again Oliver III moved out into the lead on the restart, only to be slowed for the final time on lap 5 for a spin in turn four by Mike Horning Jr. and Chuck Fullenkamp. This would set up a green-white-checkered finish, as the time limit was up. Oliver III would hold on to claim his fourth win of the season at the track. Probasco would hold on to finish second, Gabe Harrison came home in third, Kimberly Abbott was fourth, with Dakota Fenton coming from 10th to round out the top five.
Corey Strothman and Chris Webb led the field of IMCA Stock Cars to the green in there 15 lap feature, but a caution on the start for Paul Lawson who clipped a tire in turn one would slow the start. On the restart Webb pulled out into the lead and then held it until lap 3, when John Oliver Jr. jumped to his outside to take over the top spot. A caution on lap 8 for a tire, would slow the field and bring them back to Oliver Jr.'s back bumper. Once again Oliver Jr. grabbed the lead on the restart and then held it until lap 12, when Jim Redmann, who started 10th, jumped to his outside to take over the top spot. Redmann took the white flag with Abe Huls trying to get by in turn one. The two drivers went into turns three and four side-by-side with Huls coming off four on the bottom to edge out Redmann at the line by inches to pick up his first win of 2009 at the speedway. Oliver Jr. held on for third, Strothman would finish in fourth, with Jeff Mueller coming home in fifth.
The IMCA Modified 20 lap feature took to the speedway next, with John Mickelson and Dustan Fenton on the front row. A caution on the start for Dean McGee, Michael Browning, Mike Weikert Jr., Levi Smith and Rich Smith would slow the field. On the restart, Tyler Cale would grabbed the lead on lap 1, only to be slowed on lap 3 for a spin off four by Mickelson. Cale would jump out into the lead on the restart, but once again the yellow would come out as Adam Birck, who was running second, hit the guardrail in four and was clipped by Chad Sovern, who was running fifth. A jack rabbit restart would result in Levi Smith and Bill Seyb colliding in turn four. On the restart Cale moved back out front and held on until another caution on lap 8 for a spin by Rob Kirchner, who was running fifth, slowed the event. Bill Roberts, who was running sixth, would clipped a tire on the restart and stopped off turn four with front end damage to slow the event again. Cale again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Rich Smith, who started 12th, close behind in second. Cale worked to hold off Smith, while Josh Foster, who started 23rd, and Brandon Rothzen, who started 22nd, were working there way to the front. Foster would jump to the top of the speedway to take over the top spot from Cale on lap 14, but Cale would come back on the bottom to lead lap 15. But Foster would come back on lap 16 to take the lead back, with the final caution of the event coming out on lap 18 for Mickelson's second solo spin off turn four. Foster would hold on for the green-white-checkered finish to pick up his third win of the season at the speedway. Rothzen edged out Cale at the line to finish in second, Rich Smith held on for fourth, with Jeff Gerhardt coming from 16th to round out the top five.
The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Brandon Symmonds and Doug Fenton on the front row. Symmonds would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 and then held it until lap 6, when Dean Kratzer, who started 7th, slipped by for the top spot. The one and only caution of the event came out on lap 8, when Doug Fenton got into Jeremy Pundt, who spun off four, sending both drivers to the back. Kratzer would grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the final 7 laps to claim his second win in a row at the track. Symmonds held on for second, Derek St. Clair came from 10th to finish in third, Rob Wilsey was fourth, with Bob Lynch coming home in fifth.
Notes from LCS: Cossel's win and Dresden's third place finish in the Sport Mod feature would cut the points lead down to 2 points, with Dresden leading going into the final night....Brandon Greene made the pull down from Williamsburg, IA but had troubles in hot laps to end his first trip to the Lee County Speedway......Dave Warth started the Stock Car feature in 15th and passed eight cars to finish in 7th....Derek St. Clair made his Stock Car debut, as he piloted the back up car of Chris Webb's. St. Clair would stay out of troubles and finish a respectable 11th......Foster was DQ'ed in his heat for illegal spindles and had to start shot gun on the field in the Modified feature. Foster put on a show to work his way to the front and the win. His win would give him a five point lead over Rich Smith going into the final night of racing....Rothzen was DQ'ed in his heat race for not having the back panel on his race car. He would have to start the feature in 22nd, but just like Foster, he would put on a show to edge Cale out at the line to finish in second....Dean McGee recovered from the first lap crash to come home in 9th....Kirchner made it back to 10th after his lap 8 spin....Levi Smith took home an 11th place finish after being involved in the first lap and third lap crashes......TJ Henderson came from his 14th place starting spot in the Hobby Stock feature to take home a 7th place finish....Jim Lynch, who was running 6th with two laps to go, spun off turn four and kept going, but he would fall to 12th. His 12th place finish and St. Clair's third place finish would give St. Clair the points lead back going into the final night of racing. The two drivers are separated by seven points.
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