West Liberty, IA (Friday, Sept. 24, 2010) - With the 2010 racing season starting to wind down, I decided to make the trip to the West Liberty Raceway in West Liberty, IA for night 1 of the Liberty 100. The air temperatures turned out to be cool, but the racing was hot enough to keep your blood flowing.
The night featured 2 Flyer heat races and a feature, 3 B-Modified heat races and a B-Main, 4 IMCA Late Model heat races and 2 B-Mains, 3 Modified heat races and a B-Main, 4 Open Late Model heat races and 2 B-Mains. Then the night ended with a "Race of Champions" race in both the Open Late Models and IMCA Late Models. The top 12 in passing points from the heat races, with the exception of the Flyers, were locked into Saturday nights A-Mains, with the rest having to run a B-Main.
First heat races of the night were the 5 lap Flyers, with Brad Chandler and Steve Miedke taking the wins.
Next up was the B-Modified 6 lap heats. The first heat saw Dan Hahn jump out into the lead on lap 1 and then pulled away to claim the win. He was followed by 32J (sorry didn't get the name), Tyler Madigan and Keith Feller, Curren Beckler, Scott Hill and #00 (sorry didn't get the name)....Jason Schueller grabbed the early lead in heat 2, only to slow to a stop with 2 laps to go with mechanical troubles. That gave the lead over to Jarrett Franzen, who held off Brad Tyler at the line by inches for the win. Scott Vanbuskik was 3rd, with Brant Hubler 4th, John Ryan 5th, Schueller 6th and Shelley Mizell (DNS)....Twelve year old Tanner Allen grabbed the lead on the drop of the green in heat race 3, with Jason Speers and Zack Less battling for second. Less would slip under Speers coming off of turn 4 on lap 2, with some contact being made and sending Less spinning to a stop to bring out the caution. Both drivers were sent to the back for the restart. On the restart Allen moved back out into the lead. Allen would hold the top spot until lap 4, when Less quickly moved to the front to grab the lead away. Less then pulled away to pick up the win over Allen, Speers would cross the line in 3rd, but when the B-Main came out he was in the back. The announcer said he was disqualified from the heat, but gave no reason why. That moved Jeff Nantz to 3rd and Dakota Hayden to 4th, Doug Pratt was 5th, with Nick Hixson 6th.
Four 10 lap IMCA Late Model heat races were up next. Sam Halstead and Colby Springsteen had a great side-by-side battle for the first 2 laps, before Andy Eckrich over took them both for the lead on lap 4. Eckrich then pulled away to claim the win. Halstead held off Springsteen for 3rd, with Jay Johnson coming home in 4th, Todd Hormel was 5th, Joel Callahan was 6th, Jonathan Brauns 7th and Aaron Luke 8th....Jeff Aikey took command on the drop of the green flag in the 2nd heat race and then pulled away to pick up the win. Boone McLaughlin was 2nd, Tommy Elston was 3rd, with Jason Bahrs coming home in 4th, Stephen Kammerer was 5th, Rick Dralle 6th and Jay Chenoweth 7th....The third heat race saw Ray Guss Jr. and Tyler Bruening battle early for the lead, until Guss Jr. took the lead for good on lap 2. Guss would pull away to pick up the win. Bruening held on for 2nd, Nate Beuseling was 3rd, with Rob Toland 4th, Terry Neal was 5th, Leroy Brenner 6th and Jon Merfeld 7th....Darren Miller took the lead on the drop of the green in heat 4 and pulled away to claim an easy win. Matt Ryan came home in 2nd, Jeremiah Hurst came from 6th to finish in 3rd, with Mike Garland coming from 7th to finish in 4th, Jim Brokus was 5th, Darrel DeFrance 6th and Doug Yates 7th.
Gus Hughes moved out front on lap 1 of the first of three 8 lap heats in the Modified division, with Scott Dickey close behind in 2nd. Hughes would spin in turn 3 on lap 2, while battling under Dickey for the lead to bring out the caution. Dickey would grab the lead on the restart and then held off Ryan Dolan, who started 5th, to claim the win. Noah Coppess came from 6th to finish in 3rd, with Todd Hansen 4th, Hughes was 5th, Larry Herring 6th and Shaun Lewis 7th....Johnny Spaw took the lead on the drop of the green in the 2nd heat race and started to pull away from the field, when a caution came out on lap 5. Rick Hixson, who was running 4th, slowed in turn 2 with a right rear flat. On the restart Spaw again grabbed the top spot, but now had Bruce Hanford, who started 7th, on his back bumper. Hanford would try to get under Spaw for the lead over the final 3 laps, but Spaw would hold him off to pick up the win. Nick Nevins came home in 3rd, with Justin Speers crossing the line in 4th, Ryan Buffington was 5th, Rick Hixson 6th and Clayton Jensen 7th....The third heat race saw Terry Walker grab the lead on lap 1 and then hold it until lap 3, when Brad Dierks slipped by for the lead. Dierks would then lead the final 5 laps to pick up the win. Jason Schueller came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Steve Stewart was 3rd, with Chris Zogg coming home in 4th, Dan Albright was 5th, Walker 6th and Tyler Cale 7th.
The final heat races of the night were the four 10 lap Open Late Models. Denny Eckrich took advantage of his outside front row draw to grab the lead on the start of heat one. Denny then pulled away from the field to claim the win. Kevin Kile came home in 2nd, Jeremiah Hurst was 3rd, with Brian Harris coming home in 4th, Jake Meier was 5th, Jason Utter 6th, Mike Klinkkammer was 7th and Boone McLaughlin 8th....Chad Simpson drew the pole for heat 2 and took advantage of that by grabbing the lead on the start. Just like Eckrich in heat one, he would pull away to claim an easy win. The battle for second between Nick Marolf and Chris Simpson would go to Marolf at the line. Jay Johnson would come home in 4th, Mike Fryer was 5th, Ron Boyse 6th and Ron Klein 7th....Andy Eckrich started the third heat race on the outside front row and would move out front on the drop of the green flag. Andy would pull away from the field in a caution free race to claim the win. Brian Birkhofer started 7th and by the time he got to 2nd Eckrich was to far out front to catch. So Birkhofer had to settle for 2nd, Kevin Kile was 3rd, with Steve Boley coming home in 4th, Skip Frey was 5th, Chad Patch was 6th and Jill George 7th....Just like the first three heat races, Darren Miller took advantage of his pole position to take the lead on lap 1. He then pulled away to claim an easy win. Jeff Guengerich would finish in 2nd, Rob Moss was third, with Richie Bell 4th, Justin Mitchell was 5th, Joel Callahan 6th and Chad Holliday 7th.
The 6 lap B-Modified B-Main was up next, with the top 6 cars moving into Saturday nights A-Main. Dakota Hayden jumped out front on lap 1, with Jason Schueller close behind in second. Schuller would slip past Hayden for the lead on lap 2 and then went on to lead the final 4 laps to take the win. Hayden held on for 2nd, Jason Speers came from 9th to finish in 3rd, #00 (sorry didn't catch the drivers name) was 4th, Nick Hixson was 5th, with Shelley Mizell rounding out the top 6. Doug Pratt would finish in 7th, John Ryan was 8th and Scott Hill was 9th.
Jay Johnson moved out front on lap 1 of the first of two 10 lap IMCA Late Model B-Mains, with the top 3 moving into Saturday nights A-Main. Johnson would hold off Terry Neal in the 10 lap race to claim the win, with Nate Bueseling holding on for the final transfer spot. Joel Callahan was 4th, Stephen Kammerer 5th, Jon Merfeld 6th, Jonathan Brauns 7th, Leroy Brenner 8th and Aaron Luke 9th....Rob Toland took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 of the second 10 lap B-Main. Toland would battle with Jason Bahrs early, before pulling away to pick up the win. Bahrs would come home in 2nd, with Jim Brokus holding on for the final transfer spot. Darrel DeFrance finished in 4th, Jay Chenoweth was 5th, Rick Dralle was 6th, Doug Yates 7th and Todd Hormel 8th.
The 8 lap Modified B-Main was next, with the top 6 cars moving into Saturday nights A-Main. Larry Herring came from 4th to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag and then went on to lead all 8 laps to claim the win. Gus Hughes was 2nd, Dan Albright was 3rd, Shaun Lewis was 4th, Rick Hixson was 5th, with Alex Buffington holding on to take the final transfer spot. Clayton Jensen was 7th, Terry Walker was 8th and Tyler Cale was 9th (DNS).
Steve Boley took the lead on the drop of the green in the first of two 10 lap Open Late Model B-Mains, with the top 3 moving into Saturday nights A-Main. Boley would lead all 10 laps to claim the win. Mike Fryer came home in 2nd, with Skip Frey holding off a closing Jason Utter to take the final transfer spot. Jay Johnson was 5th, Mike Kinkkammer was 6th, Jill George 7th, Boone McLaughlin 8th and Chad Patch 9th....Brian Harris and Richie Bell would battle early for the lead in the second B-Main, until Harris took command on lap 3. Harris then went on to lead the final 7 laps to claim the win. Bell settled for 2nd, with Jake Meier taking the final transfer spot. Joel Callahan came home in 4th, Justin Mitchell was 5th, Ron Boyse 6th, Ron Klein 7th and Chad Holliday was 8th.
The 12 lap Flyer feature was next up, with Brannon Bechen and Steve Miedke leading the field to the green. Miedke would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag. The first of 2 cautions would come on after the completion of lap 1, as debris in turn one would bring the yellow light on. On the restart Brad Chandler would slip under Miedke to take the top spot on lap 2. Chandler then worked to hold off Miedke and Bechen, when the second and final caution came out on lap 3. The R22 (sorry didn't get the drivers name) spun to a stop in turn one to bring caution to the speedway. Chandler again moved out front on the restart, with Bechen and Jarrod McMichael, who started 12th, battling for second. McMichael would grab the top spot away from Chandler on lap 5, leaving Chandler to battle Bechen for the second spot. McMichael looked to be heading for the checkered flag when he slowed coming out of turn four for the white flag, allowing Bechen to get by for the lead. Chandler would slip under Bechen going into turn 3 and then came out of turn 4 with the lead. Chandler then edged out Bechen at the line to pick up the win. James Roose came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Wayne Noble was 4th, with Nathan Chandler coming from 9th to round out the top 5.
Andy Eckrich and Jeremiah Hurst made up the front row for the 20 lap Open Late Model "Race of Champions", with Andy Eckrich grabbing the lead on the drop of the green flag. Brian Birkhofer, who started 6th, would make it up to 2nd on lap 4 but would spin in turn 2 on the next lap to bring out the caution. On the restart Andy Eckrich again moved out front, with Hurst and Steve Boley battling for second. While Andy Eckrich was pulling away from the field, the battle for second would heat up between Hurst and Denny Eckrich. Hurst, was running the top of the speedway, while Denny Eckrich, was working the bottom. Those two would swap second several time over the final 8 laps. Andy Eckrich would pull away to claim the $1,000 prize, with Denny Eckrich coming off of turn four on the last lap to get 2nd, Hurst settled for 3rd, Darren Miller came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Birkhofer recovering from his spin to finish in 5th. Nick Marlof would take 6th, Chad Simpson was 7th, Ray Guss Jr. (driving the #21H) was 8th, Jeff Guengerich was 9th, with Steve Boley 10th.
The final event of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Late Model "Race of Champions", with Mike Garland and Tyler Bruening on the front row for the event. Bruening took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Garland, Rob Toland and Andy Eckrich. While Bruening continued to pace the field, Darren Miller, who started 11th, was working his way to the front. Miller would over take Toland for the second spot on lap 17 and then set his sights on Bruening for the lead. Bruening would take the 2 to go signal from the flagman, with Miller right on his back bumper. Miller would go into turn 1 on the bottom, while Bruening took to the top side. Miller then came out of turn 2 with the lead and then went to to claim the win and the $1,000 top prize. Toland would slip under Bruening on the final lap coming out of 4 to get 2nd, Bruening settled for 3rd, Andy Eckrich was 4th, with Garland holding on for 5th. Ray Guss Jr. came from 10th to finish in 6th, Terry Neal was 7th, Jeff Aikey was 8th, Darrel DeFrance was 9th, Jim Brokus was 10th, with Matt Ryan 11th.
Notes from WL: 29 Open Late Models, 29 IMCA Late Models, 21 Modifieds, 21 B-Modifieds and 20 Flyers made up the 120 cars singed in for action......Rob Axom started the Flyer feature in 11th and passed 3 cars to finish in 8th....Jordan Walker passed 6 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Jeffrey Vislisel came from 18th to finish in 12th....The number 58 started 19th and passed 5 cars to finish in 15th....Jarrod McMichael led from lap 6 until lap 10, when he slowed on the white flag lap with troubles. He would finish in 16th....Steve Miedke led the feature on lap 1, but would slow on the lap 3 restart with troubles to end his night in 16th....Pat Quinn was running 4th after lap 1, but would pull in on the yellow with front end damage to end his night in 19th......I thought the format they used to determine the "Race of Champions" races was pretty clever. They put numbers in one bag and the drivers name in another bag. They then had a driver pull a number out, and then a drivers name. That driver would start in the position they drew. Then the driver who's name was drawn came up and repeated the process until the line-up was set....It was ironic that Darren Miller got the last starting spot in both "Race of Champions", thanks to the luck of the draw, lol....Six drivers, Jeremiah Hurst, Boone McLaughlin, Jay Johnson, Andy Eckrich, Darren Miller and Joel Callahan competed in both the IMCA and Open Late Model classes. If any of those drivers would happen to win both features, they would collect a $1,000 bonus.......Thanks to mother nature all 3 events in this area for tonight have been rained out. The Sprint Invaders Season Championship at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA has been moved to October 2nd. The Hawkeye Dirt Tour at 34 Raceway has been cancelled and can't be rescheduled. The final night of the Liberty 100 has been rained out and will be rain on October 16th.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Frankel and Beuseling Earn Front Row For Deery Finale at 34 Raceway
Burlington, IA (Friday, Sept. 17, 2010) - The 19th Annual Pepsi USA Late Models Nationals featuring the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models finale got underway Friday night at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA. In action on the night was the IMCA Late Models, 305 Sprints and IMCA Stock Cars.
The night started off with 51 IMCA Late Models getting 2 laps around the speedway for times to help set the 5 heat race line-ups. At the end of qualifying Denny Woodworth would come out on top with the fastest time, followed by Tyler Bruening, Leroy Brenner, Justin Reed and Joey Gower. The top 20 drivers in times were then inverted for the five 12 lap heat races, with the rest lined up by times after the first two rows.
Late Model heat 1 had Jason Perry and Jason Frankel, the defending champion, on the front row. Frankel would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Perry and Josh Most, who started 6th. While Frankel and Perry pulled away from the field, Most and Denny Woodworth put on a battle for the 3rd and final transfer spot. Woodworth would slip under Most going into turn 1 on lap 8, but would slid up to high into turn 2 to allow Most to get back under him coming off of turn 2. Frankel would lead all 12 laps to claim the win and the pole for the 100 lap finale. Perry came home in 3rd, with Most holding off Woodworth for the final transfer spot. Notes from heat 1: Frankel was driving the number 72 machine driven by Billy Genebacher during the 2010 season....Mark Burgtorf was suppose to start outside row 3, but didn't make the call. As the field took the green to start the heat, Burgtorf's machine made the slow drive to staging to line-up for another heat. But he would learn that he was to late for his heat and now would have to come from the back of a B-Main. Seems there was some confusion about where he was posted on the board by a pit member.
Darren Miller and Nate Beuseling led the field to the drop of the green in heat race number 2, with Beuseling jumping out front on lap 1 over Miller and Tyler Bruening. Beuseling started to pull away from Miller over the next few laps, with Bruening working to hold off Sam Halstead for the battle for the third spot. Miller would close the gab between him and Beuseling on lap 10 and then went to work on him for the top spot. But Bueseling would hold on to pick up the win and earn the outside front row for the 100 lap finale. Miller settled for 2nd, followed by Bruening in 3rd. Notes from heat 2: Miller drove a #32D machine owned by Diercks....Kevin Sather made his Late Model debut at 34 Raceway in his #3 machine and then timed in 7th fastest overall. He would finish 5th in the heat to have a good start in one of the B-Mains....Keith Pratt drove the #11 machine driven by Darin Weisinger during the 2010 season to a 8th place finish....Mike Zemo Jr. started 7th and was running there when he went over turns 1 & 2 on lap 3. He would pull into the pits to avoid a caution and going to the rear.
Heat 3 was up next, with Ron Elbe and Lonnie Bailey on the front row for the 12 lap event. Bailey moved out front on the start, with Elbe and Terry Neal, who started 5th, following in 2nd and 3rd. While Bailey pulled away from the rest of the field and Elbe comfortable running in 2nd, the battle for 3rd heated up between Neal and Jay Johnson. Johnson would slip under Neal in turn 2, when Neal got to high and jumped the cushion to get the final transfer spot on lap 6. Bailey would lead all 12 laps to claim the easy win, Elbe held on for 2nd, with Johnson holding off a last lap challenge from Neal to earn the final transfer spot. Notes from heat 3: Leroy Brenner started 4th, as the 3rd fastest in time trials, but had troubles on the drop of the green. He would take his machine to the pits off of turn 2 to end his night....Stephen Kammerer drove the #99 machine driven by Doug Curless during the 2010 season to a 7th place finish.
Tom Goble and Boone McLaughlin made up the front row for the 12 lap heat 4, with McLaughlin grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. McLaughlin, who was running the top of the track, and Goble, who was glued to the bottom, ran the next 9 laps side-by-side, while Justin Reed, Ray Guss Jr. and Colby Springsteen waged a three car battle for the final transfer spot. Goble tried for the next 9 laps to get under McLaughlin for the lead, when disaster struck him coming off of turn four on lap 10. He would slow on the front stretch with steam coming from the front and made the pull into the infield to end his night. That put Reed into second and Guss Jr. in 3rd. The field was slowed on lap 11 when Mike Garland spun to a stop in turn 2 while running 5th. On the restart McLaughlin pulled away to claim the win, Reed held off Guss Jr. for 3rd. Notes from heat 4: Rob Toland came from 8th and finished a close 5th....Jason Cook slowed to a stop in turn one on the parade lap, as it appeared he lost some fluids out of the #3d machine.
The final heat race had Tom Bowling Jr. and Andy Eckrich on the front row, with Eckrich grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. While Eckrich started to pull away and Joey Gower comfortable in second, the battle for third would heat up. Kevin Blum was in the final transfer spot, with Bowling Jr. and Jack Sullivan wanting it. Sullivan would come from the bottom of the speedway to slid up in front of Bowling Jr. in turn 4 on lap 5. But he didn't quite clear Bowling's machine and made some contact, which slid Bowling Jr. back to 7th. Eckrich would pick up an easy win in heat 5, Gower held on for 2nd, with Blum coming home in 3rd. Notes from heat 5: Jay Chenoweth came from 8th and tried to get around Blum for the final transfer spot over the final 3 laps, but had to settle for 4th....Sullivan came home in 5th, driving the #15 machine owned by Lynn Richards....Jeff Aikey had motor troubles after hot laps and scratched his number #77 machine for the night. But Hershel Roberts would allow him to put a #77 on his second machine and use it for the night. He would come home in 6th at the checkered....Carey Umberger had troubles after hot laps and scratched from the rest of the nights activities.
Up next was the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Patrick Moore and Carson McCarl drawing the front row. On the drop of the green, McCarl would go into turn one and two to hot and got sideways. He would collect the car of Jayson Ditsworth, who started 4th, to bring out the caution and ending both drivers nights. For the restart Moore and Harold Pohren would make up the front row for the start, but it was 6th place man Brandyn Martin who jumped to the top of the track to grab the lead on lap 1. Another caution would appear on the speedway on the completion of lap 1, as Pohren spun in turn 2 and collected the machines of Moore and Jarrod Schneiderman. Pohren was able to tag the back of the field, while Moore had front end damage and Schneiderman had heavy wing damage to end both of there nights. On the restart Josh Higday, who was driving the 23J machine driven by Jim Hetrick during the 2010 season, jumped the start and brought the yellow light back on. He was sent to the back of the field, after coming from 7th to 2nd in one lap. Once again Higday would jump the restart from the back of the field to bring out the yellow. He was warned not to start until the orange cone in turn 4 or he would be blacked flag for jumping one more restart.
Martin grabbed the lead on the restart, with Justin Parrish, who started 9th, now following him in second. Parrish was working the bottom of the speedway and would slip under Martin on lap 3 to grab the top spot away. Parrish then started to pull away, when another caution came out on lap 7, when Bazil Hicks spun in turn 2. During the caution period, Bobby Mincer, who started 23rd after missing his heat with troubles, had worked his way to 3rd. But he would come to a stop on the front stretch when the engine compartment started to catch on fire. He would climb from the machine with his leg on fire, after rolling on the ground and help from Dennis Krieger the fire was put out on his leg. Mincer was ok, but his great run to the front was done. On the restart Parrish again jumped out front, with Martin working to hold off Kevin Hetrick, who started 12th. The final caution of the event came out on lap 11, as a tire was clipped in turn 2 and thrown out onto the racing surface. Parrish would pull away over the final 9 laps to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize. Matt Stephenson came from 11 and finished in 2nd, Hetrick was 3rd. Chad Huston made the pull up from Jamesport, MO and started the feature in 8th. He would pass 4 cars to come home in 4th, with Matt Krieger coming from 18th to round out the top 5.
Jeff Mueller and John Oliver Jr. drew the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Luke McLaughlin, who started 6th, spun down the backstretch to bring out the caution before a lap was scored. On the restart Mueller edged out Oliver Jr. at the line to lead lap 1. With Mueller out front, Oliver Jr. worked to hold off Derek St. Clair and Nathan Wood for second. The second caution of the event would come out on lap 4 when Andrew Griffin spun in turn 4 and collected the cars of Joe Gerdes and Greg Johnson. Mueller again grabbed the lead on the restart, as Wood who was 4th, went three wide going into turn three and came out of turn four with 2nd. Devon Timmerman would spin in turn 3 on lap 7 to bring caution to the speedway once again. On the restart Mueller again jumped out into the lead, with Wood now pressuring him for the lead. The yellow light would come back on, when McLaughlin spun in turn 2 to avoid hitting a slowing Travis Finke on lap 9. On the restart McLaughlin again spun his machine in turn 3, this time he elected to take it to the pits to end his night. Mueller again moved out front on the restart, with Wood again working on him for the top spot. Wood would try to get under Mueller on the final lap, but Mueller held him off at the line to pick up the win. Wood settled for 2nd, Jim Redmann came from 7th to finish in 3rd, St. Clair came home in 4th, with Kirk Kinlsey coming from 10th to round out the top five.
The final event of the night was the 20 lap J&J Steel Iron Man Challenge, an event ran for any driver who had a perfect attendance for the 2010 Deery Brothers Summer Series. The field of 12 drivers were inverted by points, which put TJ Criss and Todd Malmstrom on the front row. Criss would grab the lead on the drop of the green flag over Malmstrom and Kevin Blum. Criss started to pull away from the battle for second, when the first caution came out on lap 12, when Blum, who was running 5th, spun in turn four. On the restart Criss again moved out front, with Mark Preston moving into second over Malmstrom. Criss again started to pull away from the field, when the final caution of the event came out on lap 16. Malmstrom, who was running 4th, would spin to a stop in turn 2. Once again Criss moved out into the lead on the restart, but now had Terry Neal, who started 9th, following him in 2nd. Criss was able to hold off Neal over the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Neal settled for 2nd, Preston was 3rd, Andy Eckrich came from 10th to coming home in 4th, with Ray Guss Jr. passing 7 cars from his 12th place starting spot to round out the top 5.
Notes from 34: 51 Late Models, 24 305 Sprints and 22 Stock Cars made up the 97 cars signed in for battle......Nick Guernsey started the Sprint feature in 20th and passed 14 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Harold Pohren recovered from his lap 1 spin to come back to finish in 7th....Alan Ambers came from 15th and passed 7 cars to finish in 8th....Justin Newberry came from the rear after changing a flat tire to finish in 9th....Jamie Needham started 14th and came home in 10th....Alexsha Alexander came from 16th to come home in 11th....Bazil Hicks recovered from his lap 7 spin to finish in 12th....Brandyn Martin was running 2nd, but pulled off on lap 15 with troubles to end his night in 13th....Josh Higday came from the rear after jumping the restart on lap 1 to come back up to 3rd. But he would pull off on lap 14 with troubles to end his night in 14th....Bobby Mincer was credited with 15th after his fire on the lap 7 caution. He started 23rd and was up to 3rd before his troubles....Tony Davis, who finished 2nd in points for 2010, had motor troubles to end his night in 20th....Carson McCarl, the 16 year old son of Sprint Car driver Terry McCarl, made his second start of the season in a 305 Sprint. He would draw the 6th starting spot for heat race 3 and made it up to finish 2nd. Carson then drew number 2 for the feature to start outside the front row. On the drop of the green he would go into one and two to hard and got sideways. Jayson Ditsworth had no where to go and collided with McCarl. McCarl ended up with front end damaged to end his night in 21st....Matt Rogerson drove the #40 machine owned by Andy Huston. But troubles after hot laps would scratch him for the night......Rod Staats started the Stock Car feature in 12th and passed 5 cars to come home in 7th....Abe Huls came from the rear, after changing a tire on the lap 4 caution. He would restart in 17th and passed 9 cars to take home an 8th place finish....Sky Griffith started 15th and passed 6 cars to come home in 9th....Devon Timmerman recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 14th....Tim Breuer started 22nd and passed 7 cars to take home 15th......With 15 drivers making into the 100 lap finale, that leaves 11 spots still up for grabs. The top 3 cars from the B-Mains will make into the finale. The the fastest in time trials not in the show will get a spot, followed by a driver who passes the most cars through the heats and B-Mains combined. Then 2 Deery Brothers Summer Series points provisionals will be awarded, with the final spot going to the highest in points from 34 Raceway getting into the show....Drivers like Denny Woodworth, Rob Toland, Jeff Aikey, Darrel DeFrance, Mark Burgtorf, Gary Russell, Jack Sullivan are still yet to make it into the field....Mother nature moved in on Saturday morning and afternoon to cancel the finale until Sunday evening. If things are able to be run on Sunday, hot laps will start at 4:30, with racing starting at 5. The 2 Late Model B-Mains will be run, along with features in the Mod Lites and 4 Cylinders. Then the 100 lap Late Model finale, paying $10,000 to win will highlight the nights ending.
The night started off with 51 IMCA Late Models getting 2 laps around the speedway for times to help set the 5 heat race line-ups. At the end of qualifying Denny Woodworth would come out on top with the fastest time, followed by Tyler Bruening, Leroy Brenner, Justin Reed and Joey Gower. The top 20 drivers in times were then inverted for the five 12 lap heat races, with the rest lined up by times after the first two rows.
Late Model heat 1 had Jason Perry and Jason Frankel, the defending champion, on the front row. Frankel would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Perry and Josh Most, who started 6th. While Frankel and Perry pulled away from the field, Most and Denny Woodworth put on a battle for the 3rd and final transfer spot. Woodworth would slip under Most going into turn 1 on lap 8, but would slid up to high into turn 2 to allow Most to get back under him coming off of turn 2. Frankel would lead all 12 laps to claim the win and the pole for the 100 lap finale. Perry came home in 3rd, with Most holding off Woodworth for the final transfer spot. Notes from heat 1: Frankel was driving the number 72 machine driven by Billy Genebacher during the 2010 season....Mark Burgtorf was suppose to start outside row 3, but didn't make the call. As the field took the green to start the heat, Burgtorf's machine made the slow drive to staging to line-up for another heat. But he would learn that he was to late for his heat and now would have to come from the back of a B-Main. Seems there was some confusion about where he was posted on the board by a pit member.
Darren Miller and Nate Beuseling led the field to the drop of the green in heat race number 2, with Beuseling jumping out front on lap 1 over Miller and Tyler Bruening. Beuseling started to pull away from Miller over the next few laps, with Bruening working to hold off Sam Halstead for the battle for the third spot. Miller would close the gab between him and Beuseling on lap 10 and then went to work on him for the top spot. But Bueseling would hold on to pick up the win and earn the outside front row for the 100 lap finale. Miller settled for 2nd, followed by Bruening in 3rd. Notes from heat 2: Miller drove a #32D machine owned by Diercks....Kevin Sather made his Late Model debut at 34 Raceway in his #3 machine and then timed in 7th fastest overall. He would finish 5th in the heat to have a good start in one of the B-Mains....Keith Pratt drove the #11 machine driven by Darin Weisinger during the 2010 season to a 8th place finish....Mike Zemo Jr. started 7th and was running there when he went over turns 1 & 2 on lap 3. He would pull into the pits to avoid a caution and going to the rear.
Heat 3 was up next, with Ron Elbe and Lonnie Bailey on the front row for the 12 lap event. Bailey moved out front on the start, with Elbe and Terry Neal, who started 5th, following in 2nd and 3rd. While Bailey pulled away from the rest of the field and Elbe comfortable running in 2nd, the battle for 3rd heated up between Neal and Jay Johnson. Johnson would slip under Neal in turn 2, when Neal got to high and jumped the cushion to get the final transfer spot on lap 6. Bailey would lead all 12 laps to claim the easy win, Elbe held on for 2nd, with Johnson holding off a last lap challenge from Neal to earn the final transfer spot. Notes from heat 3: Leroy Brenner started 4th, as the 3rd fastest in time trials, but had troubles on the drop of the green. He would take his machine to the pits off of turn 2 to end his night....Stephen Kammerer drove the #99 machine driven by Doug Curless during the 2010 season to a 7th place finish.
Tom Goble and Boone McLaughlin made up the front row for the 12 lap heat 4, with McLaughlin grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. McLaughlin, who was running the top of the track, and Goble, who was glued to the bottom, ran the next 9 laps side-by-side, while Justin Reed, Ray Guss Jr. and Colby Springsteen waged a three car battle for the final transfer spot. Goble tried for the next 9 laps to get under McLaughlin for the lead, when disaster struck him coming off of turn four on lap 10. He would slow on the front stretch with steam coming from the front and made the pull into the infield to end his night. That put Reed into second and Guss Jr. in 3rd. The field was slowed on lap 11 when Mike Garland spun to a stop in turn 2 while running 5th. On the restart McLaughlin pulled away to claim the win, Reed held off Guss Jr. for 3rd. Notes from heat 4: Rob Toland came from 8th and finished a close 5th....Jason Cook slowed to a stop in turn one on the parade lap, as it appeared he lost some fluids out of the #3d machine.
The final heat race had Tom Bowling Jr. and Andy Eckrich on the front row, with Eckrich grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. While Eckrich started to pull away and Joey Gower comfortable in second, the battle for third would heat up. Kevin Blum was in the final transfer spot, with Bowling Jr. and Jack Sullivan wanting it. Sullivan would come from the bottom of the speedway to slid up in front of Bowling Jr. in turn 4 on lap 5. But he didn't quite clear Bowling's machine and made some contact, which slid Bowling Jr. back to 7th. Eckrich would pick up an easy win in heat 5, Gower held on for 2nd, with Blum coming home in 3rd. Notes from heat 5: Jay Chenoweth came from 8th and tried to get around Blum for the final transfer spot over the final 3 laps, but had to settle for 4th....Sullivan came home in 5th, driving the #15 machine owned by Lynn Richards....Jeff Aikey had motor troubles after hot laps and scratched his number #77 machine for the night. But Hershel Roberts would allow him to put a #77 on his second machine and use it for the night. He would come home in 6th at the checkered....Carey Umberger had troubles after hot laps and scratched from the rest of the nights activities.
Up next was the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Patrick Moore and Carson McCarl drawing the front row. On the drop of the green, McCarl would go into turn one and two to hot and got sideways. He would collect the car of Jayson Ditsworth, who started 4th, to bring out the caution and ending both drivers nights. For the restart Moore and Harold Pohren would make up the front row for the start, but it was 6th place man Brandyn Martin who jumped to the top of the track to grab the lead on lap 1. Another caution would appear on the speedway on the completion of lap 1, as Pohren spun in turn 2 and collected the machines of Moore and Jarrod Schneiderman. Pohren was able to tag the back of the field, while Moore had front end damage and Schneiderman had heavy wing damage to end both of there nights. On the restart Josh Higday, who was driving the 23J machine driven by Jim Hetrick during the 2010 season, jumped the start and brought the yellow light back on. He was sent to the back of the field, after coming from 7th to 2nd in one lap. Once again Higday would jump the restart from the back of the field to bring out the yellow. He was warned not to start until the orange cone in turn 4 or he would be blacked flag for jumping one more restart.
Martin grabbed the lead on the restart, with Justin Parrish, who started 9th, now following him in second. Parrish was working the bottom of the speedway and would slip under Martin on lap 3 to grab the top spot away. Parrish then started to pull away, when another caution came out on lap 7, when Bazil Hicks spun in turn 2. During the caution period, Bobby Mincer, who started 23rd after missing his heat with troubles, had worked his way to 3rd. But he would come to a stop on the front stretch when the engine compartment started to catch on fire. He would climb from the machine with his leg on fire, after rolling on the ground and help from Dennis Krieger the fire was put out on his leg. Mincer was ok, but his great run to the front was done. On the restart Parrish again jumped out front, with Martin working to hold off Kevin Hetrick, who started 12th. The final caution of the event came out on lap 11, as a tire was clipped in turn 2 and thrown out onto the racing surface. Parrish would pull away over the final 9 laps to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize. Matt Stephenson came from 11 and finished in 2nd, Hetrick was 3rd. Chad Huston made the pull up from Jamesport, MO and started the feature in 8th. He would pass 4 cars to come home in 4th, with Matt Krieger coming from 18th to round out the top 5.
Jeff Mueller and John Oliver Jr. drew the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Luke McLaughlin, who started 6th, spun down the backstretch to bring out the caution before a lap was scored. On the restart Mueller edged out Oliver Jr. at the line to lead lap 1. With Mueller out front, Oliver Jr. worked to hold off Derek St. Clair and Nathan Wood for second. The second caution of the event would come out on lap 4 when Andrew Griffin spun in turn 4 and collected the cars of Joe Gerdes and Greg Johnson. Mueller again grabbed the lead on the restart, as Wood who was 4th, went three wide going into turn three and came out of turn four with 2nd. Devon Timmerman would spin in turn 3 on lap 7 to bring caution to the speedway once again. On the restart Mueller again jumped out into the lead, with Wood now pressuring him for the lead. The yellow light would come back on, when McLaughlin spun in turn 2 to avoid hitting a slowing Travis Finke on lap 9. On the restart McLaughlin again spun his machine in turn 3, this time he elected to take it to the pits to end his night. Mueller again moved out front on the restart, with Wood again working on him for the top spot. Wood would try to get under Mueller on the final lap, but Mueller held him off at the line to pick up the win. Wood settled for 2nd, Jim Redmann came from 7th to finish in 3rd, St. Clair came home in 4th, with Kirk Kinlsey coming from 10th to round out the top five.
The final event of the night was the 20 lap J&J Steel Iron Man Challenge, an event ran for any driver who had a perfect attendance for the 2010 Deery Brothers Summer Series. The field of 12 drivers were inverted by points, which put TJ Criss and Todd Malmstrom on the front row. Criss would grab the lead on the drop of the green flag over Malmstrom and Kevin Blum. Criss started to pull away from the battle for second, when the first caution came out on lap 12, when Blum, who was running 5th, spun in turn four. On the restart Criss again moved out front, with Mark Preston moving into second over Malmstrom. Criss again started to pull away from the field, when the final caution of the event came out on lap 16. Malmstrom, who was running 4th, would spin to a stop in turn 2. Once again Criss moved out into the lead on the restart, but now had Terry Neal, who started 9th, following him in 2nd. Criss was able to hold off Neal over the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Neal settled for 2nd, Preston was 3rd, Andy Eckrich came from 10th to coming home in 4th, with Ray Guss Jr. passing 7 cars from his 12th place starting spot to round out the top 5.
Notes from 34: 51 Late Models, 24 305 Sprints and 22 Stock Cars made up the 97 cars signed in for battle......Nick Guernsey started the Sprint feature in 20th and passed 14 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Harold Pohren recovered from his lap 1 spin to come back to finish in 7th....Alan Ambers came from 15th and passed 7 cars to finish in 8th....Justin Newberry came from the rear after changing a flat tire to finish in 9th....Jamie Needham started 14th and came home in 10th....Alexsha Alexander came from 16th to come home in 11th....Bazil Hicks recovered from his lap 7 spin to finish in 12th....Brandyn Martin was running 2nd, but pulled off on lap 15 with troubles to end his night in 13th....Josh Higday came from the rear after jumping the restart on lap 1 to come back up to 3rd. But he would pull off on lap 14 with troubles to end his night in 14th....Bobby Mincer was credited with 15th after his fire on the lap 7 caution. He started 23rd and was up to 3rd before his troubles....Tony Davis, who finished 2nd in points for 2010, had motor troubles to end his night in 20th....Carson McCarl, the 16 year old son of Sprint Car driver Terry McCarl, made his second start of the season in a 305 Sprint. He would draw the 6th starting spot for heat race 3 and made it up to finish 2nd. Carson then drew number 2 for the feature to start outside the front row. On the drop of the green he would go into one and two to hard and got sideways. Jayson Ditsworth had no where to go and collided with McCarl. McCarl ended up with front end damaged to end his night in 21st....Matt Rogerson drove the #40 machine owned by Andy Huston. But troubles after hot laps would scratch him for the night......Rod Staats started the Stock Car feature in 12th and passed 5 cars to come home in 7th....Abe Huls came from the rear, after changing a tire on the lap 4 caution. He would restart in 17th and passed 9 cars to take home an 8th place finish....Sky Griffith started 15th and passed 6 cars to come home in 9th....Devon Timmerman recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 14th....Tim Breuer started 22nd and passed 7 cars to take home 15th......With 15 drivers making into the 100 lap finale, that leaves 11 spots still up for grabs. The top 3 cars from the B-Mains will make into the finale. The the fastest in time trials not in the show will get a spot, followed by a driver who passes the most cars through the heats and B-Mains combined. Then 2 Deery Brothers Summer Series points provisionals will be awarded, with the final spot going to the highest in points from 34 Raceway getting into the show....Drivers like Denny Woodworth, Rob Toland, Jeff Aikey, Darrel DeFrance, Mark Burgtorf, Gary Russell, Jack Sullivan are still yet to make it into the field....Mother nature moved in on Saturday morning and afternoon to cancel the finale until Sunday evening. If things are able to be run on Sunday, hot laps will start at 4:30, with racing starting at 5. The 2 Late Model B-Mains will be run, along with features in the Mod Lites and 4 Cylinders. Then the 100 lap Late Model finale, paying $10,000 to win will highlight the nights ending.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Pittman, Beuseling and Zroslik Top Dlouhy / DeVore Memorial Races at Tipton
Tipton, IA (Saturday, September 11, 2010) - What looked like a gloomy day to start out, turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and evening for racing in the midwest. I made the trip northwest to the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa for the 2nd Annual Dlouhy / DeVore Memorial race, featuring Modifieds for $2,000 to win, Late Models racing for $1,500 to win and 4 Cylinders going for $400 to win. For me it has been 5 or more years since I have been to Tipton to take in some racing action, and I must say I didn't leave there disappointed!
With 29 Late Models, 31 4 Cylinders and 50 Modifieds signed in to do battle, 17 events would have to be ran to determine what cars would take the green in each of the classes feature events. After 3 Late Model heats, 3 4cylinder heats and 5 Modified heats the top 16 cars in passing points were locked into the features, the remainder of the fields would have to make it in through the B-Mains. One Late Model B-Main, 2 4 Cylinder B-Mains and 3 Modified B's would set the field for each divisions features. Then the top 6 in passing points in each class ran a 6 lap dash to determine the first 3 rows of there features. Now that the features were set it was time for them to take to the track.
First up was the 15 lap 4 Cylinder feature, with James Roose and Joe Zroslik leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But Jarod McMichael, Brannon Bechen, Rob Axon and Tyler Whalen would collide in turn one to bring out the first caution. On the restart Zroslik took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. The field was slowed on lap 2, as Jeremy Campbell spun to a stop in turn 3 to bring the yellow light on. Zroslik again moved out front on the restart, with Steve Miedke holding on to 2nd. Bryce Garnhart slowed to a stop in turn 2 on lap 5 to bring the caution out, he was running 4th at the time. On the restart Lane Vohringer, who was runing 5th, Chris Holmlund, was running 6th, and Mike Morrow, who was in 7th, tangled going down the backstretch to bring the yellow light back on. On the restart Miedke, who was running 4th, got into the back of Steve Dwyer, who was running 2nd, causing him to get sideways and bottling the field up to bring out the yellow. Miedke was sent to the back for the restart for rough driving. Zroslik again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Dwyer and Jacob Ellithorpe trying to hold off a charging Campbell, who came from the rear after his lap 2 spin. Campbell would work his way into 2nd on lap 9 and then set his sights on Zroslik for the top spot. Coming of of turn four for the white flag, Campbell slipped under Zroslik for the lead. The two then came up on some lap traffic going into turn 3. Zroslik would choose the top of the speedway, while Campbell stayed low. The two would come off of turn four side-by-side with Zroslik edging out Campbell at the line by inches for the win and the $400 payday. Campbell was then penalized to the last car on the track, 13th, for actions in the tech area after the race. That would move Ellithorpe up to 2nd after starting 9th, Dwyer came from 12th to take home 3rd, McMichael after starting 13th, recovered from his lap 1 crash to come back to finish in 4th, with Kile Vohringer coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
Terry Neal and Ray Guss Jr. led the field to the green in the 30 lap Late Model feature, but it was third place starter Nate Beuseling who grabbed the top spot on lap 1. While Beuseling started pulling away from the rest of the field, Andy Eckrich, Ray Guss Jr. and Terry Neal battled for the 2nd spot. The one and only caution of the event would come out on lap 8, as Ryan Duhm spun to a stop in turn 2. On the restart Beuseling moved back out front, leaving Guss Jr. and Eckrich to battle for the second spot. Beuseling once again starting pulling away from the field, when he entered lapped traffic on lap 24. But that didn't slow him down as he led all 30 laps to claim the win and the $1,500 check. Eckrich and Guss Jr. would run the last 6 laps side-by-side through lapped traffic, with Eckrich edging out a second place finish, Guss Jr. settled for 3rd, Brian Harris came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Doug Nigh charging from 13th to come home in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the 35 lap Modifieds, with John Bull and Jeff Larson making up the front row. Larson would take advantage of his front row start to edge Bull at the line to lead lap 1. While Larson set the pace the battle for second was hot and heavy, as Milo Veloz, Bull and Bob Dominacki were battling two and three wide. The first caution of the race would come out on lap 9, as Thad Wilson, who was running 6th, slowed in turn 4 with rear end troubles. On the restart Larson would jump back out into the lead, but now had Mark Schulte, who started 12th, and Kevin Pittman, who made the pull down from Waterloo, IA started 8th, close behind him in second and third. The battle for the top spot would heat up on lap 12, as Pittman, on the bottom, Schulte, in the middle, and Larson, up top, went three wide coming off of turn four. Pittman would grab the top spot away from Larson and Schulte on lap 13 and then started to pull away. On lap 25 Pittman entered lap traffic, but that didn't slow him down as he had build up a straight away lead over the battle for second. But the final caution of the event would slow Pittman, as Scott Fridley spun to a stop in turn 4. Pittman again jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Schulte working to hold off Bruce Hanford and Ryan Dolan, who started 11th and was up to 4th, for 2nd. Pittman would pull away over the final 8 laps to pick up the win and the $2,000 top prize. Schulte won the battle for 2nd, Dolan settled for 3rd, Hanford was 4th, with Noah Coppess coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Tipton: After several years of not making the trip up to Tipton to take in a night of racing and after last nights show, I am sorry to say it has been to long. The action started on time and was run through without very little delay. The racing surface was awesome, as it provided two and three wide racing all night long. I must make sure I put them on the schedule for a return trip in 2011!......After Steve Miedke was sent to the back on lap 5 for rough driving, he was able to make his way back to the front to finish 6th in the 4 Cylinder feature....Rob Axon, who started 19th, was involved in the crash on the start and went to the back. He then passed 12 cars to bring home a 7th place finish....Chad Tucker came from 16th to finish in 8th....Brannon Bechen, who started 17th, was another driver involved in the lap 1 crash and sent to the back. He would come back through the field to finish in 9th....Jeffrey Vislisel came from 15th and passed 5 cars to finsh in 10th....Bill Whalen started 18th and finished in 11th....Tyler Whalen got into the feature after Tyler Kelly scratched and then passed 5 cars from his 20th place start to finish in 15th......Rob Toland started the Late Model feature in 11th and passed 4 cars to finish in 7th....Terry Neal was running 4th, when he got to high in turn one on the lap 9 restart and fell back to 9th where he finished. Mike Garland charged from his 18th place starting spot to take home a 10th place finish....Tom Goble had troubles in hot laps and scratched from the nights events....Dale Stolte had motor troubles in his 78 machine. But then jumped into the M2 car for the night and put it in the show. He would finish 13th after starting 10th......Steve Stewart was the man on the move at then end of the Modified feature, as he started 17th and passed 11 cars to finish in 6th....Brad Dierks passed 8 cars from his 15th starting spot to finish in 7th....Dan Albright started 20th and finished in 12th....Mike Darnell made the pull down from West Union and got the last spot in the third B-Main to start 22nd in the feature. He would pass 9 cars to take home 13th....Johnny Spaw started 21st and came home 15th....Scott Fridley appeared to have won the third Modified heat, but when the B-Mains came out he was last in the third B. Nothing was mentioned by the announcer to why he might got disquailifed from the win. In the B he started 12th and made it up to 5th, but they only took the top 2. So he would get into the feature with a track provisional and started 23rd. He then passed 7 cars to finish in 16th....Kevin Blackburn made the long pull up from Fulton, MO and drew the outside front row for the second heat race. He would spin in turn 2 on the start to bring out the caution, but with the one solo caution in effect he was sent to the pits. Kevin then started the third B-Main in 11th and managed to work his way to 4th, but missed making the feature by 2 spots.
With 29 Late Models, 31 4 Cylinders and 50 Modifieds signed in to do battle, 17 events would have to be ran to determine what cars would take the green in each of the classes feature events. After 3 Late Model heats, 3 4cylinder heats and 5 Modified heats the top 16 cars in passing points were locked into the features, the remainder of the fields would have to make it in through the B-Mains. One Late Model B-Main, 2 4 Cylinder B-Mains and 3 Modified B's would set the field for each divisions features. Then the top 6 in passing points in each class ran a 6 lap dash to determine the first 3 rows of there features. Now that the features were set it was time for them to take to the track.
First up was the 15 lap 4 Cylinder feature, with James Roose and Joe Zroslik leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But Jarod McMichael, Brannon Bechen, Rob Axon and Tyler Whalen would collide in turn one to bring out the first caution. On the restart Zroslik took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. The field was slowed on lap 2, as Jeremy Campbell spun to a stop in turn 3 to bring the yellow light on. Zroslik again moved out front on the restart, with Steve Miedke holding on to 2nd. Bryce Garnhart slowed to a stop in turn 2 on lap 5 to bring the caution out, he was running 4th at the time. On the restart Lane Vohringer, who was runing 5th, Chris Holmlund, was running 6th, and Mike Morrow, who was in 7th, tangled going down the backstretch to bring the yellow light back on. On the restart Miedke, who was running 4th, got into the back of Steve Dwyer, who was running 2nd, causing him to get sideways and bottling the field up to bring out the yellow. Miedke was sent to the back for the restart for rough driving. Zroslik again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Dwyer and Jacob Ellithorpe trying to hold off a charging Campbell, who came from the rear after his lap 2 spin. Campbell would work his way into 2nd on lap 9 and then set his sights on Zroslik for the top spot. Coming of of turn four for the white flag, Campbell slipped under Zroslik for the lead. The two then came up on some lap traffic going into turn 3. Zroslik would choose the top of the speedway, while Campbell stayed low. The two would come off of turn four side-by-side with Zroslik edging out Campbell at the line by inches for the win and the $400 payday. Campbell was then penalized to the last car on the track, 13th, for actions in the tech area after the race. That would move Ellithorpe up to 2nd after starting 9th, Dwyer came from 12th to take home 3rd, McMichael after starting 13th, recovered from his lap 1 crash to come back to finish in 4th, with Kile Vohringer coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
Terry Neal and Ray Guss Jr. led the field to the green in the 30 lap Late Model feature, but it was third place starter Nate Beuseling who grabbed the top spot on lap 1. While Beuseling started pulling away from the rest of the field, Andy Eckrich, Ray Guss Jr. and Terry Neal battled for the 2nd spot. The one and only caution of the event would come out on lap 8, as Ryan Duhm spun to a stop in turn 2. On the restart Beuseling moved back out front, leaving Guss Jr. and Eckrich to battle for the second spot. Beuseling once again starting pulling away from the field, when he entered lapped traffic on lap 24. But that didn't slow him down as he led all 30 laps to claim the win and the $1,500 check. Eckrich and Guss Jr. would run the last 6 laps side-by-side through lapped traffic, with Eckrich edging out a second place finish, Guss Jr. settled for 3rd, Brian Harris came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Doug Nigh charging from 13th to come home in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the 35 lap Modifieds, with John Bull and Jeff Larson making up the front row. Larson would take advantage of his front row start to edge Bull at the line to lead lap 1. While Larson set the pace the battle for second was hot and heavy, as Milo Veloz, Bull and Bob Dominacki were battling two and three wide. The first caution of the race would come out on lap 9, as Thad Wilson, who was running 6th, slowed in turn 4 with rear end troubles. On the restart Larson would jump back out into the lead, but now had Mark Schulte, who started 12th, and Kevin Pittman, who made the pull down from Waterloo, IA started 8th, close behind him in second and third. The battle for the top spot would heat up on lap 12, as Pittman, on the bottom, Schulte, in the middle, and Larson, up top, went three wide coming off of turn four. Pittman would grab the top spot away from Larson and Schulte on lap 13 and then started to pull away. On lap 25 Pittman entered lap traffic, but that didn't slow him down as he had build up a straight away lead over the battle for second. But the final caution of the event would slow Pittman, as Scott Fridley spun to a stop in turn 4. Pittman again jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Schulte working to hold off Bruce Hanford and Ryan Dolan, who started 11th and was up to 4th, for 2nd. Pittman would pull away over the final 8 laps to pick up the win and the $2,000 top prize. Schulte won the battle for 2nd, Dolan settled for 3rd, Hanford was 4th, with Noah Coppess coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Tipton: After several years of not making the trip up to Tipton to take in a night of racing and after last nights show, I am sorry to say it has been to long. The action started on time and was run through without very little delay. The racing surface was awesome, as it provided two and three wide racing all night long. I must make sure I put them on the schedule for a return trip in 2011!......After Steve Miedke was sent to the back on lap 5 for rough driving, he was able to make his way back to the front to finish 6th in the 4 Cylinder feature....Rob Axon, who started 19th, was involved in the crash on the start and went to the back. He then passed 12 cars to bring home a 7th place finish....Chad Tucker came from 16th to finish in 8th....Brannon Bechen, who started 17th, was another driver involved in the lap 1 crash and sent to the back. He would come back through the field to finish in 9th....Jeffrey Vislisel came from 15th and passed 5 cars to finsh in 10th....Bill Whalen started 18th and finished in 11th....Tyler Whalen got into the feature after Tyler Kelly scratched and then passed 5 cars from his 20th place start to finish in 15th......Rob Toland started the Late Model feature in 11th and passed 4 cars to finish in 7th....Terry Neal was running 4th, when he got to high in turn one on the lap 9 restart and fell back to 9th where he finished. Mike Garland charged from his 18th place starting spot to take home a 10th place finish....Tom Goble had troubles in hot laps and scratched from the nights events....Dale Stolte had motor troubles in his 78 machine. But then jumped into the M2 car for the night and put it in the show. He would finish 13th after starting 10th......Steve Stewart was the man on the move at then end of the Modified feature, as he started 17th and passed 11 cars to finish in 6th....Brad Dierks passed 8 cars from his 15th starting spot to finish in 7th....Dan Albright started 20th and finished in 12th....Mike Darnell made the pull down from West Union and got the last spot in the third B-Main to start 22nd in the feature. He would pass 9 cars to take home 13th....Johnny Spaw started 21st and came home 15th....Scott Fridley appeared to have won the third Modified heat, but when the B-Mains came out he was last in the third B. Nothing was mentioned by the announcer to why he might got disquailifed from the win. In the B he started 12th and made it up to 5th, but they only took the top 2. So he would get into the feature with a track provisional and started 23rd. He then passed 7 cars to finish in 16th....Kevin Blackburn made the long pull up from Fulton, MO and drew the outside front row for the second heat race. He would spin in turn 2 on the start to bring out the caution, but with the one solo caution in effect he was sent to the pits. Kevin then started the third B-Main in 11th and managed to work his way to 4th, but missed making the feature by 2 spots.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Most From Last to First For His First Deery Win of the Season
Donnellson, IA (Saturday, September 4, 2010) - What a perfect night for racing on a Saturday night, as the Lee County Speedway held there final night for the "Drive For Five". At the end of the night Josh Most (IMCA Late Models), Matt Greiner (IMCA Stock Cars), Mike Shelton (IMCA SportMods), Jake Wenig (Hobby Stocks) and Nick Wilkerson (Wild Things) took home feature wins.
The first feature to take to the speedway was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Michael Bliven and Derek Coleman drawing the front row. Coleman would take advantage of his start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Shelton, who started 6th. On the completion of lap 1, Bill Seyb spun in turn four and collected the cars of Jacob Smith and Jim Kuhlmeier to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Shelton jumped under Coleman to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Shelton then started to pull away from the battle for second, when the final caution came out on lap 12 to bring the field back to his back bumper. Brandon Symmonds would spin to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the final caution. Shelton again moved out front for the restart, with Cayden Carter and Bliven battling for second. Shelton would lead the final 3 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Carter won the battle for 2nd, Bliven settled for 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg came home in 4th, with Coleman rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature with Matt Gavin and Jake Wenig leading the field to the drop of the green. Wenig would grab the lead on lap 1 over Gavin and then worked to hold Gavin off, when the first caution came out on the completion of lap 2. A tire was clipped and pushed out onto the racing surface to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wenig again jumped out into the lead, with Gavin putting pressure on him. Gavin's run up front would end on lap 4 when he slowed with a flat right rear tire. At the same time Dean Kratzer got into Rob Wilsey, with Wilsey spinning in turn four to bring out the caution. That allowed Gavin to pull into the pits and get his tire changed, he returned to the back of the field for the restart. Mean while Wilsey drove into the side of Kratzer's car to show displeasure, so both drivers were given the black flag to end there nights. Wenig again grab the lead on the restart and then started to pull away from the field. With Wenig out front, Jim Lynch, who started 16th, was making a charge to the front. Lynch was up to third and battling Dane Fenton on the lap 4 restart. But in the mean time Wenig would pull away from the field to claim his 6th win of the season at the track. Lynch would slip under Fenton on the final lap to claim 2nd, Fenton settled for 3rd, Jim Oliver Jr. charged from 12th to finish in 4th, with Gavin coming back to finish in 5th. But Gavin was later disqualified in tech for an illegal transmission, giving 5th to Dan Wenig, who started 11th.
Jeff Mueller was suppose to start from the pole of the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, but motor troubles after the heat scratched him from the event. So Andrew Griffin and Abe Huls made up the front row for the event, with Huls jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Griffin. Aaron Brocksieck and Les Blakley would collide in turn 4 on the completion of lap 1 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Huls moved back out into the lead, with Phil Holtz moving into second. The second yellow of the event would come out on lap 4, as Griffin spun in turn 1 and collected Brocksieck and Brian Holmes. Huls again moved out front on the restart and then started to pull away from the field, leaving Holtz to battle Cale Samberg, who started 6th, Matt Greiner, who started 5th, and Jason Cook, who started 7th, for 2nd. Huls lead would be erased on lap 12, when Derek St. Clair came to a stop in turn 2 on lap 12 with a right front flat. On the restart Greiner would slip under Huls to grab the top spot away on lap 13 and then held off Cook over the final 2 laps to claim his second win of the season at the track. Samberg held on for 3rd, Holtz was 4th, with Griffin recovering from his lap 4 spin to come back to finish in 5th.
Drake Fenton and Nick Wilkerson drew the front row for the 12 lap Wild Thing feature. On the start William Michel would slow to a stop on the backstretch with troubles to bring out the caution. Wilkerson jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Chuck Fullenkamp battling him for the lead. But a caution after the completion of lap 2 would slow the battle up front. Mike Horning Jr. came to a stop on the backstretch to bring out the yellow. Once again Wilkerson moved out into the lead for the restart, with Wayne Noble over taking Fullenkamp for 2nd. Noble would work to get by Wilkerson for the lead over the next 7 laps, when the final caution came out on lap 9. Richard Bank and Horning Jr. would collide in turn four to bring out the yellow. Wilkerson again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim his second win of the season at the speedway. Noble held on for 2nd, Fullenkamp was 3rd, Darin Smith came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Michel recovering from his troubles on the start to come back to finish in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the 35 lap IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Model, with Tyler Bruening and TJ Criss drawing the front row. But it was third place starter Jason Perry coming around to grab the lead on lap 1. Perry then started to put some distance on the battle for second, when the first caution came out on lap 4. Ray Guss Jr., who was running 12th, came to a stop in turn 4 with a left rear flat. On the restart Perry again grabbed the lead, with Criss and Bruening battling for second. The caution would appear on the speedway on lap 6, when Josh Most stopped in turn 2. Perry again grabbed the lead on the restart, leaving Criss and Bruening battling for 2nd. While Perry pulled away from the battle for 2nd, Mark Burgtorf, who started 8th, jumped to the top of the speedway to start making his way towards the front. Burgtorf was up to 4th on lap 12, but would slow to a stop in turn 4 after the completion of lap 12 with a right rear flat. Once again Perry rocketed into the lead on the restart, with Criss working to hold off Rob Toland, who started 10th. Toland would work past Criss on lap 15 and then set his sights on Perry for the lead. With Perry out front and Toland trying to close, Jeff Aikey, who started 12th and Lonnie Bailey, who started 19th, where quickly moving there way towards the front. Aikey would over take Criss for 3rd on lap 19, with Bailey moving into to 5th. But Bailey's run to the front would come to an end on lap 20, as he lost a motor and slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Perry jumped back out front on the restart, with Toland and Aikey battling it out for 2nd. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 22, when Burgtorf slowed to a stop in turn 2 with troubles. Once again Perry grabbed the lead on the restart, with Toland and Aikey still battling for 2nd. But the man on the move was Most, who came from the back after his lap 6 caution. Most was working the very top of the speedway and worked his way past Aikey for 3rd on lap 25. Most then battled Toland, who was running the bottom, for second. Toland and Most would run laps 25-30 side-by-side, before Most took 2 on lap 31. Most then went to work to reel in Perry for the lead. Most would catch Perry with 2 laps to go, as Perry was working the very bottom of the speedway. Most would pull even with Perry coming out of turn 2 on the white flag lap, as the 2 drivers entered turn 3 side-by-side. Most would get the advantage coming off the top of the speedway in turn 4 and then edged out Perry by a nose to claim his first series win of the season. Perry settled for 2nd, Toland was 3rd, Justin Reed came home in 4th, with Aikey holding on for 5th.
Notes from LCS: 34 Late Models, 20 Wild Things, 18 Hobby Stocks, 15 Stock Cars and 11 SportMods made up the 98 cars signed in for battle......Ray Raker started the Hobby Stock feature in 13th and passed 6 cars to finish in 7th....Shawn Genkinger came from 14th to finish in 9th....Bobby Files passed 8 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Adam Scott started 17th and finished in 11th......Abe Huls led the Stock Car feature until lap 13 when he started to slow with troubles. Huls would pull into the pits on lap 14 to end his night in 8th......Kimberly Abbott started the Wild Things feature in 14th and then passed 5 cars to finish in 9th....Richard Bank recovered from the lap 9 crash to come back to finish in 10th....Joe Laue started 16th and passed 5 cars to finish in 11th....Josh Most amazing run from last to first in the Late Model feature put the crowd on there feet for the final lap. Most who thought he had a flat, slowed to a stop in turn 2 on lap 6 to bring out the yellow. He would go to the pits to be told everything looked good and returned to start 23rd for the restart. Most worked the top of the speedway to get around Perry on the final lap to win by inches....Terry Neal started 18th and passed 12 cars to come home in 6th....Tom Darbyshire passed 13 cars from his 20th place start to come home in 7th....Ray Guss Jr. came from the rear after a lap 4 flat to finish in 10th. Guss would also lock up the Deery Brothers Summer Series title with his finish. Early in the week Guss was named the 2010 IMCA Late Model National Champion to go along with the Deery title and 3 track championships, becoming the first driver to accomplish this all in the same year....Charlie McKenna took a provisional to get into the feature and started 22nd. He would pass 10 cars to come home in 12th....Nate Beuseling also got a provisional, thanks to Darrel DeFrance who declinded to use his final provisional of the year, and started 24th. Nate then passed 8 cars to take home a 16th place finish....At one time during the 35 lap feature 4 out of the top 5 cars were eligible for the $3,000 bonus, which went to any driver who competed in all or missed 1 night in weekly action at the Lee County Speedway and then won the Deery race. But Most's great run to the front and Perry's 2nd place finish would end Toland, Reed and Aikey's hopes of claiming the bonus money.
The first feature to take to the speedway was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Michael Bliven and Derek Coleman drawing the front row. Coleman would take advantage of his start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Shelton, who started 6th. On the completion of lap 1, Bill Seyb spun in turn four and collected the cars of Jacob Smith and Jim Kuhlmeier to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Shelton jumped under Coleman to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Shelton then started to pull away from the battle for second, when the final caution came out on lap 12 to bring the field back to his back bumper. Brandon Symmonds would spin to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the final caution. Shelton again moved out front for the restart, with Cayden Carter and Bliven battling for second. Shelton would lead the final 3 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Carter won the battle for 2nd, Bliven settled for 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg came home in 4th, with Coleman rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature with Matt Gavin and Jake Wenig leading the field to the drop of the green. Wenig would grab the lead on lap 1 over Gavin and then worked to hold Gavin off, when the first caution came out on the completion of lap 2. A tire was clipped and pushed out onto the racing surface to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wenig again jumped out into the lead, with Gavin putting pressure on him. Gavin's run up front would end on lap 4 when he slowed with a flat right rear tire. At the same time Dean Kratzer got into Rob Wilsey, with Wilsey spinning in turn four to bring out the caution. That allowed Gavin to pull into the pits and get his tire changed, he returned to the back of the field for the restart. Mean while Wilsey drove into the side of Kratzer's car to show displeasure, so both drivers were given the black flag to end there nights. Wenig again grab the lead on the restart and then started to pull away from the field. With Wenig out front, Jim Lynch, who started 16th, was making a charge to the front. Lynch was up to third and battling Dane Fenton on the lap 4 restart. But in the mean time Wenig would pull away from the field to claim his 6th win of the season at the track. Lynch would slip under Fenton on the final lap to claim 2nd, Fenton settled for 3rd, Jim Oliver Jr. charged from 12th to finish in 4th, with Gavin coming back to finish in 5th. But Gavin was later disqualified in tech for an illegal transmission, giving 5th to Dan Wenig, who started 11th.
Jeff Mueller was suppose to start from the pole of the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, but motor troubles after the heat scratched him from the event. So Andrew Griffin and Abe Huls made up the front row for the event, with Huls jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Griffin. Aaron Brocksieck and Les Blakley would collide in turn 4 on the completion of lap 1 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Huls moved back out into the lead, with Phil Holtz moving into second. The second yellow of the event would come out on lap 4, as Griffin spun in turn 1 and collected Brocksieck and Brian Holmes. Huls again moved out front on the restart and then started to pull away from the field, leaving Holtz to battle Cale Samberg, who started 6th, Matt Greiner, who started 5th, and Jason Cook, who started 7th, for 2nd. Huls lead would be erased on lap 12, when Derek St. Clair came to a stop in turn 2 on lap 12 with a right front flat. On the restart Greiner would slip under Huls to grab the top spot away on lap 13 and then held off Cook over the final 2 laps to claim his second win of the season at the track. Samberg held on for 3rd, Holtz was 4th, with Griffin recovering from his lap 4 spin to come back to finish in 5th.
Drake Fenton and Nick Wilkerson drew the front row for the 12 lap Wild Thing feature. On the start William Michel would slow to a stop on the backstretch with troubles to bring out the caution. Wilkerson jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Chuck Fullenkamp battling him for the lead. But a caution after the completion of lap 2 would slow the battle up front. Mike Horning Jr. came to a stop on the backstretch to bring out the yellow. Once again Wilkerson moved out into the lead for the restart, with Wayne Noble over taking Fullenkamp for 2nd. Noble would work to get by Wilkerson for the lead over the next 7 laps, when the final caution came out on lap 9. Richard Bank and Horning Jr. would collide in turn four to bring out the yellow. Wilkerson again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim his second win of the season at the speedway. Noble held on for 2nd, Fullenkamp was 3rd, Darin Smith came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Michel recovering from his troubles on the start to come back to finish in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the 35 lap IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Model, with Tyler Bruening and TJ Criss drawing the front row. But it was third place starter Jason Perry coming around to grab the lead on lap 1. Perry then started to put some distance on the battle for second, when the first caution came out on lap 4. Ray Guss Jr., who was running 12th, came to a stop in turn 4 with a left rear flat. On the restart Perry again grabbed the lead, with Criss and Bruening battling for second. The caution would appear on the speedway on lap 6, when Josh Most stopped in turn 2. Perry again grabbed the lead on the restart, leaving Criss and Bruening battling for 2nd. While Perry pulled away from the battle for 2nd, Mark Burgtorf, who started 8th, jumped to the top of the speedway to start making his way towards the front. Burgtorf was up to 4th on lap 12, but would slow to a stop in turn 4 after the completion of lap 12 with a right rear flat. Once again Perry rocketed into the lead on the restart, with Criss working to hold off Rob Toland, who started 10th. Toland would work past Criss on lap 15 and then set his sights on Perry for the lead. With Perry out front and Toland trying to close, Jeff Aikey, who started 12th and Lonnie Bailey, who started 19th, where quickly moving there way towards the front. Aikey would over take Criss for 3rd on lap 19, with Bailey moving into to 5th. But Bailey's run to the front would come to an end on lap 20, as he lost a motor and slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Perry jumped back out front on the restart, with Toland and Aikey battling it out for 2nd. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 22, when Burgtorf slowed to a stop in turn 2 with troubles. Once again Perry grabbed the lead on the restart, with Toland and Aikey still battling for 2nd. But the man on the move was Most, who came from the back after his lap 6 caution. Most was working the very top of the speedway and worked his way past Aikey for 3rd on lap 25. Most then battled Toland, who was running the bottom, for second. Toland and Most would run laps 25-30 side-by-side, before Most took 2 on lap 31. Most then went to work to reel in Perry for the lead. Most would catch Perry with 2 laps to go, as Perry was working the very bottom of the speedway. Most would pull even with Perry coming out of turn 2 on the white flag lap, as the 2 drivers entered turn 3 side-by-side. Most would get the advantage coming off the top of the speedway in turn 4 and then edged out Perry by a nose to claim his first series win of the season. Perry settled for 2nd, Toland was 3rd, Justin Reed came home in 4th, with Aikey holding on for 5th.
Notes from LCS: 34 Late Models, 20 Wild Things, 18 Hobby Stocks, 15 Stock Cars and 11 SportMods made up the 98 cars signed in for battle......Ray Raker started the Hobby Stock feature in 13th and passed 6 cars to finish in 7th....Shawn Genkinger came from 14th to finish in 9th....Bobby Files passed 8 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Adam Scott started 17th and finished in 11th......Abe Huls led the Stock Car feature until lap 13 when he started to slow with troubles. Huls would pull into the pits on lap 14 to end his night in 8th......Kimberly Abbott started the Wild Things feature in 14th and then passed 5 cars to finish in 9th....Richard Bank recovered from the lap 9 crash to come back to finish in 10th....Joe Laue started 16th and passed 5 cars to finish in 11th....Josh Most amazing run from last to first in the Late Model feature put the crowd on there feet for the final lap. Most who thought he had a flat, slowed to a stop in turn 2 on lap 6 to bring out the yellow. He would go to the pits to be told everything looked good and returned to start 23rd for the restart. Most worked the top of the speedway to get around Perry on the final lap to win by inches....Terry Neal started 18th and passed 12 cars to come home in 6th....Tom Darbyshire passed 13 cars from his 20th place start to come home in 7th....Ray Guss Jr. came from the rear after a lap 4 flat to finish in 10th. Guss would also lock up the Deery Brothers Summer Series title with his finish. Early in the week Guss was named the 2010 IMCA Late Model National Champion to go along with the Deery title and 3 track championships, becoming the first driver to accomplish this all in the same year....Charlie McKenna took a provisional to get into the feature and started 22nd. He would pass 10 cars to come home in 12th....Nate Beuseling also got a provisional, thanks to Darrel DeFrance who declinded to use his final provisional of the year, and started 24th. Nate then passed 8 cars to take home a 16th place finish....At one time during the 35 lap feature 4 out of the top 5 cars were eligible for the $3,000 bonus, which went to any driver who competed in all or missed 1 night in weekly action at the Lee County Speedway and then won the Deery race. But Most's great run to the front and Perry's 2nd place finish would end Toland, Reed and Aikey's hopes of claiming the bonus money.
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