Donnellson, IA (Saturday, October 9, 2010) - If there wasn't a full moon out on Friday night, it sure seemed like there was one over the Lee County Speedway. The action was wild in a few features, while the others provided some close finishes. After the checkered flag flew for the final time on the night Scott Hogan (Modifieds), Jason Cook (Stock Cars), Joel Rust (SportMods), Jake Wenig (Hobby Stocks), and Darin Smith (Wild Things) all took home feature wins.
The first feature of the night was the 15 lap SportMods, with Joel Rust and Michael Bliven drawing the front row. Rust would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Rodger Dresden and Bliven. The action up front was slowed for the first time after the completion of lap 2, as Dylan Book came to a stop in turn 2 with troubles. On the restart Bliven spun in turn 3 and collected Derek Coleman, Levi Smith and Creston Williams to bring the yellow light back on. Rust jumped back out into the lead on the restart, with Rod Staats getting around Dresden for second. While Rust worked to keep the lead the battle for second was a three car battle between Dresden, Staats and Kevin Cale, who was driving the 4k usually driven by Dean Kratzer. The battle up front was slowed again on lap 5, when Creston Williams came to a stop on the backstretch. On the restart Tom Elsen, who was running 5th, spun in turn 1 and collected Cory Tharp to bring the caution back out. Once again Rust moved out in the lead on the restart, with Dresden and Cale battling it out for second. Just as the battle up front was getting good, another caution would come out on lap 7. This time Dustin Smith, making his first start of 2010, spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light on. The time limit was up, so the race would either be ran green to the end of 15 laps or the next caution would put an end to the race. So on the restart Rust again grabbed the top spot, with Dresden holding back Cale for second. As Rust continued to hold back Dresden and Cale for the lead, Staats, who was running 5th, spun off of turn 4 and collected Coleman, who was running 7th. That would bring an end to the race with 10 laps completed. Rust would claim his first win of 2010 at the speedway. Dresden held on for 2nd, Cale was 3rd, Jim Gillenwater came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Phillip Cossel passing 9 cars from his 14th place starting spot to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 12 lap Wild Thing feature, with Devin Still and Wayne Noble leading the field to the drop of the green. Noble would take the lead on lap 1 over Still and Darin Smith. The three would battle for the lead, when they entered lap traffic on lap 7. Noble held the top spot, with Smith holding back Still for second. As they came up on a lap car on lap 10, Noble would choose the outside, with Smith going to the bottom. Smith came out of turn 2 with the lead, as Noble got hung up behind the lapped car. Smith then held off Noble on the final lap by inches to pick up his first win of 2010 at the track. Still held on for 3rd, Craig Bangert was 4th, with Chuck Fullenkamp coming home in 5th.
Nick Nevins and Jeff Waterman drew the front row for the 20 lap Modified feature. A caution would come out before the completion of lap 1, as Dennis LaVeine came to a stop in turn 2 and collected the cars of Wyatt Lantz, Beau Taylor, Jeff Kriz and Mike Fluegel. With five or more cars involved before a lap was completed all cars able to continue would get there spot back. On the restart Nevins grabbed the top spot over Waterman and Bill Roberts. Nevins then held the lead until lap 5, when Waterman slipped under him to grab the top spot. As Waterman held the lead, Nevins worked to hold back Tony Olson, who started 7th, and Scott Hogan. The action up front was slowed on lap 8, as Brandon Savage spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Tony Vondresky lost a drive shaft on the front strecth to bring the caution back out. The yellow light would appear on the 2nd attempt of a restart, when James Leffew spun in turn 1 and collected Scott Boles, Lonnie Heap, Ron Lauritzen and Kriz. Waterman would grab the lead again on the restart, with Nevins and Olson battling for second. Olson slipped under Nevins on lap 10 and then went to work on Waterman for the lead, as Nevins worked to hold back Hogan for 3rd. The four car battle up front was slowed on lap 14, when Mike Weikert Jr., who was battling Hogan for 3rd, slowed to a stop in turn 3 and collected Bill Roberts and Rich Smith. Once again Waterman jumped back out into the lead on the restart, with Olson getting sideways in turn 2 and falling back to 8th. Hogan would jump to the top of the track on lap 17 to take over the top spot from Waterman. After the completion of lap 17 the final caution of the event would come out, when Boles spun in turn 4 and collected Olson and Roberts. Hogan moved back out into the lead on the restart, with Josh Foster over taking Waterman for 2nd. Hogan then held off Foster over the final 3 laps to claim his first win of 2010 at the speedway. Waterman settled for 3rd, Nevins held on for 4th, with Leffew recovering from his lap 8 spin to finish in 5th.
John Hemsted and Abe Huls led the field to the green in the 15 lap Stock Car feature. But it was 3rd place starter Jeff Mueller who jumped into the lead on lap 1. Mueller started to pull away from Huls and Chris Webb, who were battling for 2nd, when the first caution came out on lap 4. Steve Steinkuhler came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Mueller moved back out into the lead, with Huls holding back Webb for second. Mueller again started to pull away from the battle for second, as Dave Warth, who started 7th, and Jason Cook, who came from 16th, were working there way towards the front. The final caution of the event would bring the field back to Muller's back bumper on lap 8. John Oliver Jr. got into Terry Houston and spun him in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller again grabbed the top spot, with Warth moving into 2nd. Mueller would bobble going into turn 3 on lap 11, with Warth getting into the back of him. But both drivers would recover to continue there battle for the lead. The white flag would come out on lap 14, with Mueller working the bottom of the track and Warth jumping to his outside. Going into turn 1 Mueller would slid into Warth and push him into the guardrail. Both came out of turn 2 with banged up cars, as Warth grabbed the lead going into turn 3. Mueller again slid off the bottom of turn 4 into Warth and spun him coming off of four. Both cars spun to a stop short of the finish line to bring out the yellow and checkered. Cook was giving the win, his 5th win of the season at the track. Derek St. Clair came from 6th to finish in 2nd, Houston recovered from the lap 8 spin to come back to finish in 3rd, Huls held on for 4th, with Webb rounding out the top 5.
The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Ray Raker and Rob Wilsey on the front row. Wilsey took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. But a caution after the completion of lap 1 would slow the action down. Drake Fenton would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wilsey again moved out into the lead, with Tanner Thomann coming from 6th to grab 2nd and Jake Wenig coming from 8th to take 3rd. Another caution would come out after the completion of lap 2, as Gabe Harrison spun in turn 2. On the restart Wenig would jump to the top of the speedway to take over the top spot on lap 3. Jake then worked to hold back Thomann and Wilsey, when the yellow came out on lap 6. Dean Kratzer, who was running 4th, slowed in turn 2 with a right rear flat. Wenig again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Thomann holding off Dan Wenig, who started 7th, for 2nd. Jake started to pull away from the battle for 2nd, when another caution came out on lap 11. Harrison would spin in turn 4 to bring the yellow back on and ending his night with a second solo spin. On the restart Jeremy Billings would spin in turn 4 to bring the caution back out. A second attempt for a restart would be slowed for Chad Krogmeier who spun in turn 2. Jake Wenig moved out into the lead on the restart, with Dan Wenig close behind in 2nd. Jake would hold off his dad on the final lap to claim his 8th win of the season at the track. Wilsey held on for 3rd, Thomann came back to finish 4th after pitting on the lap 11 caution for a right front flat, with Raker holding on to finish in 5th.
Notes from LCS: 31 Modifieds, 24 Wild Things, 20 Stock Cars, 19 SportMods and 17 Hobby Stocks made up the 111 cars signed in on the night......Brandon Symmonds passed 13 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in 6th in the SportMod feature. He was disquailified after the heat for having a j-bar and was forced to start in the back of the feature....Michael Bliven recovered from his spin on lap 2 to come back to finish in 7th....Jesse Belez came from 12th to finish in 8th....Tom Elsen came back from his spin on lap 9 to finish in 9th....Jim Kuhlmeier started 16th and came home in 10th....Jim Buhlman was running 5th when he pulled in on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 15th....Johnny Williams was running 7th when he had troubles and pulled in on lap 2 to end his run in 18th......The Wild Thing feature went 12 laps of caution FREE!!! racing....Nick Wilkerson came from 12th to finish in 7th....Jerrod Nichols passed 12 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to finish in 10th....Kimberly Abbott came from 17th to finish in 12th......Tyler Olson recovered from the lap 17 yellow to come back to finish in 6th in the Modified feature....Wyatt Lantz passed 14 cars from his 21st starting spot finish in 7th....Rob Kirchner came from 14th to finish in 8th....Brandon Savage came from 19th and recovered from his lap 8 spin to finish in 9th....Scott Boles came from 20th to finish in 11th....Mike Fluegel took the last transfer spot out of the B-Main to start 24th. He would pass 9 cars to finish in 15th....Tyler Cale was suppose to start in the 16th starting spot, but he would loose a driveshaft going into turn 1 on the parade lap to end his night before it got started......John Emerson passed 13 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish 7th in the Stock Car feature....Travis Finke came from 15th to finsih in 9th......Adam Scott came from 13th to finsih in 6th in the Hobby Stock feature....Jeremy Billings started 12th and recovered from his lap 11 spin to come home in 7th....Drake Fenton made his first start of the season in the Hobby Stocks and started 17th. He would spin on the first lap and 12th lap to end his night in 9th....Jim Lynch was running 5th when he pulled in on the lap 11 caution with a right rear flat to end his night in 10th......Kevin Cale held off Dylan Book, who started 7th, to win the SportMod Rookie Rally......Devin Still held off Craig Bangert, who started 14th, to claim the Wild Thing Rookie Rally......Jeff Waterman won the Modified Rookie Rally over Tyler Glass and Dustan Fenton......Aaron Brockseick held off Derek St. Clair, who started 10th, to claim the Stock Car Rookie Rally......Tim Dawson came from 6th to pass Ray Raker to win the Hobby Stock Rookie Rally.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
VanderBeek, Curtin, Gibson and Brown Take Home $1,000 Wins on Night 1 of the Fall Challenge
Oskaloosa, IA (Friday, October 8, 2010) - What a beautiful night for racing on a Friday in October, as temperatures were around the mid 80's during the day time and mid 50's at night. With the beautiful weather and $1,000 to win in the Modifieds, Stock Cars, B-Modifieds and Hobby Stocks 173 cars signed in for Night 1 of the 24th Annual MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA.
After 3 Modified heats, 4 Stock Car heats and 2 B-Mains, 6 B-Modified heats and 2 B-Mains, and 6 Hobby Stock heat races and 2 B-Mains the 24 car fields were set in all 4 classes. The winner of each class would take home a top prize of $1,000.
The first feature on the night was the 20 lap B-Modifieds, with Michael Grantham and Bill Gibson drawing the front row for the event. Gibson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Grantham and Andrew Schroeder. Gibson held Grantham off until the first caution slowed the action on lap 3. Galen Hassler spun to a stop in turn 1. On the restart Gibson moved back out into the lead, with Schroeder and Brett Moffitt battling it out for second. The second caution of the event would come out on lap 6, when Drew Lawson was forced into the front stretch wall, where he came to a stop. Gibson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Schroeder and Moffitt still battling for second. Schroeder would try several times to get around the top of Gibson, but Gibson would hold him back until lap 14. Paul Underwood would spin in turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the event. On the restart Gibson jumped back out into the lead, with Moffitt getting second. Gibson would hold on over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Moffitt finished 2nd, Schroder was 3rd, Scott Davis came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Jason Schlangen coming from 8th to round out the top 5.
Zack VanderBeek and Matt Dotson led the field to the green in the 25 lap Modified feature, with VanderBeek grabbing the top spot on lap 1. VanderBeek started to put some distance between him and the second place car of Ron VerBeek, when he entered lap traffic on lap 5. VerBeek was able to close in on VanderBeek and then went to work on him for the lead. But a caution on lap 9 would slow the battle for the top spot. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the first yellow of the event. On the restart VanderBeek jumped back out into the lead, with Bruce Hanford and Brad Pinkerton over taking VerBeek for 2nd and 3rd. VanderBeek again started to put some distance between him and the battle for second, when he entered lap traffic on lap 16. But a caution on lap 18 for Tim Sands who spun off turn 2, would bring the field back to VanderBeek's back bumper. Once again VanderBeek moved out front on the restart, with VerBeek getting second back. VanderBeek would pull away over the final 7 laps to claim the win. VerBeek settled for 2nd, Kevin Blackburn came from 5th to finish in 3rd, Kelly Shryock started 9th and finished 4th, with Ryan Peckham coming from 7th to round out the top 5.
The 18 lap Hobby Stock feature was up next, with Richard Yaw II and Craig Brown drawing the front row. Brown would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Yaw II and Chris Hovden, who started 5th. The first caution of the event would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Rocky Fosdyck spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Brown moved back out into the lead, with Hovden and Yaw II battling for 2nd. The action up front was slowed on lap 3, as Todd Reitzler, who started 10th, got into the side of Yaw II coming out of 4. Yaw II would make contact into the front stretch wall, with parts fall off his car onto the racing surface. Brown again jumped out into the top spot on the restart, with Hovden working to hold off Reitzler for 2nd. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 6, as Donovan Nunnikhoven got sideways coming off of turn four and collected the cars of Andy Coleman and Kris Walker. Once again Brown grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hovden and Shane Klaassen following close behind. Brown would hold off a last lap challenge from Hovden to pick up the win. Klaassen settled for 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Danny Thrasher coming from 18th to finish in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the 20 lap Stock Cars, with Ty Hill and Corey Stout leading the field to the green flag. Stout took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Shay Curtin and Kyle Harwood. Stout then worked to hold off Curtin until the first caution would come out on lap 4, as Lynn Panos spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Curtin would slip past Stout to take over the top spot. Curtin then worked to hold off Stout, until another caution came out on lap 8. Wayne Crimmins would spin in turn 2. On the restart Michael Johnston spun in turn 3 to bring the yellow light back on. Once again Curtin jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Nathan Wood coming from 5th to get second. Curtin was running the top, with Wood on the bottom, as the two battled for the top spot. But a red on lap 11 would slow the action, as Kevin Donlan took a nasty roll at the end of the front stretch going into turn 1. He would climb from the car ok, but there was heavy damage done to the machine. On the restart Curtin again moved back out into the lead, with Wood going back to work on him for the lead. The battle up front would be slowed for the final time on lap 13, as Keith Williamson's machine caught fire going into turn 1 to bring out the red. Curtin again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Wood and Steve Jackson, who started 15th, battling for 2nd. Curtin would hold off all challenges from Wood over the final 2 laps to claim the win. Jackson came home in 3rd, Todd Inman came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Matt Greiner rounding out the top 5.
Notes from Osky: 54 B-Modifieds, 50 Hobby Stocks, 44 Stock Cars and 25 Modifieds made up the 173 cars signed into to battle it out......Tyler Groenendyk came from 12th in the B-Modified feature to finish in 6th....Tad Reutzel started 22nd and passed 14 cars to finish in 8th....Greg Elliott passed 11 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Cayden Carter came from 19th to finish in 10th....Michael Grantham started on the pole and was running in the top 5, until his left front broke on lap 15. He would finish the final 5 laps with a broke left front and managed to come home in 11th....Scott Van Buskirk came from 21st to finish in 12th....Carter VanDenBerg passed 11 cars from his 24th place start to finish in 13th....Chad Louk started 17th and had worked his way into 10th. But a left rear flat on lap 18 would give him a 19th place finish......Brandon Banks started the Modified feature in 17th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Mark Widmar came from 18th to finish in 10th....Rick Germer passed 7 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 13th....Tyler VandeKamp came from 23rd to finish in 15th....Dave Garber made the long pull over from Las Cassas, TN to battle it out in the Modified division. He would start heat race 2 from the pole and the held on for a 4th place finish, good enough to get in the redraw. He would redraw 11th for the feature, but troubles late in the race would give him an 18th place finish....Corey Dripps was leading heat 1 when he slowed and pull in on the backstretch of the white flag lap. He would pull over to the scales and found out the race wasn't over, so he was credited with 7th. He thought the heat races were 7 laps and not 8. That would put Dripps in the 21st starting spot instead of a redraw spot. He would make a few laps in the feature and then pulled in to finish in 23rd....John Fellman had motor troubles in hot laps to end his night early......Scott Pipert started the Hobby Stock feature in 12th and would come home in 6th....John Watson passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Ryan Vicker came from 22nd to finish in 9th....Jim Tull passed 11 cars from his 21st starting spot to finish in 10th....Dan Hovden started 11th and was running 7th when he pitted on the lap 6 yellow. He would come from the back to take home a 12th place finish....Dean Richards came from 24th to finish in 13th......Night 2 of the MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge concludes tonight (Saturday, October 9th) with $2,000 to win in the Modifieds, Stock Cars, B-Modifieds and Hobby Stocks!!!
After 3 Modified heats, 4 Stock Car heats and 2 B-Mains, 6 B-Modified heats and 2 B-Mains, and 6 Hobby Stock heat races and 2 B-Mains the 24 car fields were set in all 4 classes. The winner of each class would take home a top prize of $1,000.
The first feature on the night was the 20 lap B-Modifieds, with Michael Grantham and Bill Gibson drawing the front row for the event. Gibson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Grantham and Andrew Schroeder. Gibson held Grantham off until the first caution slowed the action on lap 3. Galen Hassler spun to a stop in turn 1. On the restart Gibson moved back out into the lead, with Schroeder and Brett Moffitt battling it out for second. The second caution of the event would come out on lap 6, when Drew Lawson was forced into the front stretch wall, where he came to a stop. Gibson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Schroeder and Moffitt still battling for second. Schroeder would try several times to get around the top of Gibson, but Gibson would hold him back until lap 14. Paul Underwood would spin in turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the event. On the restart Gibson jumped back out into the lead, with Moffitt getting second. Gibson would hold on over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Moffitt finished 2nd, Schroder was 3rd, Scott Davis came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Jason Schlangen coming from 8th to round out the top 5.
Zack VanderBeek and Matt Dotson led the field to the green in the 25 lap Modified feature, with VanderBeek grabbing the top spot on lap 1. VanderBeek started to put some distance between him and the second place car of Ron VerBeek, when he entered lap traffic on lap 5. VerBeek was able to close in on VanderBeek and then went to work on him for the lead. But a caution on lap 9 would slow the battle for the top spot. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the first yellow of the event. On the restart VanderBeek jumped back out into the lead, with Bruce Hanford and Brad Pinkerton over taking VerBeek for 2nd and 3rd. VanderBeek again started to put some distance between him and the battle for second, when he entered lap traffic on lap 16. But a caution on lap 18 for Tim Sands who spun off turn 2, would bring the field back to VanderBeek's back bumper. Once again VanderBeek moved out front on the restart, with VerBeek getting second back. VanderBeek would pull away over the final 7 laps to claim the win. VerBeek settled for 2nd, Kevin Blackburn came from 5th to finish in 3rd, Kelly Shryock started 9th and finished 4th, with Ryan Peckham coming from 7th to round out the top 5.
The 18 lap Hobby Stock feature was up next, with Richard Yaw II and Craig Brown drawing the front row. Brown would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Yaw II and Chris Hovden, who started 5th. The first caution of the event would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Rocky Fosdyck spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Brown moved back out into the lead, with Hovden and Yaw II battling for 2nd. The action up front was slowed on lap 3, as Todd Reitzler, who started 10th, got into the side of Yaw II coming out of 4. Yaw II would make contact into the front stretch wall, with parts fall off his car onto the racing surface. Brown again jumped out into the top spot on the restart, with Hovden working to hold off Reitzler for 2nd. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 6, as Donovan Nunnikhoven got sideways coming off of turn four and collected the cars of Andy Coleman and Kris Walker. Once again Brown grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hovden and Shane Klaassen following close behind. Brown would hold off a last lap challenge from Hovden to pick up the win. Klaassen settled for 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Danny Thrasher coming from 18th to finish in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the 20 lap Stock Cars, with Ty Hill and Corey Stout leading the field to the green flag. Stout took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Shay Curtin and Kyle Harwood. Stout then worked to hold off Curtin until the first caution would come out on lap 4, as Lynn Panos spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Curtin would slip past Stout to take over the top spot. Curtin then worked to hold off Stout, until another caution came out on lap 8. Wayne Crimmins would spin in turn 2. On the restart Michael Johnston spun in turn 3 to bring the yellow light back on. Once again Curtin jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Nathan Wood coming from 5th to get second. Curtin was running the top, with Wood on the bottom, as the two battled for the top spot. But a red on lap 11 would slow the action, as Kevin Donlan took a nasty roll at the end of the front stretch going into turn 1. He would climb from the car ok, but there was heavy damage done to the machine. On the restart Curtin again moved back out into the lead, with Wood going back to work on him for the lead. The battle up front would be slowed for the final time on lap 13, as Keith Williamson's machine caught fire going into turn 1 to bring out the red. Curtin again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Wood and Steve Jackson, who started 15th, battling for 2nd. Curtin would hold off all challenges from Wood over the final 2 laps to claim the win. Jackson came home in 3rd, Todd Inman came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Matt Greiner rounding out the top 5.
Notes from Osky: 54 B-Modifieds, 50 Hobby Stocks, 44 Stock Cars and 25 Modifieds made up the 173 cars signed into to battle it out......Tyler Groenendyk came from 12th in the B-Modified feature to finish in 6th....Tad Reutzel started 22nd and passed 14 cars to finish in 8th....Greg Elliott passed 11 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Cayden Carter came from 19th to finish in 10th....Michael Grantham started on the pole and was running in the top 5, until his left front broke on lap 15. He would finish the final 5 laps with a broke left front and managed to come home in 11th....Scott Van Buskirk came from 21st to finish in 12th....Carter VanDenBerg passed 11 cars from his 24th place start to finish in 13th....Chad Louk started 17th and had worked his way into 10th. But a left rear flat on lap 18 would give him a 19th place finish......Brandon Banks started the Modified feature in 17th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Mark Widmar came from 18th to finish in 10th....Rick Germer passed 7 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 13th....Tyler VandeKamp came from 23rd to finish in 15th....Dave Garber made the long pull over from Las Cassas, TN to battle it out in the Modified division. He would start heat race 2 from the pole and the held on for a 4th place finish, good enough to get in the redraw. He would redraw 11th for the feature, but troubles late in the race would give him an 18th place finish....Corey Dripps was leading heat 1 when he slowed and pull in on the backstretch of the white flag lap. He would pull over to the scales and found out the race wasn't over, so he was credited with 7th. He thought the heat races were 7 laps and not 8. That would put Dripps in the 21st starting spot instead of a redraw spot. He would make a few laps in the feature and then pulled in to finish in 23rd....John Fellman had motor troubles in hot laps to end his night early......Scott Pipert started the Hobby Stock feature in 12th and would come home in 6th....John Watson passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Ryan Vicker came from 22nd to finish in 9th....Jim Tull passed 11 cars from his 21st starting spot to finish in 10th....Dan Hovden started 11th and was running 7th when he pitted on the lap 6 yellow. He would come from the back to take home a 12th place finish....Dean Richards came from 24th to finish in 13th......Night 2 of the MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge concludes tonight (Saturday, October 9th) with $2,000 to win in the Modifieds, Stock Cars, B-Modifieds and Hobby Stocks!!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Moyer Sweeps Knoxville With Big Win on Saturday
Knoxville, IA (Saturday, October 2, 2010) - Billy Moyer became the first driver in the 7 year history of the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway to sweep all 3 nights of racing. Moyer who won Thursday and Friday nights preliminary features, then came back to take home the big prize on Saturday night.
The first event on the night was the 15 lap Late Model C-Main, with the top 6 going on to tag the back of the B-Main. John Duty and Rickey Frankel led the field to the drop of the green, with Frankel leading lap 1 over Duty and Kerry Hansen. Frankel would hold the top spot until lap 13, when Duty slipped by for the lead. Duty then led the final 2 laps to claim the win. Frankel held on for 2nd, Hansen was 3rd, Mike Fryer was 4th, Joel Callahan was 5th, with Darrel DeFrance claiming the final transfer spot into the B-Main.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Modified B-Main, with the top 8 moving into the A-Main. Ron Pope and Eric Dailey made up the front row for the event, with Dailey grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. Pope, who was running 4th, jumped the cushion in turn 2 on lap 2 and collected Rob Hughes. Hughes would make hard contact with the outside fence to end his night. On the restart Dailey moved back out into the lead, with JJ Wise and Greg Cox battling for second. The second yellow of the event would come out on lap 3 as Josh Gilman got sideways in turn 2, with Jeff Waterman spinning to avoid contact. On the restart Cox jumped to the outside of Dailey to take over the top spot. Cox then held it until the next caution came out on lap 10. Josh Foster, who was battling for the 8th and final transfer spot, slowed to a stop in turn 2 with troubles to end his night. Once again Cox would grab the lead on the restart and then went on to claim the win. Wise held on for 2nd, Jake Durbin was 3rd, Shawn Jerovetz started 15th and passed 11 cars to finish in 4th, Jerry Wilinski came from 12th to finish in 5th, Gilman finished 6th, Tyler VandeKamp came from 16th to finish in 7th, with Mike O'Lear holding on to take the final transfer spot into the A-Main.
Jake Sullivan and Rob Moss led the field to the green in the 20 lap Late Model B-Main, with the top 6 going to the A-Main. But it was fourth place starter Brad Neat who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Sullivan, Moss and Jimmy Mars. Neat would hold the top spot until lap 7, when Mars slipped by to take over the lead. But Neat would come back to grab the lead back on lap 8. Neat and Mars would battle for the top spot until lap 13, when Mars finally took the lead for good. Neat settled for 2nd, Sullivan was 3rd, Jason Rauen was 4th, Moss held on for 5th, with Chris Simpson claiming the final transfer spot.
The 25 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Rich Smith and Michael Long leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Long would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Darin Duffy and Todd Shute. Long's lead only last for 1 lap, as Shute slipped under him to take over the top spot on lap 2. The first yellow would appear on lap 7, as Randy Havlik would slow to a stop in turn 2 with troubles. On the restart Shute again moved out into the lead over Duffy, Long, Ryan Ruter and Richie Gustin. The battle up front would come to a stop on lap 8, as Jake Durbin brought the red out. He would roll going into turn 3 to end his night. But he would climb from the car ok! Shute again jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Duffy and Gustin battling for 2nd. Shute started to pull away from the field, when smoke appeared from his machine on lap 14. Duffy was slowly gaining on Shute for the lead, when another caution came out on lap 21 for debris. When Shute slowed for the caution, heavy smoke emerged from his machine to end his run up front. On the restart Duffy would inherit the lead. But the yellow light would come back on, as Richie Gustin slipped in turn 2 and got into Jon Snyder, who came from 7th to 3rd. Snyder would make hard contact into the turn 1 wall to end his night. Another caution on the restart would slow the pace for the final time. This time Long, who was running 7th, tagged the wall in turn 3 to come to a stop. He would collect the car of Mark Elliott, who came from 13th to 8th at the time. Duffy moved back out into the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 4 laps to claim the win and the $2,000 top prize. Brian Mullen came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Smith held on for 3rd, Jeremy Mills started 11th and slipped past Gustin on the final lap to claim 4th. Gustin was 5th.
The final event of the night was the 100 lap Late Model feature, with Scott Bloomquist and Billy Moyer on the front row. Bloomquist would grab the lead on the drop of the green flag over Moyer, Earl Pearson Jr. and Tim McCreadie. But the first caution of the event would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Jason Utter spun in turn 1. On the restart Steve Francis, who was running 8th, spun in turn 2 and collected Brad Neat, Darren Miller and Jason Rauen. Bloomquist again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Moyer and Pearson Jr. battling it out for 2nd. The action was slowed again on lap 5, when Bub McCool came to a stop in 3 with troubles. Once again Bloomquist jumped out into the top spot on the restart, with Pearson Jr., Moyer, Darrell Lanigan, who started 8th, close behind. Bloomquist then held onto the lead until lap 7, when Brian Birkhofer slowed to a stop in turn 2 with a left rear flat. On the restart Bloomquist again grabbed the lead, with Moyer, Pearson Jr. and Lanigan battling it out for 2nd. Moyer would slip under Bloomquist on lap 12 to take over the top spot, as Lanigan followed him into 2nd. Moyer started to pull away from Lanigan, when he entered lapped traffic on lap 15 to allow Lanigan to gain on him. Lanigan, who was working the bottom, and Moyer, who was up top, ran laps 20-26 side-by-side. But a caution on lap 26 would slow the battle up front, as Utter came to a stop in turn 4.
Moyer moved back out front on the restart, with Josh Richards, who started 11th, taking over 2nd from Lanigan. Richards tried several times to get by Moyer for the lead. But there battle would be slowed on lap 37, as Kelly Boen, who was running 11th, spun in turn 1. On the restart Moyer again grabbed the lead over Richards, Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens, who started 15th. Richards again tried Moyer for the lead several times, but Moyer started to pull away. Moyer's advantage would be erased on lap 57, when Jimmy Mars, who started 25th and had worked his way to 8th, slowed in turn 1 with tire smoke. His right front nose piece was rubbing the tire to cause the heavy smoke. Once again Moyer jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Richards and Shannon Babb, who came from 21st, battling it out for 2nd. Moyer's lead over the battle for second would be erased on lap 67, as Rick Eckert slowed down the backstretch. Officials would put the red light on, as they decided to stop the cars on the front stretch to allow the teams to add fuel only. On the restart Moyer again grabbed the lead, with Babb holding off Richards for second. But the yellow light would come back on 1 lap later, as Dan Schlieper slowed to a stop in turn 2.
Again Moyer moved out into the lead on the restart, with Richards and Babb still battling for second. The action was slowed again on lap 70, as Matt Miller slowed in turn 1 with a left rear flat. Moyer jumped back out into the top spot on the restart, but was slowed for the final time on lap 71. Owens, who was running 8th, would slow to a stop in turn 1 with a left rear flat. On the restart Moyer again grabbed the lead and then pulled away over the final 29 laps to claim his first Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals. Moyer with his win both Thursday and Friday, worth $7,000 each night, and his win on Saturday, worth $40,000, took home $54,000 for his three nights. Richards won the battle for 2nd, Lanigan came back to finish in 3rd, Francis recovered from his lap 1 spin to finish in 4th, with the man on the move at the finish Will Vaught coming from 22nd to round out the top 5.
Notes from Knoxville: 52 Late Models returned on the final night to try for one of the 30 spots in the A-Main....The top 6 in the C-Main would move into the B-Main, as John VanDenBerg and John Anderson didn't return. VanDenBerg and Anderson where scheduled to start 13th and 14th in the B-Main....Mark Burgtorf made a last lap attempt to get past Chris Simpson for the final transfer spot into the A-Main, but would come up short....Babb on the final restarts would slip back to finish 6th in the A-Main....Mars recovered from his lap 57 yellow to come back to finish in 7th....Owens finished 11th after his lap 71 flat....Eckert came back to finish 15th after his lap 67 yellow....Scott Bloomquist who was running 4th at the time of the lap 57 caution, pulled into the pits to make changes. He crew looked to be changing both rear shocks and tires. They didn't get the work done in time to get Bloomquist out for the restart, so Bloomquist would go 1 lap down to finish in 19th....Ryan Newman was given a provisional and started 31st. He would pass 10 cars to take home a 21st place finish....The top 8 cars in the IMCA Modified B-Main would transfer into the A-Main, as a result of Chris Abelson and Jeff Jones not returning. Abelson and Jones were scheduled to start the A-Main in 11th and 12th....Jimmy Gustin started the B-Main in 8th and had worked his way up to 3rd by lap 8. But he would slow and pull into the pits with troubles on lap 9 to end his night....Eric Dailey, who was running 2nd, in the B-Main slowed on the lap 10 restart and pulled into the pits to end his night....J.D. Auringer started the A-Main in 12th and passed 5 cars to take home a 7th place finish....Josh Gilman came from 21st and passed 13 cars to finish in 9th....JJ Wise started 18th and passed 8 cars to finish in 10th....Bill Davis Jr. came from 16th to finish in 11th....Greg Cox won the B-Main and started 17th. He would pass 4 cars to finish in 13th....Shawn Jerovetz came from 20th to finish in 15th....Clayton Christensen has motor troubles in hot laps and had to scratch from his 14th place starting spot in the A-Main.
The first event on the night was the 15 lap Late Model C-Main, with the top 6 going on to tag the back of the B-Main. John Duty and Rickey Frankel led the field to the drop of the green, with Frankel leading lap 1 over Duty and Kerry Hansen. Frankel would hold the top spot until lap 13, when Duty slipped by for the lead. Duty then led the final 2 laps to claim the win. Frankel held on for 2nd, Hansen was 3rd, Mike Fryer was 4th, Joel Callahan was 5th, with Darrel DeFrance claiming the final transfer spot into the B-Main.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Modified B-Main, with the top 8 moving into the A-Main. Ron Pope and Eric Dailey made up the front row for the event, with Dailey grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. Pope, who was running 4th, jumped the cushion in turn 2 on lap 2 and collected Rob Hughes. Hughes would make hard contact with the outside fence to end his night. On the restart Dailey moved back out into the lead, with JJ Wise and Greg Cox battling for second. The second yellow of the event would come out on lap 3 as Josh Gilman got sideways in turn 2, with Jeff Waterman spinning to avoid contact. On the restart Cox jumped to the outside of Dailey to take over the top spot. Cox then held it until the next caution came out on lap 10. Josh Foster, who was battling for the 8th and final transfer spot, slowed to a stop in turn 2 with troubles to end his night. Once again Cox would grab the lead on the restart and then went on to claim the win. Wise held on for 2nd, Jake Durbin was 3rd, Shawn Jerovetz started 15th and passed 11 cars to finish in 4th, Jerry Wilinski came from 12th to finish in 5th, Gilman finished 6th, Tyler VandeKamp came from 16th to finish in 7th, with Mike O'Lear holding on to take the final transfer spot into the A-Main.
Jake Sullivan and Rob Moss led the field to the green in the 20 lap Late Model B-Main, with the top 6 going to the A-Main. But it was fourth place starter Brad Neat who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Sullivan, Moss and Jimmy Mars. Neat would hold the top spot until lap 7, when Mars slipped by to take over the lead. But Neat would come back to grab the lead back on lap 8. Neat and Mars would battle for the top spot until lap 13, when Mars finally took the lead for good. Neat settled for 2nd, Sullivan was 3rd, Jason Rauen was 4th, Moss held on for 5th, with Chris Simpson claiming the final transfer spot.
The 25 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Rich Smith and Michael Long leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Long would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Darin Duffy and Todd Shute. Long's lead only last for 1 lap, as Shute slipped under him to take over the top spot on lap 2. The first yellow would appear on lap 7, as Randy Havlik would slow to a stop in turn 2 with troubles. On the restart Shute again moved out into the lead over Duffy, Long, Ryan Ruter and Richie Gustin. The battle up front would come to a stop on lap 8, as Jake Durbin brought the red out. He would roll going into turn 3 to end his night. But he would climb from the car ok! Shute again jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Duffy and Gustin battling for 2nd. Shute started to pull away from the field, when smoke appeared from his machine on lap 14. Duffy was slowly gaining on Shute for the lead, when another caution came out on lap 21 for debris. When Shute slowed for the caution, heavy smoke emerged from his machine to end his run up front. On the restart Duffy would inherit the lead. But the yellow light would come back on, as Richie Gustin slipped in turn 2 and got into Jon Snyder, who came from 7th to 3rd. Snyder would make hard contact into the turn 1 wall to end his night. Another caution on the restart would slow the pace for the final time. This time Long, who was running 7th, tagged the wall in turn 3 to come to a stop. He would collect the car of Mark Elliott, who came from 13th to 8th at the time. Duffy moved back out into the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 4 laps to claim the win and the $2,000 top prize. Brian Mullen came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Smith held on for 3rd, Jeremy Mills started 11th and slipped past Gustin on the final lap to claim 4th. Gustin was 5th.
The final event of the night was the 100 lap Late Model feature, with Scott Bloomquist and Billy Moyer on the front row. Bloomquist would grab the lead on the drop of the green flag over Moyer, Earl Pearson Jr. and Tim McCreadie. But the first caution of the event would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Jason Utter spun in turn 1. On the restart Steve Francis, who was running 8th, spun in turn 2 and collected Brad Neat, Darren Miller and Jason Rauen. Bloomquist again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Moyer and Pearson Jr. battling it out for 2nd. The action was slowed again on lap 5, when Bub McCool came to a stop in 3 with troubles. Once again Bloomquist jumped out into the top spot on the restart, with Pearson Jr., Moyer, Darrell Lanigan, who started 8th, close behind. Bloomquist then held onto the lead until lap 7, when Brian Birkhofer slowed to a stop in turn 2 with a left rear flat. On the restart Bloomquist again grabbed the lead, with Moyer, Pearson Jr. and Lanigan battling it out for 2nd. Moyer would slip under Bloomquist on lap 12 to take over the top spot, as Lanigan followed him into 2nd. Moyer started to pull away from Lanigan, when he entered lapped traffic on lap 15 to allow Lanigan to gain on him. Lanigan, who was working the bottom, and Moyer, who was up top, ran laps 20-26 side-by-side. But a caution on lap 26 would slow the battle up front, as Utter came to a stop in turn 4.
Moyer moved back out front on the restart, with Josh Richards, who started 11th, taking over 2nd from Lanigan. Richards tried several times to get by Moyer for the lead. But there battle would be slowed on lap 37, as Kelly Boen, who was running 11th, spun in turn 1. On the restart Moyer again grabbed the lead over Richards, Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens, who started 15th. Richards again tried Moyer for the lead several times, but Moyer started to pull away. Moyer's advantage would be erased on lap 57, when Jimmy Mars, who started 25th and had worked his way to 8th, slowed in turn 1 with tire smoke. His right front nose piece was rubbing the tire to cause the heavy smoke. Once again Moyer jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Richards and Shannon Babb, who came from 21st, battling it out for 2nd. Moyer's lead over the battle for second would be erased on lap 67, as Rick Eckert slowed down the backstretch. Officials would put the red light on, as they decided to stop the cars on the front stretch to allow the teams to add fuel only. On the restart Moyer again grabbed the lead, with Babb holding off Richards for second. But the yellow light would come back on 1 lap later, as Dan Schlieper slowed to a stop in turn 2.
Again Moyer moved out into the lead on the restart, with Richards and Babb still battling for second. The action was slowed again on lap 70, as Matt Miller slowed in turn 1 with a left rear flat. Moyer jumped back out into the top spot on the restart, but was slowed for the final time on lap 71. Owens, who was running 8th, would slow to a stop in turn 1 with a left rear flat. On the restart Moyer again grabbed the lead and then pulled away over the final 29 laps to claim his first Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals. Moyer with his win both Thursday and Friday, worth $7,000 each night, and his win on Saturday, worth $40,000, took home $54,000 for his three nights. Richards won the battle for 2nd, Lanigan came back to finish in 3rd, Francis recovered from his lap 1 spin to finish in 4th, with the man on the move at the finish Will Vaught coming from 22nd to round out the top 5.
Notes from Knoxville: 52 Late Models returned on the final night to try for one of the 30 spots in the A-Main....The top 6 in the C-Main would move into the B-Main, as John VanDenBerg and John Anderson didn't return. VanDenBerg and Anderson where scheduled to start 13th and 14th in the B-Main....Mark Burgtorf made a last lap attempt to get past Chris Simpson for the final transfer spot into the A-Main, but would come up short....Babb on the final restarts would slip back to finish 6th in the A-Main....Mars recovered from his lap 57 yellow to come back to finish in 7th....Owens finished 11th after his lap 71 flat....Eckert came back to finish 15th after his lap 67 yellow....Scott Bloomquist who was running 4th at the time of the lap 57 caution, pulled into the pits to make changes. He crew looked to be changing both rear shocks and tires. They didn't get the work done in time to get Bloomquist out for the restart, so Bloomquist would go 1 lap down to finish in 19th....Ryan Newman was given a provisional and started 31st. He would pass 10 cars to take home a 21st place finish....The top 8 cars in the IMCA Modified B-Main would transfer into the A-Main, as a result of Chris Abelson and Jeff Jones not returning. Abelson and Jones were scheduled to start the A-Main in 11th and 12th....Jimmy Gustin started the B-Main in 8th and had worked his way up to 3rd by lap 8. But he would slow and pull into the pits with troubles on lap 9 to end his night....Eric Dailey, who was running 2nd, in the B-Main slowed on the lap 10 restart and pulled into the pits to end his night....J.D. Auringer started the A-Main in 12th and passed 5 cars to take home a 7th place finish....Josh Gilman came from 21st and passed 13 cars to finish in 9th....JJ Wise started 18th and passed 8 cars to finish in 10th....Bill Davis Jr. came from 16th to finish in 11th....Greg Cox won the B-Main and started 17th. He would pass 4 cars to finish in 13th....Shawn Jerovetz came from 20th to finish in 15th....Clayton Christensen has motor troubles in hot laps and had to scratch from his 14th place starting spot in the A-Main.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Night One of the 7th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals Goes to Moyer
Knoxville, IA (Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010) - With work sending me off to a computer class on Friday, which meant I didn't have to get up so early, I decided to make the trip over to Knoxville, IA. On tap was night one of the 7th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals, along with an invitational for the IMCA Modifieds.
The night started off with 59 of the 61 Late Models taking time trials. Jimmy Owens was the third car out and was the only one to get into the 17 second range, with a lap of 17.950. Scott Bloomquist was the 57th car out and was 2nd, Steve Francis was 3rd, Earl Pearson Jr. was 4th, with Matt Miller coming in 5th.
Up next was the 4 IMCA Modified 8 lap heat races, with the top 16 in passing points going into the A-Main....Heat 1 saw Ryan Ruter grab the top spot from his outside front row starting spot. Ruter then held it until lap 3, when Richie Gustin, who started 6th, slipped under him for the lead. Gustin then pulled away for the win. Ruter was 2nd, with Eric Dailey 3rd....Mark Schulte jumped out front on lap 1 of heat race 2 and then pulled away to pick up the win. Jeremy Mills would come home in 2nd, with Clint Hatelstad coming from 7th to finish in 3rd....Heat race 3 saw Randy Havlik grab the top spot on the drop of the green flag and then went on to take the checkered flag. Brain Mullen held on for 2nd, with Jason Snyder coming from 6th to finish in 3rd....Rich Smith came from 3rd to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat race 4. Smith then held off Darin Duffy, who started 8th, to pick up the win. Ron Pope would come home in 3rd.
Five 12 lap Late Model heat races were next, with the top 50 in times inverted in the first five rows of the heat races. The top 4 finishers would move on into the A-Main, with 5th-8th going to the B-Main, and the final finishers going to the C-Main....Heat race 1 saw Jeep VanWormer jump out into the lead on lap 1, but Mark Burgtorf would slip under him on lap 3 to take over the top spot. Burgtorf would go on to lead the final 9 laps to get the win. Chad Simpson came from 6th to finish in 2nd, Brian Shirley came from 7th to finish in 3rd, with Josh Richards coming from 8th to finish in 4th....John VanDenBerg took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat race 2. But Brady Smith, who started 7th, moved under him on lap 4 to take over the top spot. Smith then pulled away to claim the win. Austin Hubbard came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Scott Bloomquist started 10th and finished in 3rd, with VanDenBerg holding on for the final transfer spot in 4th....Heat race 3 saw Kerry Hansen jump out into the early lead from his pole position. Hansen then held the top spot until lap 7, when Darrell Lanigan slipped under him for the top spot. Lanigan would hold the lead until the restart on lap 10, when he pulled into the pits with troubles. Bub McCool, who started 9th, would inherit the lead and then went on to claim the win. Steve Francis came from 10th to finish in 2nd, Scott James was 3rd, with Ryan Newman coming from 11th to take the 4th and final transfer spot....Denny Woodworth took advantage of his pole position to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat race 5. But Jack Sullivan would jump to his outside to grab the lead away on lap 2. Earl Pearson Jr., who started 10th, would take advantage of the lap 8 yellow to grab the lead on lap 9. But Sullivan would slip back under him on lap 10 to grab the lead back. Sullivan then led the final 2 laps to claim the win. Tim McCreadie came from 9th to get 2nd, Pearson Jr. held on for 3rd, with Kelly Boen coming home in 4th....The fifth and final heat saw Rob Moss jump out into the lead on lap 1. Moss then held the lead until lap 3, when Billy Moyer, who started 7th, slipped by for the lead. Moyer then pulled away to pick up the win. Moss held on for 2nd, Brad Neat was 3rd, with Matt Miller coming from 10th to round out the top 4.
After a break the 15 lap Late Model C-Main would take to the speedway next, with the top 4 tagging the tail of the B-Main. Will Vaught took advantage of his outside front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jimmy Owens. Vaught would go on to lead all 15 laps to claim the win. Owens held on for 2nd, Shannon Babb was 3rd, with Jason Utter coming from 9th to claim the 4th and final transfer spot.
The two 10 lap IMCA Modified B-Mains were next, with the top 4 in each transferring into the A-Main. Greg Cox grabbed the lead on the drop of the green in the first B-Main, with Jake Durbin close behind in second. Cox would go on to lead all 10 laps to pick up the win. Durbin held on for 2nd, JD Auringer was 3rd, with Chris Abelson holding on to take the final transfer spot....The second B-Main saw Jon Snyder grab the lead on lap 1 over Jimmy Gustin. Snyder would lead all 10 laps to pick up the win. Gustin held on for 2nd, Mark Elliott came from 6th to finish in 3rd, with Jeff Jones holding on for 4th.
Brian Birkhofer moved out front on lap 1 of the 20 lap Late Model B-Main, where the top 4 finishers transferred into the A-Main. Darren Miller would try to work past Birkhofer early in the race, but Birkhofer was able to hold of his challenges. Birkhofer would lead all 20 laps to claim the win. Miller held on for 2nd, Rick Eckert was 3rd, with Denny Eckrich taking the 4th and final transfer spot.
With both features set, the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up first. Richie Gustin took advantage of his pole position to jump out into the lead on the drop of the green flag, with Darin Duffy, Rich Smith and Mark Schulte battling it out for second. Gustin started to pull away from the second place battle, when the first and only caution of the event came out on lap 7. Eric Dailey, who started 13th and was up to 6th, Jeremy Mills was running 8th, and Michael Long, who started 16th and was up to 10th, all slowed to a stop in turns 3 and 4 with troubles. On the restart Gustin moved back into the lead, with Duffy working to hold off Schulte, Ryan Ruter, who started 8th, and Todd Schute, who came from 12th. Ruter would over take Duffy for second on lap 12 and then set his sights on Gustin for the lead. But Gustin had build up a straight away lead and then pulled away to claim the win and the $1,500 top prize. Ruter held on for 2nd, Duffy was 3rd, Shute came home in 4th, with Schulte holding on for 5th.
The final event of the night was the 25 lap Late Model feature, with Josh Richards and Tim McCreadie leading the field to the green. McCreadie would grab the lead on lap 1, with Richards, Austin Hubbard, Matt Miller and Bub McCool battling for second. Richards would slip under McCreadie on lap 3 to take over the top spot and then held it until lap 7. Steve Francis, who was running 9th, brought out the one and only caution, when he came to a stop in turn 1. On the restart Richards jumped back out into the lead, with McCreadie working to hold off Hubbard, Earl Pearson Jr. and Billy Moyer, who started 11th. McCreadie would take the top spot away from Richards on lap 10, with Pearson and Moyer moving up to 2nd and 3rd on lap 11. Moyer then would work past Pearson for the 2nd spot on lap 14 and then went to work on McCreadie for the lead. On lap 17 Moyer slipped under McCreadie to take over the top spot and then pulled away over the final 8 laps to pick up the win and the $7,000 check. McCreadie held on for 2nd, Scott Bloomquist came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Pearson Jr. held on for 4th, with Brady Smith coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Night 1 at Knoxville: 59 of the 61 Late Models took times, with Curt Schroeder and Ron Boyse having troubles in hot laps and scratched for the remainder of the evening....Jimmy Owens who set fast time, would struggle the rest of the night. He would start 10th in heat 1 and would only manage a 9th place finish to put him in the C-Main. Owens then started on the pole of the C-Main and would finish 2nd to transfer to the back of the B-Main, where he started 22nd. Again Owens struggles to get to the front, as he settled for an 18th place finish to end his night....Will Vaught was another driver who started the night out good but struggled throughout the evening. As he would set the 6th fastest time and then started heat 1 in the 9th spot. Vaught would finish 10th in that race and then started the C-Main on the outside of the front row. He would jump into the lead on lap 1 and then went on to win the C-Main to earn the 21st starting spot for the B-Main. Vaught would pass 14 cars, but would come up 3 spots short of transferring into the A-Main....Jeep VanWormer was running 3rd, in a transfer spot, in the first heat race when he slowed on the final lap to finish 7th....Shannon Babb started heat race 4 in the 7th spot and had worked his way into 2nd by lap 7. But Babb would slow on lap 8 with a left rear flat to end his run in a transfer spot. Babb then started the C-Main in 5th and worked his way up to finish 3rd to take a transfer spot into the B-Main. He then started the B-Main in 23rd and passed 9 cars to finish 14th, but not good enough to transfer into the A-Main....Jake Meier in his first attempt at the Late Model Nationals, started off the night by setting the 10th fastest time in time trials. He then started heat race 5 in the 9th spot, but would finish there. That would put him 3rd in the C-Main where he was running 4th, a transfer spot into the B-Main. But Meier would slow on lap 3 with troubles and pulled off to end his night....Brian Birkhofer would start the A-Main from the 21st starting spot. He would pass 13 cars to take home a 8th place finish....Rick Eckert came from 23rd to finish in 14th....Darren Miller was running 13th, when he slowed on the final lap to fall back to a 21st place finish....37 IMCA Modifieds signed in on Night 1....Jon Snyder would pass 9 cars from his 18th starting spot in the A-Main to come home in 9th....Chris Abelson came from 23rd to pass 13 cars to finish in 10th....JD Auringer started 21st and passed 10 cars to come home in 11th....Jeff Jones passed 12 cars from his 24th starting spot to finish in 12th....Jimmie Gustin came from 20th and was running 7th, when he lost an engine on the final lap to end his night in 18th....Mark Elliott started 22nd and had worked his way up to 5th by lap 13. But he would slow and pull off on lap 14 with troubles to end his night in 19th.
The night started off with 59 of the 61 Late Models taking time trials. Jimmy Owens was the third car out and was the only one to get into the 17 second range, with a lap of 17.950. Scott Bloomquist was the 57th car out and was 2nd, Steve Francis was 3rd, Earl Pearson Jr. was 4th, with Matt Miller coming in 5th.
Up next was the 4 IMCA Modified 8 lap heat races, with the top 16 in passing points going into the A-Main....Heat 1 saw Ryan Ruter grab the top spot from his outside front row starting spot. Ruter then held it until lap 3, when Richie Gustin, who started 6th, slipped under him for the lead. Gustin then pulled away for the win. Ruter was 2nd, with Eric Dailey 3rd....Mark Schulte jumped out front on lap 1 of heat race 2 and then pulled away to pick up the win. Jeremy Mills would come home in 2nd, with Clint Hatelstad coming from 7th to finish in 3rd....Heat race 3 saw Randy Havlik grab the top spot on the drop of the green flag and then went on to take the checkered flag. Brain Mullen held on for 2nd, with Jason Snyder coming from 6th to finish in 3rd....Rich Smith came from 3rd to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat race 4. Smith then held off Darin Duffy, who started 8th, to pick up the win. Ron Pope would come home in 3rd.
Five 12 lap Late Model heat races were next, with the top 50 in times inverted in the first five rows of the heat races. The top 4 finishers would move on into the A-Main, with 5th-8th going to the B-Main, and the final finishers going to the C-Main....Heat race 1 saw Jeep VanWormer jump out into the lead on lap 1, but Mark Burgtorf would slip under him on lap 3 to take over the top spot. Burgtorf would go on to lead the final 9 laps to get the win. Chad Simpson came from 6th to finish in 2nd, Brian Shirley came from 7th to finish in 3rd, with Josh Richards coming from 8th to finish in 4th....John VanDenBerg took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat race 2. But Brady Smith, who started 7th, moved under him on lap 4 to take over the top spot. Smith then pulled away to claim the win. Austin Hubbard came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Scott Bloomquist started 10th and finished in 3rd, with VanDenBerg holding on for the final transfer spot in 4th....Heat race 3 saw Kerry Hansen jump out into the early lead from his pole position. Hansen then held the top spot until lap 7, when Darrell Lanigan slipped under him for the top spot. Lanigan would hold the lead until the restart on lap 10, when he pulled into the pits with troubles. Bub McCool, who started 9th, would inherit the lead and then went on to claim the win. Steve Francis came from 10th to finish in 2nd, Scott James was 3rd, with Ryan Newman coming from 11th to take the 4th and final transfer spot....Denny Woodworth took advantage of his pole position to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat race 5. But Jack Sullivan would jump to his outside to grab the lead away on lap 2. Earl Pearson Jr., who started 10th, would take advantage of the lap 8 yellow to grab the lead on lap 9. But Sullivan would slip back under him on lap 10 to grab the lead back. Sullivan then led the final 2 laps to claim the win. Tim McCreadie came from 9th to get 2nd, Pearson Jr. held on for 3rd, with Kelly Boen coming home in 4th....The fifth and final heat saw Rob Moss jump out into the lead on lap 1. Moss then held the lead until lap 3, when Billy Moyer, who started 7th, slipped by for the lead. Moyer then pulled away to pick up the win. Moss held on for 2nd, Brad Neat was 3rd, with Matt Miller coming from 10th to round out the top 4.
After a break the 15 lap Late Model C-Main would take to the speedway next, with the top 4 tagging the tail of the B-Main. Will Vaught took advantage of his outside front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jimmy Owens. Vaught would go on to lead all 15 laps to claim the win. Owens held on for 2nd, Shannon Babb was 3rd, with Jason Utter coming from 9th to claim the 4th and final transfer spot.
The two 10 lap IMCA Modified B-Mains were next, with the top 4 in each transferring into the A-Main. Greg Cox grabbed the lead on the drop of the green in the first B-Main, with Jake Durbin close behind in second. Cox would go on to lead all 10 laps to pick up the win. Durbin held on for 2nd, JD Auringer was 3rd, with Chris Abelson holding on to take the final transfer spot....The second B-Main saw Jon Snyder grab the lead on lap 1 over Jimmy Gustin. Snyder would lead all 10 laps to pick up the win. Gustin held on for 2nd, Mark Elliott came from 6th to finish in 3rd, with Jeff Jones holding on for 4th.
Brian Birkhofer moved out front on lap 1 of the 20 lap Late Model B-Main, where the top 4 finishers transferred into the A-Main. Darren Miller would try to work past Birkhofer early in the race, but Birkhofer was able to hold of his challenges. Birkhofer would lead all 20 laps to claim the win. Miller held on for 2nd, Rick Eckert was 3rd, with Denny Eckrich taking the 4th and final transfer spot.
With both features set, the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up first. Richie Gustin took advantage of his pole position to jump out into the lead on the drop of the green flag, with Darin Duffy, Rich Smith and Mark Schulte battling it out for second. Gustin started to pull away from the second place battle, when the first and only caution of the event came out on lap 7. Eric Dailey, who started 13th and was up to 6th, Jeremy Mills was running 8th, and Michael Long, who started 16th and was up to 10th, all slowed to a stop in turns 3 and 4 with troubles. On the restart Gustin moved back into the lead, with Duffy working to hold off Schulte, Ryan Ruter, who started 8th, and Todd Schute, who came from 12th. Ruter would over take Duffy for second on lap 12 and then set his sights on Gustin for the lead. But Gustin had build up a straight away lead and then pulled away to claim the win and the $1,500 top prize. Ruter held on for 2nd, Duffy was 3rd, Shute came home in 4th, with Schulte holding on for 5th.
The final event of the night was the 25 lap Late Model feature, with Josh Richards and Tim McCreadie leading the field to the green. McCreadie would grab the lead on lap 1, with Richards, Austin Hubbard, Matt Miller and Bub McCool battling for second. Richards would slip under McCreadie on lap 3 to take over the top spot and then held it until lap 7. Steve Francis, who was running 9th, brought out the one and only caution, when he came to a stop in turn 1. On the restart Richards jumped back out into the lead, with McCreadie working to hold off Hubbard, Earl Pearson Jr. and Billy Moyer, who started 11th. McCreadie would take the top spot away from Richards on lap 10, with Pearson and Moyer moving up to 2nd and 3rd on lap 11. Moyer then would work past Pearson for the 2nd spot on lap 14 and then went to work on McCreadie for the lead. On lap 17 Moyer slipped under McCreadie to take over the top spot and then pulled away over the final 8 laps to pick up the win and the $7,000 check. McCreadie held on for 2nd, Scott Bloomquist came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Pearson Jr. held on for 4th, with Brady Smith coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Night 1 at Knoxville: 59 of the 61 Late Models took times, with Curt Schroeder and Ron Boyse having troubles in hot laps and scratched for the remainder of the evening....Jimmy Owens who set fast time, would struggle the rest of the night. He would start 10th in heat 1 and would only manage a 9th place finish to put him in the C-Main. Owens then started on the pole of the C-Main and would finish 2nd to transfer to the back of the B-Main, where he started 22nd. Again Owens struggles to get to the front, as he settled for an 18th place finish to end his night....Will Vaught was another driver who started the night out good but struggled throughout the evening. As he would set the 6th fastest time and then started heat 1 in the 9th spot. Vaught would finish 10th in that race and then started the C-Main on the outside of the front row. He would jump into the lead on lap 1 and then went on to win the C-Main to earn the 21st starting spot for the B-Main. Vaught would pass 14 cars, but would come up 3 spots short of transferring into the A-Main....Jeep VanWormer was running 3rd, in a transfer spot, in the first heat race when he slowed on the final lap to finish 7th....Shannon Babb started heat race 4 in the 7th spot and had worked his way into 2nd by lap 7. But Babb would slow on lap 8 with a left rear flat to end his run in a transfer spot. Babb then started the C-Main in 5th and worked his way up to finish 3rd to take a transfer spot into the B-Main. He then started the B-Main in 23rd and passed 9 cars to finish 14th, but not good enough to transfer into the A-Main....Jake Meier in his first attempt at the Late Model Nationals, started off the night by setting the 10th fastest time in time trials. He then started heat race 5 in the 9th spot, but would finish there. That would put him 3rd in the C-Main where he was running 4th, a transfer spot into the B-Main. But Meier would slow on lap 3 with troubles and pulled off to end his night....Brian Birkhofer would start the A-Main from the 21st starting spot. He would pass 13 cars to take home a 8th place finish....Rick Eckert came from 23rd to finish in 14th....Darren Miller was running 13th, when he slowed on the final lap to fall back to a 21st place finish....37 IMCA Modifieds signed in on Night 1....Jon Snyder would pass 9 cars from his 18th starting spot in the A-Main to come home in 9th....Chris Abelson came from 23rd to pass 13 cars to finish in 10th....JD Auringer started 21st and passed 10 cars to come home in 11th....Jeff Jones passed 12 cars from his 24th starting spot to finish in 12th....Jimmie Gustin came from 20th and was running 7th, when he lost an engine on the final lap to end his night in 18th....Mark Elliott started 22nd and had worked his way up to 5th by lap 13. But he would slow and pull off on lap 14 with troubles to end his night in 19th.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)