Sunday, July 4, 2010

Six Features, Six Different Winners at 34 Raceway

Burlington, IA (Saturday, July 3, 2010) - 34 Raceway hosted the "Firecracker 50" featuring the IMCA Late Models racing for $1,000. Also on the card was double 305 Sprint features, one rained out from back on May 15th, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks.

The first event on the night was the rained out 305 Sprint feature from back on May 15th. Kevin Hetrick and Justin Newberry drew the front row for the event, with Hetrick jumping out front on the drop of the green flag. The first caution would come out on lap 2, as Shawn Whiting lost a drive shaft in turn 2. On the restart Hetrick moved back out into the lead, only to be slowed on lap 4. Newberry, who was running 3rd, slowed to a stop on the front stretch. Hetrick again grabbed the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 16 laps to claim the win. Tony Davis came home in 2nd, Dave Anderson charged from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 3rd, John Draper passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Jessie Wagler coming from 16th to round out the top five.

After all the heats to set the feature line ups for the regular nights features, the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up first. Lonnie Heap and Dustin Crear led the field to the green, but it was 3rd place starter Brandon Rothzen jumping out front on lap 1. Rothzen would pull away from the field in a caution free event to pick up the win. Scott Hogan came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Bill Roberts was 3rd after starting in 6th, Jeff Waterman came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Dusty Kraklio coming from 9th to come home in fifth.

Corey Strothman and Rod Staats made up the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature. On the start Derek St. Clair got into the left rear of Abe Huls and spun him out in turn 2 to bring the caution out. On the restart fourth place starter Chris Webb made the move to grab the lead on lap 1. While Webb started to pull away from the field Brett Timmerman, who started 6th, and Jeff Mueller, who started 9th, made there way towards the front. Mueller would move into the second spot, with Timmerman following on lap 11. The two then tried to real in Webb for the lead. But Webb would hold on to claim the win. Mueller was 2nd, Timmerman 3rd, Tim Breuer was 4th, with Strothman holding on for fifth.

Up next was the 50 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Rob Toland and Tom Darbyshire drawing the front row. On the parade lap fireworks were set on in the infield and then the MUSCO lights went out. After a delay to bring the lights back on the race was set for green. Toland would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag. The first of two cautions would come out on lap 10, as Colby Springsteen, who was running 3rd, slowed to a stop in turn 2 with front end suspension troubles. On the restart Toland moved back out front, with Darbyshire and Justin Reed battling for second. While Toland pulled away, Darbyshire and Reed got together in turn four on lap 20 and almost looped there machines. But they were both able to regroup and continue without loosing any spots. Toland would entire lapped traffic for the first time on lap 33, allowing the battle for second to close in on him some. The man on the move was Denny Woodworth, who started 15th. On lap 40 Woodworth over took the 4th place spot and 5 laps later he got by both Darbyshire and Joey Gower, who started 8th, for the 2nd spot. Woodworth then went to work on Toland for the lead, as Toland had built up a straight-away lead over him. Toland was able to hold off the charge from Woodworth over the final lap to pick up the win. Darbyshire held on for 3rd, Gary Russell charged from his 14th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Gower holding on for fifth.

Matt Krieger and Patrick Moore were on the front row for the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Krieger moving out front on lap 1. Krieger was starting to pull away from the field, when he was slowed on lap 5 for a spin in turn 2 by Mark Johnson, who was running 9th. On the restart Jayson Ditsworth, who was running 2nd, spun in turn 2. Brandyn Martin would clip Ditsworth, as a result he would end up with a right rear tire. While Ditsworth got a right front flat from the contact to end both their nights. Krieger again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Kevin Hetrick, who started 10th, now battling him in second. Krieger would pull away from Hetrick over the final 15 laps to claim the win. Hetrick came home 2nd, John Draper came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Dustin Whiting started 13th and passed 9 cars to finish in 4th, with Moore holding on to come home in fifth.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Randy Wachter and Tanner Thomann drawing the front row for the event. A caution before the lap was complete would set up a restart. Jake Wenig and Matt Gavin would get together in turn four. On the restart Thomann would take advantage of his front row start to jump into the lead on lap 1. John Oliver Jr. would spin in turn 4 after the completion of lap 1 to bring caution back out on the speedway. On the restart Josh Tripp spun in turn 2 and collected the car of Jake Wenig. Thomann again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dean Kratzer, Dane Fenton and Alex Buffington battling it out for second. Another caution would slow the action down on lap 10, as Travis Plummer spun in turn 4. On the restart Thomann jumped to the top of the track, while Dan Wenig, who started 12th, took to the bottom. The two would run the next 2 laps side-by-side, with Wenig edging out into the lead on lap 13. The final caution of the race would come out on lap 14, when Chuck Underwood got into the front stretch wall. This would set up a white-checkered finish, with Weing holding on to pick up the win. Kratzer started 5th and was 2nd, Buffington came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Fenton started 7th and was 4th, with Oliver Jr. coming from 20th after his lap 1 spin to round out the top 5.

Notes from 34: Nick Guernsey came from 13th in the make-up 305 Sprint to finish in 7th....Jim Hetrick started 14th and finsihed 9th....Jayson Ditsworth started 19th and worked his way to 3rd, when he pulled in on lap 13 with troubles. He still was credited with 10th, as only 9 cars finished....Dustin Whiting was battling for the second spot on lap 11, but heavy smoke from under the hood would get him the black flag. He was credited with 11th....Matt Krieger started 15th and was up to 2nd by lap 11, but he also pulled in with troubles to get 12th....Patrick Moore was running 7th, when he pulled in on lap 10 with troubles. He was credited with 14th......Dennis LeVeine won his Modified heat race early in the night, but was disqualified in tech for a mud plug violation. He would start 18th in the feature and passed 12 cars to finish in 6th....Rich Smith came from 12th to finish in 7th....Dean McGee came from 13th to finish in 9th....Darin Thye started 14th and finished in 10th......Derek St. Clair recovered from his lap 1 crash with Abe Huls to come back to finish in 7th....Shane Watts came from 11th to finish in 8th....John Brockway started 13th and finished in 9th....Kirk Kinsley was running 4th when he pulled in on lap 6 with a right rear flat. He was credited with 12th....Abe Huls, who won the last 2 Stock Car features at 34, had to much rear end damage after the lap 1 crash to end his night in 15th......Keith Pratt started the Late Model feature in 16th and passed 8 cars to finish in 8th....Sam Halstead came from 20th and finished in 12th....Tommy Elston came from 24th and passed 8 cars to finish in 16th......Greg Rossell, who usually drives a Mod Lite, jumped behind the wheel of Kenneth Bragg's 305 Sprint and started 11th in the feature. He would pass 2 cars to finish in 9th....Mark Johnson recovered from his lap 5 spin to come back to finish in 10th....John Dimmitt was behind the wheel of Alexsha Alexander's car. He would started the feature in 15th and came home in 11th....Destini Clark, Jami Lusher, Jessie Wagler, Cale Hutchings, Shawn Whiting and Tim Rose all scratched from the second 305 Sprint feature, as a result from troubles from the first feature or their heat races......Matt Gavin recovered from the lap 1 crash to come back to finish in 6th in the Hobby Stock feature....Jake Wenig came from the back twice, as he was involved in the lap 1 crash and the lap 4 crash to finish in 7th...Chad Krogmeier started 18th and passed 10 cars to finish in 8th....Randy Wachter, who won the only 2 Hobby Stock feature so far in 2010 at 34 Raceway, started the feature on the pole. But he would have a right rear tire go flat on the drop of the green. He would make the turn into the pits, looking to end his night. But the caution would come out before the lap was completed, allowing him to get the tire changed and return to the back of the field. He would recover from the flat to come home in 9th....Tanner Thomann, who was running 2nd on the white flag, suddenly slowed down the backstretch and would cross the line in 11th.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Beuseling, Huston, Staats and Fullenkamp Claim First Wins at the Lee County Speedway

Donnellson, IA (Friday, July 2, 2010) - After the Liberty Cup the night before, the Lee County Speedway was back in action on Friday. With Friday night being a night of first time winners in all four classes.

The first feature on the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with L.Z. Coleman and Rod Staats on the front row for the event. Coleman would take advantage of his front row start to edge out Staats for the lead on lap 1. But Staats would jump to the outside of Coleman coming out of turn 2 on lap 3 to grab the top spot. A caution for Rodger Dresden, who was running 3rd, as he spun in turn four and collected the car of AJ Johnson before the lap was complete giving the lead back to Coleman. On the restart Coleman moved back out front, but had Staats and Rick Barlow Jr. battling him for the lead. Staats again made the move around Coleman to take over the top spot on lap 3. Another caution would appear on the speedway after the completion of the lap, as Jim Gillenwater, who started 11th and was up to 8th, spun in turn 3. Staats grabbed the lead on the restart only to be slowed 1 lap later for another caution. This time Phillip Cossel, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 and collected the car of Nathan Murders. Once again Staats moved out front on the restart, with Barlow Jr. close behind in second. Barlow Jr. would grab the top spot away from Staats on lap 5. But Staats didn't give up, as the two battled for the lead. Another caution came out on lap 7 as Thad Gaylord spun in turn 2 and collected Dean Kratzer, who started 17th and had worked his way to 8th. On the restart Barlow Jr. jumped back out into the lead, with Staats again giving chase. Staats would slip past Barlow Jr. on lap 9 to grab the top spot back. The caution would come back out after the completion of the lap for a tire in turn 4. With that caution the time limit had expired on the race, which meant the next next caution would put an end to the race or the checkered flag. On the restart Staats moved back out into the lead, with Barlow Jr. close behind in second. The final caution, which brought the checkered flag out, came out on lap 10. This time Rich Uppinghouse spun in four and at the same time Kratzer hit the turn one guardrail hard collecting Michael Blivens. Both drivers climbed out ok. In the mean time Staats was celebrating his first career SportMod feature. Barlow Jr. held on for 2nd, Jason Cook came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Coleman held on for 4th, with Drew Fish making pull down from Vinton and started the event in 14th and passing 9 cars to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Andy Huston and Dustin Clark drawing the front row for the event. But it was 5th place starter Kevin Hetrick quickly moving to the front to grab the lead on lap 1. Hetrick would hold the top spot until lap 7, when he got caught behind the lapped car of Alexsha Alexander. Huston took advantage of Hetrick's bobble to grab the top spot away on lap 8. After the completion of the lap, Bobby Mincer would spin his machine in turn four to avoid hitting the lapped car of Alexander to bring caution to the speedway. On the restart Huston jumped back out into the lead, with Dustin Whiting close behind in second. Huston slowly pulled away from the field until the final caution came out on lap 18 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. The caution was for Corey Timmerman who slowed in turn 2 with a right rear flat. Huston grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the final 2 laps to claim his first career feature win. Whiting held on for 2nd, Chad Huston passed 8 cars from his 11th place starting spot to finish in 3rd, Hetrick recovered to finish in 4th, with John Draper coming home in fifth.

Nate Beuseling and Tommy Elston led the field to the green flag in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Beuseling grabbing the lead on lap 1. Beuseling slowly started to pull away from Elston, when the only caution of the event came out on lap 18. Tony Fraise would slow in turn 2 with motor troubles. On the restart Beuseling moved back out front, with Elston on his back bumper. But Beuseling would pull away over the final 7 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the speedway. Elston held on for 2nd, Robby Warner was 3rd, Jeff Aikey was 4th, with Gary Russell coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 12 lap Wild Things, with Mike Horning Jr. and Jerry Ostby on the front row. Ostby would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1. The first of 2 cautions would come out on lap 4, as Horning Jr. stopped in turn 2. On the restart Jerrod Nichols, who was running 6th, lost a right rear tire to bring the final caution out. Ostby jumped back out front on the restart, with Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 6th, Gabe Harrison, who started 7th, and Michael Grossman, who started 9th, battling three wide for second. Fullenkamp would jump to the outside of Ostby on lap 6 to take over the top spot. He then held on over the final 6 laps to claim his first win. Ostby was 2nd, Harrison was 3rd, Grossman 4th, with Kimberly Abbott coming home in 5th.

Notes from LCS: 23 Late Models, 21 SportMods, 19 305 Sprints and 18 Wild Things made up the 81 cars in the four classes......Jim Gillenwater recovered from his lap 3 spin in the SportMod feature to finish in 6th....Jacob Smith came from 15th to finish in 8th....Jim Kuhlmeier started 18th and passed 9 cars to finish in 9th....Nathan Murders came from 20th and passed 10 cars to finish in 10th....Justin Alderton returned after his week one head on crash to start the feature in 21st. He would pass 10 cars to take tome an 11th place finish....Dakota Fenton moved up from the Wild Things class to the SportMods this week. He would start the feature in 16th and took home a 12th place finish....Sarah Tweedy started 19th and came home in 13th......Tony Davis started the 305 Sprint feature in 10th and came home in 6th....Bobby Mincer recovered from his lap 8 spin to finish in 8th, after restarting 18th....Brandyn Martin started 13th and came home in 9th....Mark Johnson came from 16th and passed 6 cars to finish in 10th....Dustin Clark was running 9th when he spun in turn 2 on the final lap to be credited with 14th....Jayson Ditsworth clipped a tire in his heat race and had front end damage. He would start the feature in 18th and worked his way to 10th. But he would spin to avoid Clark on the final lap to be credited with 15th......Keith Pratt started the Late Model feature in 15th and took home an 11th place finish....Billy Genebacher took home the hard charger award, as he started 20th and passed 7 cars to finish in 13th....T.J. Criss came from 21st to finish 15th....Colby Springsteen passed 5 cars from his 22nd starting spot to finish in 17th.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Foster, Webb and Buffington Claim Liberty Cup Prizes at the Lee County Speedway

Donnellson, IA (Thursday, July 1, 2010) - The 3rd Annual Liberty Cup featuring the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, Great American Stock Car Challenge and Hobby Stocks was on tap on Thursday at the Lee County Speedway. At the end of the nights activities Josh Foster (IMCA Modifieds), Chris Webb (IMCA Stock Cars) and Alex Buffington (Hobby Stocks) took home the big prizes.

Up first was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Chuck Fullenkamp and Dean Kratzer drawing the front row for the event. It was third place starter Alex Buffington who edged out Kratzer at the line to lead lap 1. The first caution of the event would come out on lap 3, as Dane Fenton spun in turn 2. On the restart Buffington moved back out into the lead, with Kratzer close behind in second and Matt Tucker 3rd. Another caution would come out for Fenton on lap 4, as he spun in turn 2 again to end his night with a second yellow. Fullenkamp would spin in turn 2 on the restart and collected Robert Kephart and Jim Lynch. Buffington again jumped back out into the lead on the restart, with Kratzer and Tucker battling it out for 2nd. With Buffington working to hold off Kratzer and Tucker, Jake Wenig, who started 10th, was working his way to the front to make it a four car battle for the top spot. As the top four raced two and three wide, the final caution would come out on lap 13 to set up a green-white-checkered shootout. Tanner Thomann, who was running 4th, spun in turn 2 and collected the fifth place car of Dan Wenig. On the restart Buffington grabbed the lead. Jake Wenig would grab the second spot and then on the white flag lap went to work on Buffington for the win. The two came out of turn two side-by-side, with Wenig grabbing a slight advantage going into turn three. Buffington, who was working the bottom, and Wenig, the top, came off of turn four side-by-side, with Buffington edging out Wenig for the $500 top prize. Kratzer held on for 3rd, Tucker was 4th, with Lynch recovering from the lap 2 crash to round out the top 5.

Kenneth Hansen and Matt Greiner led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 30 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Hansen moving out front on lap 1. Hansen started to put some distance over the battle for second, when the first caution came out on lap 5 for a tire. On the restart Hansen jumped back out front, with Damon Murty now close behind in second. Les Blakley would spin in turn 2 on lap 5 to slow the event down. Hansen again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Chris Webb and Greiner close behind in second and third. Hansen would hold the lead until lap 11, when he left enough room on the bottom of the speedway to allow Webb to get by for the top spot. Webb worked to try to hod off Hansen for the lead, when another caution came out on lap 15 for tires in turn 4. On the restart Webb again moved back out into the lead. Webb was working the bottom of the speedway to perfection, as he tried to hold off Hansen for the lead. The next caution for tires in turn 2 would appear on lap 20 to slow the event down. On the restart Webb again moved out into the lead, with Hansen working to hold off Kyle Frederick, who started 16th. The final caution of the race came out on lap 24, when Jeff Joldersma, who started 18th and was running 5th, got into John Oliver Jr., who was running 4th, in turns one and two. Oliver Jr. didn't like the move and would driver over Joldersma in turn 4. Both drivers would spin to bring out the caution. On again Webb grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hansen working to hold off Frederick and Jason Cook, who started 8th. Cook would get under Hansen on lap 17 and then started to work on Webb for the lead. Webb would hold off Cook on the final lap to claim the $1,000 top prize. Hansen held on for 3rd, Frederick ended in 4th, with Jim Redmann coming home in fifth.

The final feature on the night was the 30 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Rich Smith and Jacob Waterman drawing the front row for the event. Smith would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. After the completion of the lap, Bill Roberts would spin in turn 2 and collected the cars of Todd Shute, Greg Cox, Adam Birck and Dennis Betzer. On the restart Smith again grabbed the lead, with Richie Gustin and Vern Jackson going at it for second. Wyatt Lantz, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 on the restart to bring the field back under yellow. Smith again moved out front on the restart, with Gustin and Jackson still battling for second. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 5 for a tire in turn 4. On the restart Smith again grabbed the lead, with Gustin working to hold off Josh Foster, who started 9th. Foster quickly jumped to the top of the speedway and then worked passed Smith on lap 6 to grab the top spot. Foster then pulled away over the final 24 laps to pick up the $1,000 top prize. Smith held on for 2nd, Gustin was 3rd, Jackson 4th, with Mark Elliott charging from 16th to round out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: 47 Modifieds, 25 Stock Cars, 19 Hobby Stocks made up the 91 cars in the three divisions......Chuck Fullenkamp would recover from his lap 2 spin in the Hobby Stock feature to finish in 6th....Chad Sovern came from 14th to finish in 7th, Roger Kreiger passed 8 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish in 8th....Jeremy Pundt was running 7th when he cut a right rear tire on lap 6 to end his night in 12th.......Abe Huls started 13th and had worked his way to 2nd at one point when he and Jeff Joldersma, who started 18th, got tied together on a lap 7 restart. Both drivers would loose several spots, but didn't bring out the caution. Huls would recover to finish in 6th....Luke McLaughlin started 12th to finish in 7th....Heath Tenkley came from 15th to finish in 8th....Joldersma recovered from the lap 24 wreck to finish in 12th....Jeff Mueller was suppose to start the event in 9th, but wouldn't appear on the speedway until just before the green flag, so he had to start 24th. Mueller had worked his way to 15th by the lap 5 caution, but he would pull into the pits with troubles to end his run to the front......Brett Ladenoff started 12th in the Modified feature and came home in 7th....Adam Birck recover from the lap 1 crash to finish in 10th....Todd Shute also recovered from the lap 1 crash to finish in 12th....Randy Havlik passed 8 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to finish in 14th....Michael Long was leading heat one easy when the motor let go to end his night and hopes of a win in front of the home crowd.