Dlouhy / DeVore Memorial Wins Go To Elston and Stewart

Tipton, IA (Sunday, October 2, 2011) - The Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, IA played host to the 3rd Annual Dlouhy / DeVore Memorial Race on Sunday, October 2nd, and what a beautiful afternoon and evening to have a race. One Hundred forty-one race cars in six classes packed themselves into the pits in hopes of taking home the top prizes in each division.

After 17 heat races and 4 semi features, the main events were set. The first one to take to the track was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Randy Butterbrodt and Joe Grant drawing the front row. Butterbrodt would take advantage of his front row start by jumping out into the lead on lap 1. Butterbrodt then held the top spot until lap 4, when Joe Grant jumped to his outside to take over the lead. But Butterbrodt didn't give up, as he came back on the bottom to grab the lead back on lap 6. While Butterbrodt and Grant battled for the top spot, Matt Short, who started 4th, and Jeremy Campbell, who started 6th after showing up after the heat was run, were working there way into the battle. Short moved to the top of the track on lap 11 and took over the top spot from Butterbrodt. Short then held off a charging Campbell over the final 4 laps to claim the win. Butterbrodt settled for 3rd, Nate Yoerger was 4th, with Grant holding on for a top five.

Roy Pestka and Brant Hubler led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 15 lap B-Modified feature, with Pestka moving out front on lap 1. The first caution of the event would come out on the completion of lap 1, as Keith Keltner spun in turn 2. On the restart Pestka moved back out front, with Hubler still in second. The action was slowed one more time on lap 3, when Jason Hall and Ben Chapman collided in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Pestka again grabbed the lead on the restart, only to be slowed on lap 4. This time Brad Iverson came to a stop in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. Once again Pestka jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Hubler working to hold back Jarrett Franzen for second. Pestka started to pull away from the field, when the caution came back out on lap 7. Chris Case would spin his machine in turn 4 to bring the field back to Pestka's back bumper. On the restart Pestka again moved back out into the lead, with Hubler holding back Franzen. Pestka again pulled away from the field over the next 7 laps, when David Imming spun his machine in turn 2 on the white flag lap to bring out the yellow and checkers. Pestka would claim the win, Hubler held on for 2nd, Franzen was 3rd, Dakota Hayden came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Kevin Schroeder passing 9 cars from his 14th starting spot to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap 4 Cylinder feature, with Jeffrey Vislisel and Jordan Walker drawing the front row for the event. Walker took advantage of his front row draw to grab the lead on lap 1, only to be slowed on the completion of the lap for the first caution. Andy Wagner and Art Schott would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Justin Kay grabbed the lead away from Walker, with Chuck Fullenkamp following him into second. Fullenkamp would slip under Kay on lap 3 to grab the top spot, only to have Kay come back on the top to lead lap 4. But Fullenkamp didn't give up as he slipped under Kay on lap 5 to take the top spot back. With Fullenkamp and Kay battling for the lead, Jacob Ellithorpe, who started 11th, was working his way into the battle. Ellithorpe jumped the outside of Fullenkamp and Kay to go three wide for the lead on lap 7, with Ellithorpe coming out on top. The three way battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 8, when Jason Blocker spun in turn 3. On the restart Ellithorpe moved back out into the lead, with Fullenkamp and Kay going back to the battle for second. Ellithorpe would go on to lead the final 7 laps to pick up the win. Shane Evans came from 13th to edge Fullenkamp at the line to finish 2nd, Fullenkamp was 3rd, Gene Potter passed 12 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Bryce Bailey charging from 19th to claim fifth.

The 15 lap Stock Car feature was the next event to take to the speedway, with Matt Picray and Terry Rittmer leading the field to the green. Rittmer took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. But he was slowed on the completion of lap 1, when Jamie Figg came to a stop in the middle of the backstretch to bring out the first caution. On the restart Rittmer moved back out front, with Joe Bonney and Tim Current, who started 6th, battling for second. The battle up front was slowed on lap 3 when Dwaine Hasson got into Donnie Louck while battle for sixth, which caused Louck to spin in turn 3 and collected the cars of Wayne Hora and Figg. Once again Rittmer grabbed the lead on the restart and then held it until lap 5, when Current over took him on the top side of the speedway. Current then started to pull away from the rest of the field, when another yellow came out on lap 12. This time Rob Henry, who started 20th and had worked his way to 7th, spun in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Hora, who came from the rear after a lap 3 crash and was running 9th, spun his machine in turn 4 and collected the machines of Dan Mohr and Josh Starr. Once again Current moved back out front on the restart, but now had Matt Greiner, who started 12th, battling him for the lead. Just as the front runners took the white flag, Figg would spin his machine in turn four to bring out the yellow and checkers. Current would hold on for the win, Greiner settled for 2nd, Mike Schmidtz started 10th and came home in 3rd, Bonney held on for 4th, with Jeremy Marquette passing 14 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in fifth.

Tommy Elston and Jake Meier led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 30 lap Late Model feature, but it was third place starter Ray Guss Jr. grabbing the lead on lap 1. The first caution of the event came out on lap 2, when Chad Patch and Mike Cothron spun in turn 1. On the restart Bryan Klein, Stephen Kammerer, Rick Dralle and Cothron collided in turn 1. Guss Jr. would jumped out front on the next restart, with Elston and Meier battling for second. But another caution on lap 4 would slow the action once again. This time Kammerer would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. Once again Guss Jr. grabbed the lead on the restart, with Elston in 2nd and Matt Ryan, who started 7th, grabbing third. Guss Jr. started to pull away from the field and looked to be heading for the win. But disaster would strike him on lap 22 when two lapped cars got together in front of him in turn 4. Guss Jr. would get on the binders to avoid them, but somebody got into the back of Guss Jr. who did a 360 and kept going. But the caution was waved and the flagmen made the call that Guss Jr. was involved, sending him to the back. Nate Beuseling and Doug Nigh, who were battling for 6th, were also piled up in the caution, ending both there nights. Elston would inherit the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 8 laps to pick up the $1,500 top prize. Ryan was 2nd, Meier settled for 3rd, Kevin Kile came from 15th to finish in 4th, with Gary Webb passing 12 cars from his 17th place starting spot to take home fifth.

The last feature of the night was the 35 lap Modifieds, with Brian Webb and Brandon Durbin leading the field to the green. Webb would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. The first caution of the event would come out on the completion of lap 1, when Justin Speers and Brad Tyler collided in turn 3. On the restart Webb moved back out front, with Brandon Durbin close behind in second. Durbin would slip under Webb on lap 3 to grab the top spot and then held it until lap 6. Steve Stewart was able to get under Durbin to grab the lead and then started to pull away from the field. But a caution on lap 16 for Wade Lee who spun in turn 4 would help bring the field back to his back bumper. Another caution would come out on lap 17, when Speers spun his machine in turn 1. Then on the restart 11 cars would pile up in turn four to bring out the red. Those involved were Brad Dierks, Bob Dominacki, Bruce Hanford, Nick Dains, Tyler, Ray Cox Jr., Lee, Ryan DeShaw, Johnny Spaw, Speers and Mike Shrope. Only the cars of Dominacki, Hanford, Cox Jr., Lee and Speers were able to continue. Stewart would jump back out front once the event went back green, with Ryan Dolan, who started 8th, and Mark Schulte, who started 10th, battling for second. Stewart was working to fight off Dolan on every lap, when the caution came out once again on lap 29. This time Chris Zogg would slow to a stop in turn 3 to bring the yellow on. On the restart Noah Coppess, who came from 19th and had worked his way to 5th, spun his machine in turn 2 to bring the yellow back on. Stewart again held off Dolan on the restart and then held him at bay over the final 6 laps to claim the $2,000 top prize. Dolan settled for 2nd, Schulte was 3rd, Kevin Kile was 4th, with John Bull coming home in 5th.

Notes from Tipton: 38 Modifieds, 29 4 Cylinders, 26 Late Models, 22 B-Modifieds, 20 Stock Cars and 6 Hobby Stocks made up the 141 cars signed in on the day......Darrin Plett started the B-Modified feature in 13th and came up to take home 6th....Jason Hall recovered from his lap 3 crash to come back to finish in 8th....Dan Kessler passed 7 cars from his 16th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Ben Chapman also recovered from the lap 3 crash to come back up to 11th....Brian Wendel, who started his heat race in 6th, had quickly worked his way to the lead only to blow a motor with 2 laps to go to end his night....Bryce Bailey showed up at the track just as the 4 Cylinder heats were running, which caused him to start 13th in the semi. He would pass 9 cars to finish in 4th, which put him 19th in the feature. Once again he would pass 14 cars by the end of the race to take home a 5th place finish....Kyle Volinger came from 12th to finish in 8th....Lucas Short started 18th and finished in 13th....Art Schott started 23rd and was in the lap 1 crash, but was able to recover to finish in 15th......Jeremy Marquette would come from 7th in his heat race and crossed the line in 2nd. But was DQ in tech for adjustable trailing arms. That would put him in the 19th starting spot for the feature. Jeremy would pass 14 cars to take home a 5th place finish....Nathan Hall was driving the 00 car that Rob Henry drove all year. He would take the green in the feature in 9th and settled for a 6th place finish....Donnie Louck recovered from the lap 3 crash to come back to finish in 7th....Wayne Hora also recovered from his lap 3 and lap 12 crashes to take home an 11th place finish....Ron Henry drove a #73 machine on the night and started 5th in his heat and crossed the line in 4th. But he was also DQ in tech for trailing arms and had to start 20th in the feature. He had worked his way up to 7th when he spun on lap 12 to finish in 14th....Dwaine Hasson was in the #40 driven much of the year by Nathan Hall. He would take the green in the feature in 8th and was battling for 6th, when he was involved in a yellow on lap 3 to end his night in 15th....RJ Gonzales had troubles in his heat race to cause him to scratch from the feature......Jake Meier jumped behind the wheel of the #87 Late Model driven by Jon Merfeld. He would pick up the win in heat race 1 to earn a spot in the dash, where he started 3rd and finished 2nd. Jake then took the green on the outside of the front row for the feature and held on to take home a 3rd place finish....Travis Denning took the Late Model feature from his 21st place starting spot. He would pass 15 cars by the end of the 30 lap race to take home a nice 6th place finish....Joe Zrostlik was behind the wheel of the 21H machine in which Brian Harris drove for much of 2011. He would start 11th in the feature and came home in 10th....Chad Patch recovered from his lap 2 crash to come back up to 11th....Bart Miller came from 22nd to finish 13th in his first year behind a Late Model......Jason Schueller passed 14 cars from his 20th place starting spot in the Modified feature to claim a 6th place finish....Bruce Hanford recovered from the lap 17 pile up to come back to finish in 7th....Noah Coppess recovered from his lap 29 spin, while running 5th after starting 19th, to come back to take home 9th....Dan Chapman was running 4th after starting 11th, when he pulled into the pits on the lap 29 caution. He would return to come back to finish in 10th....Wade Lee recovered from his lap 16 spin and being involved in the lap 17 pile up to finish in 11th after starting 17th....Shaune Lewis came from 18th to finish in 12th....Justin Speers started 24th and was involved in the lap 3 crash, lap 17 spin and lap 17 pile up to come back to take home a 13th place finish....Chris Zogg drove his dads, Mike Zogg's #9z, car on the night and was running up front when he was involved in the lap 17 pile up and then came to a stop on lap 29 to end his run in 15th....Ray Cox Jr. started 26th and was involved in the lap 17 pile up to end his night in 16th.

Webb and Fullenkamp Claim First Wins of the Season at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, July 22, 2011) - Friday night was another action packed night of racing at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. At the end of the night there were two new winners and three repeat winners in victory lane.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Jim Kuhlmeier and Jacob Smith leading the field to the green. But it was third place starter Dean Kratzer who edged out Rod Staats at the line to lead lap 1. Kratzer was able to hold back Staats over the next 2 laps, before Jeff Mueller, who started 8th, over took Staats for second. Mueller then went to work on Kratzer for the lead, until the first caution of the event slowed the action down on lap 8. Staats, who was running 3rd, spun to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kuhlmeier came to a stop in turn 3 to bring the caution light back on. Kratzer grabbed the lead on the restart, with Mueller holding back Jim Gillenwater, who started 9th, for second. Gillenwater would jump to the bottom of the track coming out of turn four to grab the top spot on lap 10. Gillenwater then pulled away over the final 5 laps to claim his 5th win of the season at the track. Kratzer held on for 2nd, Mueller was 3rd, Rodger Dresden came home 4th, with Kevin Cale edging out 5th at the line by inches.

Up next was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Bob Cowman and Dugan Thye making up the front row. But just like the SportMod feature, third place starter Jake Wenig jumping out front on lap 1 over Dane Fenton. The first caution of the event would come out on the completion of lap 1, as Nathan Anders spun in turn 1. On the restart Wenig grabbed the lead, with Fenton holding off Dan Wenig, who started 7th, for second. Jake Wenig started to pull away from the battle for second, when the second caution of the event came out on lap 10. This time Michael Wenke spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow light. Once again Jake Wenig moved back out front, with Fenton challenging him for the top spot. Just as Fenton went under Jake Wenig to take over the top spot, Wenke would spin in turn 4 on lap 14 to bring out the final caution. This would set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish. On the restart Fenton slipped under Jake Wenig to grab the top spot away on lap 15. But Jake Wenig would come back on the top of the track coming out of turn 2 to take back the lead. Jake Wenig, was up top, Fenton, in the middle, and Dan Wenig, down low, would come off of turn four three wide for the win. But it was Jake Wenig who went on to claim his 6th win of the season at the track. Fenton held on for 2nd, Dan Wenig was 3rd, Jim Lynch was 4th, with Ray Raker rounding out the top 5.

Connie Justice and Sierra Bueker were suppose to lead the field to the green in the 12 lap Wild Things feature, but both would scratch from the event. That would move the second row of Craig Bangert and Kimborly Abbott up to the front row. Bangert would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 5th. Fullenkamp would slip under Bangert on lap 3 to take over the top spot, with Nick Wilkerson, who started 6th and David Helenthal, who started 7th, moving up to challenge. Wilkerson and Helenthal both tried the low side to get around Fullenmkap. But Fullenkamp would hold them back for the final 9 laps to claim his frist win of the season at the speedway. Wilkerson settled for 2nd, Helenthal was 3rd, Bangert held on for 4th, with Abbott coming home in 5th.

The 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature was up next, with Jeremy Pundt and Derek St. Clair on the front row for the event. Pundt would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Corey Strothman. But Pundt would only lead 1 lap, as Chris Webb, who started 5th, slipped under him to grab the top spot on lap 2. On the completion of the lap Ryan Cook would spin to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Webb moved back out front with Pundt working to hold back Strothman for 2nd. Just as Webb started to pull away, the final caution of the event would appear on lap 11. This time Pundt would come to a stop up against the guardrail in turn 3 to end his run up front. Webb once again jumped back out front on the restart, with Jason Cook, who started 7th, moving up to challenge him. Cook would make a last lap challenge on Webb coming off four, but Webb was able to hold him back to claim his first win of the season at the track. Matt Greiner came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Justin Temeyer started 12th and passed 8 cars to finish in 4th, with Jeff Mueller coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

The final feature on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Bill Seyb and Rob Kirchner leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Kirchner would grab the lead on lap 1 over Dustin Crear and Adam Birck. Tyler Cale, who started 8th, quickly moved to the front to grab the top spot away from Kirchner on lap 5. Just as the lap was completed, Birck, who was running 3rd, spun to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the first caution. On the restart Cale jumped back out front, with Wyatt Lantz, who started 6th, moving in to challenge. The battle up front was slowed again on lap 9. Once again Birck would spin his machine in turn 2 to bring out his second solo spin to end his night. Lantz would jumped to the outside of Cale on the restart to grab the top spot on lap 10. Lantz then started to pull away from the battle for second between Cale, Jeff Waterman, who started 7th, and Josh Foster, who started 9th. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 15 to bring the field back to Lantz's back bumper. This time the yellow would be displayed for Bill Roberts who spun off of 4 and Chadwick Giberson who spun in turn 4. Once again Lantz moved back out front on the restart, with Cale holding back Waterman and Foster for 2nd. Foster would make his move into second on lap 18 and then went to work on Lantz for the lead. But Lantz had built up to big of a lead to hold on to claim his 2nd win of the season at the speedway. Foster settled for 2nd, Cale was 3rd, Waterman was 4th, with Kirchner holding on for a 5th place finish.

Notes from LCS: In 77 laps of feature racing, there were only 10 cautions on the night. With the Wild Things going caution FREE!!!......Patrick Profeta started the SportMod feature in 12th and passed 5 cars to finish in 7th....Rick Barlow Jr. also passed 5 cars from his 13th place starting spot to take home 8th....Rod Staats would recover from his lap 8 spin to come back to finish in 9th......Jake Wenig claim his 6th Hobby Stock feature in 11 started at the Lee County Speedway for 2011. Wenig's all 6 wins came in features he would finish, his other 5 starts were races he wasn't around at the finish....Bobby Anders drove Wesley Mayfield's Hobby Stock to a 6th place finish after starting 9th......Mike Fisher started the Wild Things feature in 9th and passed 3 cars to finish in 6th....Ben Reschke passed 9 cars from his 16th place starting spot to take home a 7th place finish....Bradley Stevenson came from 14th to take home 8th....Darin Smith, who was the points leader going into the night, started the feature in 8th and had worked his way to 3rd by lap 5. But a right front flat on lap 6 would end his run to the front to give him a 13th place finish......Ryan Cook recovered from his lap 2 spin in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish in 6th....Cale Samberg was suppose to start 4th in the feature, but motor troubles after his heat would make him scratch from the event......Brandon Banks started the Modified feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Derek Hamm came from 12th to finish in 7th....Dustin Crear was running 2, when he got off the track in turn 1 and fell back to 12th. He would recover to take home a 8th place run....Rayn Cook was suppose to start the feature in 10th, but elected to tag the tail. He would come up to claim 9th at the finish.

"Hershel Roberts Memorial" Goes to Guss Jr.

Ray Guss Jr. drove the #58 Roberts Motorsports IMCA Late Model to the 1st Annual Hershel Roberts Memorial Deery Brothers Summer Series win on Wednesday, July 20th at the Quad City Speedway in East Moline, IL. Photo courtesy of Tri-State Speed Review - Dewain Hulett.

East Moline, IL (Wednesday, July 20, 2011) - The 1st Annual "Hershel Roberts Memorial" featuring the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models took place on Wednesday, July 20th at the Quad City Speedway in East Moline, IL. Despite the hot and humid night the fans would pack the grandstand to honor the late Hershel Roberts. In action on the night, during the Rock Island County Fair, was the IMCA Late Models, Street Stocks and Mod Lites.

The first feature on the night was the 25 lap Street Stocks, with $1,500 going to the winner. Ron Marks Jr. and Cary Brown drew the front row for the event, with Brown grabbing the lead on lap 1. The first caution would appear on the completion of the lap, as Randy Exline spun in turn 4. On the restart Brown jumped back out front, with Jason Bahrs and Ron Marks Jr. battling close behind. Chuck Fox would spin his machine in turn 4 on lap 5 to bring the action to stop. Brown again grabbed the lead on the restart, only to be slowed again on lap 6. This time Justin Veloz, who was running 8th, would spin in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Nick Lawrence and Tyler Soppe got together in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. Bahrs would take advantage of the restart, as he jumped to the outside of Brown coming out of turn 4 to grab the top spot on lap 7. The three car battle up front was slowed on lap 8, as Joe Wagner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Then on lap 10 Veloz would spin in turn 2 and collected Jimmie Simpson to slow the action. Bahrs would grabbed the lead on the restarts, with Tim Current, who started 5th, challenging him. But Current would drift to high in turn 4 on lap 12 and got into the wall to fall from 2nd to 4th. Then on the next lap, lap 13, Bahrs' had a right front brake line break going into turn 3 which caused him to hit the wall and bring out the caution. On the restart Wayne Hora, who started 7th, inherited the lead, with Current close behind. Hora could only hold back Current for 1 lap, as he slipped under Hora coming out of turn 4 on lap 15 to grab the top spot. The only thing to slow Current down over the final 10 laps was two more cautions. The first was on lap 19 when Phil Anderson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. The final caution of the event came out on the restart, when Wagner hit the turn 1 wall hard. On both restarts Current moved out into a lead in which he held to the checkered flag to claim the $1,500 top prize. Hora held on for 2nd, Brown settled for 3rd, Soppe, who started 15th, recovered from the lap 6 crash to come back to take home 4th, with Chris Hambright coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Charlie McKenna and Mike Murphy Jr. led the field to the green in the 40 lap "Hershel Roberts Memorial" Deery Brothers Summer Series IMCA Late Models feature. Murphy Jr. took advantage of his draw to move out front on lap 1 over McKenna, Tyler Bruening and Mike Garland. Murphy Jr. set a fast pace early, as he started to come up on lap traffic on lap 10. The lapped cars would slow Murphy Jr. down enough to allow McKenna, Terry Neal, who started 7th, and Ray Guss Jr., who started 9th, to close in to make it a four car battle. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 13, when Jon Passick spun in turn 4. On the restart Murphy Jr. jumped back out into the lead, with Neal and Guss Jr. battling for 2nd. Guss Jr. was able to get by Neal for 2nd on lap 20 and then went to work on chasing down Murphy Jr. for the lead. Another caution on lap 26, for Bruening who spun in turn 3 while running 5th, would close the gap. The yellow light would come back out on lap 27 when Todd Mahlstrom spun his machine in turn 4 to slow the field down. On both restarts Murphy Jr. grabbed the top spot, with Guss Jr. close behind. Murphy Jr., who was working the top of the speedway, and Guss Jr., who was down low, would battle side-by-side on laps 33 and 34, with Guss Jr. getting the advantage on lap 35. On the completion of the lap, Colby Springsteen would spin in turn 1 and collected Gary Webb, Jon Passick and Sam Halstead to bring out the final caution of the event. On the restart Guss Jr. moved out front, with Nate Beuseling, who started 11th, battle Murphy Jr. for 2nd. Beuseling would try to get under Guss Jr. over the final 2 laps, but Guss Jr. would hold on to claim the win. Beuseling settled for 2nd, Murphy Jr. was 3rd, McKenna held on for 4th, with Neal coming home in 5th.

The final feature on the night was the 15 lap Mod Lites, with Cody Brown and David Norton leading the field to the green. Norton would take advantage of his start to grab the lead on lap 1. But the first caution of the event would come out on the completion of the lap, as Brown spun in turn 1. On the restart Andrew Smith, who started 5th, slipped under Norton to take over the top spot. Smith then held the lead until lap 6, when Jason Masengarb, who started 9th, slipped under him for the top spot. Masengarb then started to pull away, when the final caution came out on lap 13. Gary Snyder would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Masengarb again jumped out into the lead, but now had Greg Rossell, who started 10th, close behind in 2nd. Rossell tried the top side to get around Masengarb over the final 2 laps, but Masengarb was able to hold on to pick up the win. Rossell settled for 2nd, Dustin Masolini came from 6th to claim 3rd, Smith held on for 4th, with Shon Sanders coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Notes from QCS: 24 Late Models, 22 Street Stocks and 17 Mod Lites signed in for competition on the hot night......Before the start of the Street Stock feature the top 4 starters, which included Ron Marks Jr., Cary Brown, Jason Bahrs and Emily Gade, were offered a $400 bonus to go to the rear. If they could win from the rear that would mean they would win $1,900, but all turned it down....Chuck Fox, who started 16th, spun on lap 5 and recovered to take home a 6th place finish....Nick Lawrence, who started 14th, would spin on lap 1 and came back from the rear to claim 9th....Randy Exline recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back to take home 11th....Joe Beal drove Matt Marshall's car from a 17th place starting spot to finish in 12th....Phil Anderson came from 21st to finish 13th....Jamie Balensiefen came from 12th and was running 4th, when he had a flat tire on the lap 19 caution to end his run in 14th......The 1st Annual "Hershel Roberts Memorial" was held to honor the late Hershel Roberts. Hershel who raced Modifieds and Late Models for many years in the Quad City area passed early this year after a battle with cancer. Hershel, who along with his son Ken, hired Ray Guss Jr. to drive the #58 Late Model in late 2009 when Hershel decided to hang up the helmet. The team would have an awesome 2010, as they won the IMCA National Championship, Deery Brothers Summer Series Title and 3 track titles. The win on this night was very emotional for the team, which debuted a new body on the car to honor Hershel....Justin Reed started 16th and passed 10 cars to take home a 6th place finish in the Late Model feature....Mike Zemo Jr., who has won the last 2 Late Model features at the speedway, started 23rd. He would pass 14 cars, which gave him the hard charger award, to take home a 9th place finish....Andy Eckrich passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to take home a 10th place. Eckrich now holds a 2 point lead over Terry Neal and a 4 point lead over Ray Guss Jr. in the chase for the 2011 Deery Brothers Summer Series title....Matt Ryan came from 17th to finish in 11th....Jay Johnson passed 8 cars from his 21st starting spot to finish in 13th....Darrel DeFrance arrived late and had to start in the back of his heat, which he finished 8th in. DeFrance then started the feature in 22nd and passed 7 cars to finish in 15th....Sam Halstead, who started 24th, recovered from the lap 35 crash to finish in 18th......Jonathan Huston started the Mod Lite feature in 15th and then went on to pass 9 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Evan Epperson passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Dan Guss came from 16th to take home 9th.

Crear Wins Career First; While Mueller Doubles Up at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, June 17, 2011) - After a week off due to rain and despite the rains throughout the week, the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA was able to get a regular night of racing in on Friday. At the end of the night one driver picked up his career first feature win, while another one visited victory lane not once but twice.

The first feature on the night was the 12 lap Wild Things, with Casey Mehaffy and Andrew Davis leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But it was seventh place starter David Helenthal who quickly moved to the front to grab the lead on lap 1. While Helenthal continued to lead, William Michel, who started 11th, and Nick Wilkerson, who started 8th, were working there way to the front. The battle up front was slowed only one time, as Chuck Fullenkamp slowed in turn 4 on lap 9 to bring out the only caution. On the restart Helenthal jumped back out front, with Wilkerson and Michel battling it out for 2nd. Helenthal would hold off all challenges to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Wilkerson won the battle for 2nd, Michel settled for 3rd, Darin Smith came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Davis holding on for a fifth place finish.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Patrick Profeta and Dean Kratzer on the front row. Profeta would take advantage of his front row start to edge out Kratzer at the line to lead lap 1. Kratzer then tried everything to get by Profeta for the top spot, when he final got the job done on lap 5 to take the lead. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 8, when Brandon Ruffcorn spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Krazter jumped back out front, but now had Jeff Mueller, who started 10th, close behind in 2nd. Kratzer would hold back Mueller until the second caution of the event came out on lap 11. This time Adam Shelman spun in turn 4, as a result of contact from Jacob Smith. Mueller would slip past Krazter on the restart to grab the lead on lap 13, with the final caution coming out after the completion of the lap. Ryan Fullenkamp spun his machine in turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Mueller grabbed the lead and then held on for the final 3 laps to claim his first win of the season in the SportMods. Jim Gillenwater came from 9th to claim 2nd, Kratzer held on for 3rd, Michael Joe Bliven came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Rod Staats rounding out the top 5.

Jake Wenig and Bob Cowman led the field to the green in the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Wenig jumping out front on lap 1. The first of two cautions would come out on the completion of lap 1, as Jim Lynch, who was running 7th, spun in turn 4 and collected the cars of Michael Wenke and Dale Porter. On the restart Jake Wenig grabbed the lead, with Dan Wenig coming from 7th to challenge him for the top spot. Jake would hold back Dan over the next 10 laps, when the final caution came out on lap 11. This time Matt Tucker, who was running 4th, slowed with a left rear flat tire. Jake Wenig once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dan Wenig trying to hold back Dane Fenton for second. Jake would lead the final 4 laps to pick up his third win of the season at the speedway. Dan Wenig held on to the battle for 2nd, Ray Raker came from 6th to over take Fenton for 3rd, Fenton settled for 4th, with Lynch recovering from his lap 1 spin to come back to finish in 5th.

Corey Strothman and Jeremy Pundt made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Strothman jumping out front on lap 1. While Strothman worked to hold back John Oliver Jr, Jason Cook, who started 8th and Jeff Mueller, who started 9th, were working there way to the front. Cook would over take Oliver Jr on lap 9 to take 2nd, while Mueller moved into third on lap 10. Then Mueller made his move around Cook on lap 11 to get into second, and went to work on Strothman for the lead. Strothman was able to hold back Mueller until the white flag lap, when Mueller slipped by for the lead. Mueller then held off a last lap charge from Cook to claim his third win of the season at the track and the second win of the night. Strothman settled for 3rd, Oliver Jr was 4th, with Aaron Brocksieck coming home in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Jim Lynch and Dustin Crear on the front row. Crear would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag. But the first caution of the event would appear on the completion of lap 1, as Ryan Cook spun in turn 4. On the restart Crear once again jumped out into the lead, with Rich Smith, who started 7th, close behind in 2nd. Smith would try Crear down low for the next 12 laps, before the action was slowed for the final time on lap 13. Lynch, who was running 4th, had troubles and pulled off on the backstretch in front of Jeff Waterman, who was running 5th, and had to spin to avoid Lynch to bring out the yellow. Crear again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Smith close behind. But Crear was able to hold back Smith over the final 7 laps to claim his first career feature win. Brandon Banks came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Adam Birck was 4th, with Tyler Cale coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: Brandon Ruffcorn who started 17th in the SportMod feature and spun in turn 2 on lap 8 to bring out the first yellow, recovered to finish in 9th....Adam Shelman came back for his spin on lap 11 to take home a 10th place finish....Ryan Fullenkamp recovered from his lap 12 spin to take home a 13th place......Tanner Thomann came from 9th in the Hobby Stock feature to take home a 6th place finish....Josh Tripp passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 7th......Matt Griener started the Stock Car feature in 10th and would pass 4 cars to take home a 6th place finish....The Stock Cars ran 15 laps CAUTION FREE!!!!......Jeff Waterman, who started 10th, had worked his way to 5th by lap 13 when Jim Lynch pulled off the track in front of him. Waterman would spin his machine to avoid contact and brought out the yellow to be sent to the back. He then recovered to take home a 6th place finish....Bill Roberts came from 14th to finish in 8th....Dustan Fenton started 13th and came home in 9th....Bill Seyb came from 15th to finish in 10th....Brandon Savage, who was suppose to start in the 4th spot, was sent to the back for being pushed off before the start of the feature. He would work his way up to 3rd by lap 18, but pulled off on lap 19 with troubles to end his run in 11th....Derek Hamm had a 6th place run going when he pulled off on lap 17 to end his night in 12th....Josh Foster's back luck continued, as he broke a motor in his heat to scratch from the feature. Back on Tuesday Foster suffered motor troubles at the Hawkeye Dirt Tour at Tipton and then suffered the same fate on Friday at Lee County.

Harrison Scores Career First; While Carlin Ends Anders Win Streak

Quincy, IL (Sunday, June 12, 2011) - Finally mother nature allowed Quincy Raceways to get in a Sunday evening racing program. Despite a brief rain shower during the first Late Model heat, crews were able to get the track back into racing shape after an hour and 30 minute delay. The hard work by all paid off, as the racing action was fast and furious.

The first feature up on the night was the 25 lap UMP Modifieds, with Jake Griffin and David Wietholder drawing the front row. Griffin was able to take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1, as Wietholder worked to hold back Steven DeLonjay and Jared Schlipman. DeLonjay proved to have a fast car, as he quickly moved into second on lap 2 and then went to work on Griffin for the lead. Griffin tried to hold back DeLonjay, but DeLonjay would slip under him coming off turn four on the 4th lap to take over the top spot. The only thing to slow down DeLonjay was the first and only caution of the event, which came out on lap 5. Mark Zimmer would spin in turn 4 and collected Terry Wilson and Ryan Morrison to bring out the yellow. On the restart DeLonjay jumped back out front and then pulled away to pick up an easy win. Wietholder held on for 2nd, Schlipman was 3rd, Justin Reed came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Shawn Deering coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap Hobby Stock feature, which turned out to be the most exciting one on the night. Adam Scott and Tanner Klingele drew the front row for the event, with Klingele grabbing the lead on the drop of the green flag. Klingele then went on to lead the next 5 laps, as Steve Carlin, who started 6th, moved up to challenge him. Carlin, who was running the bottom, took the top spot away from Klingele, who was up top, on lap 6. But Klingele wouldn't give up, as he came back on the top side to grab the lead back on lap 7. The two would run the next 2 laps side-by-side, before Carlin grabbed the advantage on lap 10. Just as Carlin started to pull away from the battle for second, Jim Powell would spin in turn 2 on lap 14 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Bobby Anders jumped to the top of the track to take over the lead on lap 15, with Carlin close behind in 2nd. The action up front was slowed for the second time on the completion of lap 17. This time Nathan Anders would spin his machine in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Klingele, who was running 4th, spun in turn 3 and collected Nathan Anders to bring the caution back out. Bobby Anders, who was up top, and Carlin, who was on the bottom, would run laps 18 and 19 side-by-side. But disaster would strike Bobby Anders on the final lap going into turn 1. Carlin grabbed the advantage on the bottom going into turn 1, with Anders trying to come back on the top. But Anders would loose control of his machine coming out of turn 2 and spun. Which allowed Carlin to drive away to claim the win, which also put an end to Anders' 5 race win streak. Wesley Mayfield came from 5th to claim 2nd, Scott held on for 3rd, Nathan Hayes started 7th and finished in 4th, with Powell recovering from his lap 14 spin to come back to finish 5th.

Billy Genenbacher and Darin Wiesinger led the field to the green in the 30 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Genenbacher grabbing the lead on lap 1. The 1 and only caution of the event would come out on the completion of lap 1, as Justin Reed, who was running 4th, spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Lonnie Bailey slipped past Genenbacher to take over the top spot. Lonnie Bailey then pulled away over the final 28 laps to claim an easy win. Joey Gower came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Keith Pratt started 9th and passed 6 cars to claim 3rd, Matt Bailey came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Genenbacher holding on for a fifth place finish.

Craig Bangert and Kimberly Abbott drew the front row for the 12 lap Wild Things feature, with Bangert moving out front on the drop of the green to lead lap 1. Bangert then went on to lead the next lap, before Casey Kendrick jumped to his outside to take over the top spot on lap 3. Kendrick would lead the final 9 laps to pick up his second win in a row at the track. Bangert settled for 2nd, Abbott held on for 3rd, William Michel came home in 4th, with Austin Uppinghouse rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Gabe Harrison and Jerry Jansen on the front row for the event. Harrison would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. As Harrison continued to pull away from the field, Aaron Brocksieck, who had troubles in the heat and had to start 9th in the feature, was working his way to the front. But Garrison, in his first year in the Stock Car class after racing 4 Cylinders for a few years, had built up a lead big enough to hold on to in a caution free race. For Harrison it was his career first win in the Stock Car class. Brocksieck charged from 9th to settle for 2nd, Kevin Tomlinson came home in 3rd, Jansen held on for 4th, with Terry Houston coming home in 5th.

Notes from Quincy: Twelve year old Jake Griffin held his own in the 25 lap Modified feature and took home a nice 6th place finish....Ben Huff started the feature in 14th and passed 5 cars to take home a 9th place finish.......Nathan Anders, who started 12th in the Hobby Stock feature, and was involved in 2 cautions came back up to claim a 6th place finish....Bobby Anders, who was going for his 6th win in 6 starts at Quincy, had his season thrown away after the checkered flags flew at the end of the event. He would spin in turn 2 on the final lap while battling for the lead and then recovered to come across the line to finish in 9th to maintain his points lead in the division. But what happened on the cool down lap was something we have seen or heard about to many times in 2011. Anders would spin his machine around on the front stretch and then headed the wrong way towards turn 3, where Steve Carlin was en route to the victory circle. Anders then turned his machine up into Carlin's drivers door in turn 4 to get him disqualified on the night and a 4 week suspension......Denny Woodworth had troubles in his Late Model heat and had to start the feature in 13th. But he would pass 7 cars by the end of the race to pick up a 6th place finish....Justin Reed recovered from his lap 1 spin to come back to claim 7th......It was nice to see in 102 laps of feature racing in 5 classes there was only 5 cautions. One in the Modified, 3 in the Hobby Stock and 1 in the Late Model features. Great job by all drivers on the night!

Anders Remains Unbeaten at Quincy Raceways on Make-Up Tuesday

Quincy, IL (Tuesday, June 7, 2011) - After mother nature took the sixth Sunday night program out of the first 10 scheduled dates of the 2011 season, track promoters decided to use Tuesday nights as a make-up date. This was a trial to see if any cars and fans would be in favor of the idea, and at the end of the night the promoters were pleased with the result.

The 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature was the first up on the night, with Aaron Brocksieck and Terry Houston drawing the front row. Brocksieck would take advantage of his start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Houston. As Brocksieck pulled away from the field, Kevin Tomlinson, who started 5th, worked his way into second by lap 6. But Brocksieck had built to much of a lead to chase him down, as he claimed the win in a caution free race. Jerry Jansen came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Gabe Harrison came home in 4th, with Kelly Bartz rounding out the top 5.

Jim Powell and Nathan Hayes drew the front row for the 20 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Powell grabbing the lead on lap 1. But Powell would only lead that lap, as Bobby Anders, who started 5th, edged him out at the line to lead lap 2. Anders then started to pull away, when the first caution of the event came out on lap 7. Brandon Symmonds, who was running 4th, and Hayes, who was running 5th, collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Anders jumped back out front and again started to pull away from the field. Steve Carlin moved into second on lap 9 and then went to work on chasing down Anders for the lead. Travis Kelle spun in turn 5 on the completion of lap 15 to bring the field back to Anders' bumper. Anders grabbed the lead on the restart, with Carlin close behind. But the field was slowed for the final time on lap 16, when Nathan Anders spun down the backstretch. Once again Anders jumped out front on the restart and then held off Carlin over the final 4 laps to claim his 5th win in 5 starts at Quincy. Jake Powers came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Adam Scott started 8th and came home in 4th, with Tanner Klingele rounding out the top 5.

The 12 lap Wild Things feature was up next, with Casey Kendrick and Austin Uppinghouse drawing the front row. Kendrick would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1. Kendrick then pulled away over the 12 laps of caution free racing to pick up the win. Todd Nelson, who started 5th, edged out William Michel, who started 6th, at the line by inches to claim 2nd, Devin Still was 4th, with Uppinghouse holding on for a 5th place finish.

Darin Weisinger and Joey Gower led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 30 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Gower grabbing the lead on lap 1. While Gower was out front, Denny Woodworth, who started 5th, moved into 2nd on lap 6 and then went to work on Gower for the lead. But Clint Kirkham would spin in turn 1 on lap 8 to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Gower moved back out front, with Woodworth close behind in second. Woodworth jumped to the top of the track to grab the top spot away from Gower on lap 10, as Lonnie Bailey, who started 6th, followed into 2nd. Bailey would then slip under Woodworth on lap 12 to grab the lead away. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 16. This time Ron Elbe and Billy Genenbacher collided in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Woodworth would slip under Bailey to take back the top spot on lap 17. Woodworth then held the lead until lap 24, when Gower slid under him to take over the top spot. Gower would go on to lead the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Woodworth settled for 2nd, Keith Pratt came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Baliey was 4th, with Weisinger holding on for a 5th place finish.

The final feature of the night was the 25 lap UMP Modifieds, with Shawn Deering and Rusty Griffaw on the front row. Griffaw would edge out Deering at the line by inches to grab the lead on lap 1. But Deering came back on the bottom of the speedway to take the top spot away on lap 2. The battle up front was slowed on the completion of lap 2, as Terry Wilson slowed down the backstretch to bring out the first caution. On the restart Deering jumped back out front, with Griffaw and Jared Schlipman battling for 2nd. The three way battle for the lead was slowed for the second time on lap 7, as Ben Huff spun in turn 2. Deering once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Griffaw and Schlipman close behind. Just as Deering started to pull away from the battle for second, the yellow light would come on. This time debris down the backstretch from the rear end of Steven DeLonjay's car would bring out the caution. On the restart Schlipman slipped past Deering to grab the top spot on lap 19. But after the completion of the lap, the final caution of the event would come out. Gary Wilson would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Schlipman moved out front on the restart and then held on over the final 6 laps to claim the win. Deering settled for 2nd, Griffaw was 3rd, David Wietholder came home in 4th, with Todd Reed coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Quincy: Terry Houston suffered a left rear flat tire on the final lap of the Stock Car feature while running 5th and settled for a 7th place finish......Travis Kelle recovered from his lap 15 spin to come back to finish 6th in the Hobby Stock feature....Nathan Anders finished 7th after spinning down the backstretch on lap 16....Justin Bartz came from 12th to finish in 8th....Wesley Mayfield, who scratched from his heat, started 13th and passed 4 cars to take home 9th......Tom Goble started the Late Model feature in 12th and passed 6 cars to take home 6th....Robby Warner came from 14th to finish in 8th....Clint Kirkham recovered from his lap 8 spin to come back to finish in 10th......Terry Wilson came from the rear after his lap 2 caution to come back to finish 6th in the Modified feature....James Leffew started 10th and took home 7th....Ben Huff recovered from his lap 7 spin to finish in 8th.

Vetran Holds Back Another Vetran for Late Model Win at Quad City Speedway

East Moline, IL (Sunday, June 5, 2011) - I decided to make another trip up to the Quad City Speedway in East Moline, IL, after rain cancelled Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL. What a good decision that turned out to be, as the Late Model feature alone was worth the trip up.

The night started out with a 12 lap make-up 4 Cylinder feature, which was rained out from May 22nd. Rick Wagner and Jason Blocker was suppose to start on the front row, but with Blocker not returning that put Mike Cusack Jr on the outside front row. Cusack Jr would take advantage of his start to grab the lead on lap 1 and then held it until lap 5 when he pulled off with troubles. Brandon Dahl, who started 6th, inherited the lead on lap 5 and then held the top spot for 1 lap, as Mike Wisdom, who started 5th, slipped under him for the lead. Just like Dahl, Wisdom would only lead 1 lap, as Rob Brasher, who started 8th, jumped to the outside to take over the lead on lap 7. Brasher then pulled away over the final 5 laps to claim the win in a caution free race. But in post race inspection, Brasher was disqualified for not running the same car he ran in the heat. That would give Wisdom the win, Brandon Dahl was moved to 2nd, Wade Dahl was credited with 3rd, Justin Veloz came from 10th to get 4th, with Dustin Forbes rounding out the top 5.

The first regular feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Doug Curless and Mark VerVynck leading the field to the drop of the green. But TJ Patz would spin in turn 2 to set up a complete restart. On the restart Jacob Waterman, Bill Roberts, Jarod Coppejans and Andrew Burk collided in turn four to bring the yellow light back on. VerVynck jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Milo Veloz Jr close behind in second. The action up front was slowed once again on lap 3, when Curless, who was running 5th, spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out. VerVynck moved back out front on the restart, with Veloz Jr giving chase once again. But the action was slowed again on lap 5, when Coppejans and Curless collided in turn 3 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Veloz Jr got into the back of VerVynck in turn 1, which spun VerVynck to bring the caution back out. Both drivers were sent to the rear for the restart. Thad Wilson, who started 6th, inherited the lead on the restart. Wilson then started to build up a lead, when another caution came out on lap 10. This time Stanley VerVynck spun in turn 4 and collected Dwaine Hasson. On the restart Wilson again grabbed the lead, with Waterman coming from the back after the lap 1 crash to give chase. Wilson was able to hold back Waterman until another caution came out on lap 12. Roberts, who came from the rear after his lap 1 crash had moved back to 6th, spun in turn 1 with a broken rear end. On the restart Todd Dykema spun in turn 2 and collected Terry Rentfro to bring the yellow back out. This would put an end to the time limit, which meant the next caution or the checkered flag would put an end to the race. Wilson jumped back out front on the restart, with Waterman close behind in second. Hasson would come to a stop in turn 3 on lap 14 to bring the caution out, which put an end to the race. Wilson claimed the win, Waterman settled for 2nd, Craig Crawford was 3rd, Patz came from the rear after his spin on the start to claim 4th, with Veloz Jr recovering from his lap 5 contact to come back to take home a fifth place finish.

Justin Hamm and Jerame Mowery made up the front row for the 15 lap Street Stock feature. Hamm would spin in turn 3 on the start and collected Cary Brown to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Mowery jumped out front on lap 1, with Jeremy Gustaf and Mark Anderson close behind. Anderson would spin in turn 2 on the completion of lap 1 to bring the yellow light on. Rob Henry, who started 9th, slipped past Mowery on the restart to grab the top spot on lap 2. Another caution came out on the completion of lap 2, when Chuck Fox spun in turn 3. On the restart Henry again grabbed the lead, with Rick Schriner, who started 8th, and RJ Gonzales battling for second. Gonzales would get under Schriner going into turn 1 on lap 5, with Schriner spinning and collecting Gonzales to bring the caution back out. Both drivers were sent to the back for the restart. Henry again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Nathan Hall, who started 12th, now giving chase. Hall would try everything to get around Henry over the next 7 laps, when the final caution of the race came out on lap 12. This time Hamm spun in turn 4 and collected Bryan Ritter. On the restart Henry moved back out front, with Hall again chasing him. But Henry would hold back Hall over the final 3 laps to claim the win. Chris Lawrence came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Emily Gade passed 7 cars from her 11th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Brown recovering from the lap 1 crash to finish in 5th.

The 20 lap Open Modified feature was up next, with Brad Tyler and Bryan Bushong on the front row. Leland Bushong would spin in turn 4 on the drop of the green to bring out the caution. On the restart Tyler jumped out into the lead on lap 1, only to be slowed after the completion of the lap with a caution. Matt Werner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. John Bull, who started 8th, slipped under Tyler on the restart to grab the top spot on lap 2. Bull then started to pull away, when Chad Tucker spun in turn 4 on lap 5 to bring the caution out. On the restart Bull again jumped out front, with Doug Crampton, who started 6th, close behind in 2nd. Tucker would spin in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out another yellow, his second solo to end his night. On the restart John Ahlers would spin in turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the event. Bull moved out front on the restart and then held off Crampton over the final 12 laps to pick up the win. Brandon Durbin came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Jason Pershy was 4th, with Ryan Dolan coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Gary Webb and Jeremy Gustaf led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature. But Shawn Mulvany and Buck Harmenning would collided in turn 4 on the start to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Webb jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Jeremy Gustaf. Webb would start to pull away from the field when another caution appeared on lap 9. This time Mike Murphy Jr, who started 7th and had worked his way to 2nd, slowed in turn 4 with a left rear flat. On the restart Jeff Stevens stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. Webb once again jumped out front on the restart, with Eric Gustaf and Mike Garland battling for 2nd. As Webb started to pull away from the battle for 2nd, Ray Guss Jr, who started 11th, was working his way to the front. Guss Jr would slip past Gustaf for second just past the half way point of the race and then set his sights on Webb for the top spot. Webb was working the bottom of the speedway, as Guss Jr used the top to chase down Webb with 3 laps to go. The two went into turn 1 with 2 laps to go side-by-side, but Guss Jr had to let up for a lapped car which was running the top of the track. That allowed Webb to pull out to a lead coming off turn 4 for the white flag. But Guss Jr wouldn't give up, as the two entered turn 3 side-by-side, with Webb coming out of turn 4 to edge Guss Jr at the line by inches for the win. Rob Toland came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Eric Gustaf was 4th, with Garland rounding out the top 5.

Since I had to be up at 5:15am the next morning, I decided to head for the car before the final feature of the night. I see Wade Dahl came from 4th to win the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature. Jacob Ellithorpe came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Steve Phillips passed 8 cars from his 11th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Justin Veloz charged from 16th to take home 4th, with Rick Wagner coming home in 5th.

Notes from QCS: Jon Scott started the make-up 4 Cylinder feature in 12th and passed 5 cars to finish in 7th....Jacob Ellithorpe finished 9th after starting 13th....Jason Blocker, Gabe Schrader, Bobby Barker Jr and Darren Hartman didn't make it back for the rescheduled race......Stanley VerVynck started the IMCA Modified feature in 15th and spun in turn 4 on lap 10 to go to the rear. He would come back to finish in 6th....Todd Dykema came back from his lap 12 spin to finish in 7th....Terry Rentfro was 8th, after being involved with Dykema on the lap 12 crash......RJ Gonzales came from the rear after the lap 5 spin to take home a 6th place finish in the Street Stock feature....Rick Schriner, who spun down into Gonzales on lap 5, also came from the rear to finish in 7th....Mike Anderson came from 14th to finish in 8th....Chuck Fox recovered from his lap 2 spin to come back to finish in 9th....Mark Anderson came from the rear after his lap 1 spin to finish in 11th....Bryan Ritter was 12th after being involved in the lap 12 crash....Nick Lawrence came from 18th to finish in 13th....Ben Gallenstine started 19th and finished in 14th......John Ahlers came back to finish in 7th in the Open Modified feature, after his spin on lap 8....Leland Bushong recovered from his spin on the start to come back to take home 9th......Matt Ryan finished the Late Model feature in 6th after starting 9th....Shawn Mulvany came from the rear after his lap 1 spin to finish in 9th....Mike Zemo Jr came from 14th to finish in 11th....Eric Sanders came from 17th to take home 14th......Rob Brasher passed 6 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 6th in the regular 4 Cylinder feature....Rob Harding Sr came from 10th to finish in 7th....Mike Wisdom started 14th and took home 10th....Jason Blocker came in late and started 18th, he would pass 6 cars to finish in 12th.

Greiner, Cossel and Wilkerson Get First Wins of the Season at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, June 3, 2011) - Despite the 2 inches of rains that fell Thursday, mother nature was kind enough to provide plenty of sun and winds to help dry the Lee County Speedway out in time for racing on Friday. At the end of the night there were three new winners and two repeat winners in victory lane on the night.

The first feature of the night was the 12 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Corey Strothman and Cale Samberg on the front row. Strothman would take advantage of his front row start to edge out John Oliver Jr at the line by inches to lead lap 1. While Strothman continued to lead the field, Oliver Jr and Derek St. Clair would battle side by side for the second spot before Ryan Cook, who started 6th, moved in on lap 3 to join the two car battle. The first yellow would appear on the speedway on lap 6 for debris in turn 3. On the restart Samberg, who was running 6th, would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Strothman jumped back out into the lead on the restart, with Matt Greiner, who started 9th, moving into second. Greiner then grabbed the top spot away from Strothman on lap 7 and then started to pull away from the battle for second. But the final caution of the event would bring the field back to Greiner's back bumper on lap 13. Strothman, who was running 5th, spun in turn 2 and collected St. Clair, who was running 9th, and Les Blakley. On the restart Greiner grabbed the lead, with Ryan Cook now challenging him for the top spot. Cook would take a last lap shot at Greiner coming out of four, but Greiner was able to hold on to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Jeff Mueller came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Jim Redmann started 8th and finished in 4th, with Oliver Jr holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 12 lap Wild Things feature, with Steven Lake and William Michel leading the field to the drop of the green. Michel grabbed the lead on lap 1 over David Helenthal and Nick Wilkerson, who started 7th. Michel held the top spot for 2 laps, as Helenthal slipped under him on lap 3 to take over the lead. But Helenthal was only able to lead that lap, as Wilkerson grabbed the top spot away on lap 4. Wilkerson would then hold off all challenges from Helenthal over the final 8 laps to claim his first win of the season at the speedway. Darin Smith came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Michel held on for 4th, Mike Fisher started 9th and finished in 5th.

Josh Tripp and John Oliver Jr led the field to the green flag in the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Oliver Jr grabbing the top spot on lap 1. Oliver Jr then worked to hold back Jake Wenig, until the first and only caution of the event came out on lap 3 for a tire in turn 1. On the restart Jake Wenig would over take Oliver Jr for the lead, with Dane Fenton, who started 6th, moving in to challenge for 2nd. Wenig continued to hold the lead, when Fenton slipped past Oliver Jr on lap 9 and then went to work on Wenig for the top spot. Wenig would hold back Fenton coming out of turn four on the last lap to claim his second win of the season at the track. Jim Lynch came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Tanner Thomann started 10th and passed 6 cars to claim 4th, with Mike Hughes coming from 12th to round out the top 5.

Dustin Crear and Rob Kirchner made up the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Crear taking advantage of his starting spot to lead lap 1. The first caution of the event would come out after the completion of lap 1 for debris in turn 4. On the restart Crear would jumped back out front, with Kirchner working to hold back Andy Krieger. Just as Crear started to pull away from the battle for second, another caution appeared on the speedway on lap 6. Kirk Hopkins would spin in turn 2. On the restart Wyatt Lantz, who was running 10th, jumped the restart to bring the yellow back out. He was docked two spots to 12th for the jump. Rich Smith, who started 5th, would slid under Crear on the restart to grab the top spot away. But Ryan Cook would spin in turn 2 on the completion of lap 7 to bring caution back out. On the restart Smith grabbed the lead, with Josh Foster, who started 12th, following him into 2nd. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 9, as Eric Fullenkamp spun in turn 4 and collected Derek Hamm. Smith again jumped out front on the restart, with Foster now challenging him for the top spot. Foster would slip past Smith on lap 11 to take over the lead and then held him back over the final 9 laps to claim his 4th win in 5 starts at the track. Krieger held on for 3rd, Kirchner was 4th, with Dennis LaVeine passing 10 cars from his 15th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Ryan Fullenkamp and Phillip Cossel on the front row. Cossel would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. On the completion of the lap, Rod Staats would spin in turn 2 to bring the first caution out. Cossel moved back out front on the restart, only to be slowed on lap 3 for another caution. This time Fullenkamp, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. Once again Cossel grabbed the lead on the restart, with Rodger Dresden, who started 6th, battling Jacob Smith for second. Cossel continued to hold back the challenges of Dresden, Michael Bliven, who started 7th, and Jim Gillenwater, who came from 12th, over the next 8 laps. When a tire was clipped and pushed out on the track in turn 4 to bring the caution out. On the restart Jim Kuhlmeier would come to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Cossel once again jumped back out into the lead on the restart, with Bliven moving into second. Bliven would try the low side to get by Cossel over the final 4 laps, but Cossel was able to hold him back. Bliven would try one last time to get under Cossel coming off of turn 4 for the checkered. But he would do a complete 360, which allowed Cossel to claim his first win of the season at the speedway. Gillenwater would slip past for 2nd, Bliven came across the line spinning in 3rd, Jeff Mueller came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Dresden holding on for 5th.

Notes from LCS: Aaron Brocksieck started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 8th....Jeremy Pundt came from 14th to finish in 10th......The Wild Things feature went CAUTION FREE!!!....Derek Fenton passed 5 cars from his 13th place starting spot to take home 8th....Matt Marshal came from 12th to finish in 9th....Cory Howk started 14th and would finish in 11th....Casey Mehaffy came from 16th to finish in 13th....Connie Justice started 17th and would finish in 14th......Mike Hughes arrived at the track to late to run his heat in the Hobby Stock class. So he had to start 12th in the feature. But that wouldn't slow him down as he passed 7 cars to take home a fifth place finish in a 9:1 legal Hobby Stock....Dan Wenig would pit on the lap 3 caution for a flat. He would come back out last and then climbed his way back up to finish in 7th without any cautions to help him out......Derek Hamm recover from the lap 9 crash to come back to finish 9th in the Modified feature, after starting 18th.... Ryan Cook came back to finish 10th after his spin on lap 7....Lonnie Heap started 16th and passed 5 cars to finish in 11th......AJ Johnson started the SportMod feature in 10th. He would pass 4 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Dean Kratzer recovered from his roll a week ago to finish 7th....Rod Staats came from the rear after spinning on lap 1 to take home 10th, after starting in 16th....Ryan Fullenkamp recovered from his lap 3 spin to come back up to 11th.

Simpson Gets Redemption in Corn Belt Clash Race at Tipton

Tipton, IA (Wednesday, June 2, 2011) - On a picture perfect night for racing, the Corn Belt Clash Series race number 2 of the 2011 season invaded the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa on Wednesday. Chris Simpson would get redemption from his let down after leading 47 of the 50 laps at the season opener on Sunday in Nebraska, before loosing an engine. He would pass brother Chad on the white flag lap to claim the win and the $2,000 top prize.

But the first feature on the night was the 20 lap Legends, with Hal Russell and Mike Mueller drawing the front row for the event. Russell would take advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dominic Bates. Russel then worked to hold back Bates, until the first caution of the race came out on lap 4. Tyler Kelly and Keith Meyer spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ron Boyse, who was running 7th, spun in turn four as a result from contact from Craig Peekenschneider, who was running 9th, to bring the caution back out. Both drivers were sent to the rear for the restart. Russell moved out front on the restart, with Brett Diercks, who started 10th, quickly moving up to challenge Bates for 2nd. Diercks would clear Bates for the runner up spot on lap 8 and then went to work on Russell for the top spot. On lap 10 Diercks jumped to the top of the speedway to grab the lead away from Russell. Russell tried to get back by Diercks going into 1, but ended up doing a 360 and kept going to fall back to 11th. Diercks would lead the final 10 laps to pick up the win. Adam Bell came from 11th to finish in 2nd, Bates held on for 3rd, Mueller was 4th, with Adrianne Russell coming home in 5th.

Scott Fridley and Ryan Dolan led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 25 lap Modified feature, with Dolan edging out Fridley to grab the lead on lap 1. But Fridley's great run up front only lasted 1 lap, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Dolan jumped back out into the lead, with Mike Burbridge close behind in 2nd. The final caution of the race would come out on lap 4, when Mike Schump spun in turn 3. Dolan again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Burbridge trying to hold back Bruce Hanford, who started 7th, and Brad Diercks, who started 8th. Dierck would use the bottom of the speedway and the top to work his way into 2nd and then went to work on Dolan for the lead. Diercks, running the bottom, and Dolan, who was up top, would race side by side over the final 9 laps to make for an exciting finish to the Modified feature. Diercks grabbed the lead on lap 16, but was caught behind some lapped cars on lap 19 to give the lead back to Dolan. Diercks didn't give up the bottom grove to get back by Dolan on lap 21. Both Diercks and Dolan fought to the checkered, with Diercks edging out the win coming out of turn 4. Dolan settled for 2nd, Burbridge held on for 3rd, Hanford was 4th, with Chris Zogg rounding out the top 5.

The final event on the night was the 35 lap Late Model feature, with Chad Simpson and brother Chris Simpson leading the field to the green. Chad would edge out Chris at the line to grab the lead on lap 1. After Chad got out front he set a fast pace and had pulled out to a straight away lead over Chris when the 1 and only caution came out on lap 14. Jason Jaggers, who was running 8th, drifted to high in four and went off the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Chad jumped back out front, with Denny Eckrich getting by Chris for 2nd. Eckrich would work the bottom to get even with Chad on laps 25 and 26. But as the two went into turn 3 on lap 28, they came up on lapped traffic. Eckrich would almost spin to avoid contact and fell back to 3rd, with Chris closing in on brother Chad for the lead. On lap 32, Chris jumped to the top to draw even with Chad. The two came to the white flag side by side, as lapped traffic held up Chad in turn 2 Chris was able to pull away in turns 3 and 4 to claim the win. Chad settled for 2nd, Denny Eckrich was 3rd, Jason Rauen was 4th, with Dave Eckrich coming home in 5th.

Notes from Tipton: 31 Late Models, 24 Modifieds and 17 Legends made up the 72 cars signed in to do battle in front of a packed house......Jeremy Meyer started 14th in the Legend feature and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Greg Hartlaub came from 12th to finish in 8th....Warren Ropp started 13th and finished in 9th....Tim Simpson passed 5 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 10th......Noah Coppess won the Modified B Main and started the feature in 15th. He would pass 9 cars to take home a 6th place finish......Johnny Spaw came from 11th to finish in 8th....John Ahlers started 14th and finished 10th....Dan Chapman finished 2nd in heat 3, but heavy smoke after the checkered scratched him from the feature....Mike Zogg, who was running 2nd in the B Main, but spun in 4 on the last lap to hope for an alternate for the feature. He would get the call when Chapman scratched. Zogg would make a few laps to retire in 20th....Donovan Lodge had troubles after hot laps and loaded his car to end his night early......Kurt Kile came from 10th in the Late Model feature to finish in 6th....Andy Eckrich started 14th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Justin Mitchell picked up the hard charger award as he started 19th, after finishing 2nd in B Main 1. He would then pass 10 cars to take home a 9th place finish....Tim Isenberg came from 22nd to claim 14th....Andrew McKay, who edged Gary Webb at the line to take the final transfer spot in B Main 2, had transmission troubles before the start of the feature. The crew would get it repaired in time to take the green flag. He would pass 8 cars to take home 16th.

I would like to thank Al and Kathy Dlouhy for a great night of racing. The track was in awesome shape the entire night, which provided a close finish in both the Modified and Late Model features. The surface allowed two and three wide racing from the bottom to the top. I would encourage anybody who hasn't taken a night in at the Cedar County Raceway, should plan a trip.

Sprint Invaders Season Opener Goes to Moughan

Quincy, IL (Monday, May 30, 2011) - After heavy rain showers on Saturday and Sunday morning the Sprint Invaders scheduled for Sunday at the Quincy Raceways had to be pushed back to Monday. The wait was well worth it, as sunny skies and warm temperatures brought out many fans to enjoy the season opening race for the Sprint Invaders for 2011.

The 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature was first to take to the track, with Gabe Harrison and Terry Houston drawing the front row. Harrison would edge out Abe Huls at the line to grab the lead on lap 1. But Huls jumped to the outside of Harrison to take over the top spot on lap 2. The battle up front was slowed for the first time after the completion of lap 2, as Cale Samberg spun in 2 and collected Aaron Brocksieck and John Oliver Jr. On the restart Huls moved back out front with Harrison close behind in second. Derek Sammons would come to a stop in turn 3 on lap 5 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Huls had a right front flat to give the lead over to Andrew Griffin on lap 6. Griffin, who was working the top, and Harrison, who was on the bottom, swapped the lead over the next 3 laps before Griffin took command on lap 10. The battle up front was slowed once again on lap 10, when Brocksieck spun in turn 4. Griffin jumped back out front on the restart, with Kevin Tomlinson, who started 8th, moving in to battle him for the lead. Tomlinson would slid under Griffin on lap 12 to take over the top spot, with Houston following him into 2nd. Houston would spin coming off of turn 4 on lap 13, after contact from Griffin to bring the caution out. Both drivers were sent to the back for the restart. Huls, who went in and changed the tire and came back out on lap 6, jumped to the outside of Tomlinson on the restart to grab the lead away on lap 13. But Tomlinson would come back on the bottom to take back the top spot on lap 14. Tomlinson then held off Huls over the final 6 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Jerry Jansen came from 12th to finish in 3rd, Beau Taylor started 9th and came home in 4th, with Houston coming back from his spin on lap 13 to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 25 lap Sprint Invaders feature, with Ben Wagoner and CJ Houseman leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Wagoner would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1. Wagoner was starting to pull away from the field and was coming up on lapped traffic, when the first caution came out on lap 8. Ryan Jamison, who was running 10th, would spin in turn 4 to bring out the first yellow flag. On the restart Houseman, who was running 2nd, clipped the cone on the front stretch to bring the caution back out. Houseman was sent to the back, which would end his chances for a win. Wagoner moved out front for another restart, with Mark Shirshekan close behind in 2nd. Shrirshekan would jump to the top of the speedway to over take Wagoner on lap 11 for the lead, with another caution coming out on the completion of the lap. Houseman would clip a tire in turn 1 and would come to a stop in turn 2 with front end damage. On the restart Jami Lusher would come to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Andy Houston, who was running 10th, would spin in turn 4 on the next restart to bring the caution back out. The next restart would put an end to Wagoner's chances of winning, as he clipped the cone on the front stretch to bring the yellow back out. Wagoner would be sent to the rear for the restart. Shirshekan jumped back out front for the restart, only to be slowed 1 lap later for debris on the front stretch. Jim Moughan, who started 8th, grabbed the lead away from Shirshekan on the restart and then held off a last lap challenge from Kaley Gharst to claim the win. Justin Parrish came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Shirshekan held on for 4th, with Donnie Steward coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Nathan Hayes and Jake Powers led the field to the green flag in the 20 lap Hobby Stock feature. But a tire was clipped and thrown onto the track in turn 1 to bring the caution out before lap 1 was complete. On the restart Bobby Anders, who started 3rd, jumped to the lead over Hayes. Tanner Klingele would spin in turn 4 on lap 2 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Nathan Anders would spin in turn 4 with a left front flat to bring the caution back out. Bobby Anders grabbed the lead on the restart and then pulled away from the field over the final 18 laps to claim his 4th win in 4 races at the speedway. Brandon Symmonds was 2nd, Steve Carlin was 3rd, Powers held on for 4th, with Klingele coming back from his spin to finish in 5th.

The 30 lap IMCA Late Model feature was up next, with Lonnie Bailey and Robby Warner drawing the front row for the event. Warner would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1. But Bailey, who was working the bottom, slipped under Warner to take the top spot on lap 2. The first of three cautions would come out on the completion of lap 2, when Justin Jennings spun on the front stretch. On the restart Keith Pratt, who was running 5th, spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. Bailey again jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Denny Woodworth now challenging him. The final caution of the event would appear on lap 10, when Dustin Neese spun in turn 4. Once again Bailey grabbed the lead on the restart, with Woodworth still giving chase. Woodworth would jump to the top of the speedway to grab the top spot away from Bailey on lap 12. Woodworth then held off Bailey on the final lap to claim the win. Joey Gower would finish in 3rd, Jake Griffin came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Warner holding on for a top 5 finish.

Wesley Rensch and Devin Still led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 12 lap Wild Things feature, with Still grabbing the lead on lap 1. Still would hold the top spot until lap 6, when the first and only caution of the event came out. Chuck Fullenkamp, who was running 2nd, lost a right rear wheel tire going into turn 3 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Stil had a right front go flat giving the lead to William Michel, who started 6th. Michel then held on over the final 5 laps to pick up the win. Craig Bangert came from 10th to finish in 2nd, Seth Woodruff was 3rd, Brandon Lambert started 12th and finished in 4th, with Austin Uppinghouse rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Ryan Meyer and Shawn Deering on the front row. Deering would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1. On the completion of lap 1 Ryan Porter would spin in turn 4 to bring out the first caution. On the restart Todd Reed, Ben Huff, Ryan Morrison, Terry Wilson and Porter would collide in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Steven DeLonjay would jump to the top of the track on the restart to grab the lead away from Deering. But Deering would come back on the bottom to get the top spot back on lap 6. DeLonjay wouldn't give up the top side of the speedway, as he grabbed the lead away from Deering on lap 16. But a tire was clipped in turn 4 on the completion of lap 17 to slow the battle up front. On the restart Travis Griffith would spin in turn 1 to bring the yellow back out. Vance Wilson, who was running 3rd, got into the back of Deering on the restart to break the right front. He would slid into the front stretch wall, with Griffith spinning to try to avoid Wilson, but would make contact into Wilson's left rear. Griffith would climb out of his machine slowly but appeared to be ok, but both machines were done for the night. After another lap in the books, Mike VandeRiet spun off turn 2 to bring out another caution. DeLonjay again moved out into the lead on the restart only to be slowed for the final time on lap 21 for debris in turn 3. Once again DeLonjay would grab the lead on the restart and then led the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Deering held on for 2nd, Dave Wietholder came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Meyer held on for 4th, with Jared Schlipman coming home in 5th.

Notes from Quincy: 23 Sprint Cars, 18 Modifieds, 15 Late Models, 14 Hobby Stocks, 12 Stock Cars and 12 Wild Things made up the 94 cars signed in on the night......Beau Taylor, John Oliver Jr. and Cale Samberg were among the Stock Cars making there first trip of 2011 to Quincy......Bobby Mincer came from 11th to finish in 7th in the Sprint feature....Ryan Jamison recovered from his lap 4 spin to come back to finish in 8th....Jordan Goldsberry came from 14th to finish in 10th....Joe Beaver claimed the hard charger award, as he passed 8 cars from his 20th starting spot to finish in 12th....John Greenwood came from 19th to finish in 15th....Jimmy Davies started 22nd and finished 16th......Adam Scott started 12th in the Hobby Stock feature and passed 6 cars to finish in 6th......Keith Pratt recovered from his spin on lap 4 of the Late Model feature to come back to finish in 7th....Matt Bailey came from 13th to finsih in 8th....Justin Jennings came from the back after his spin on lap 2 to finish in 9th......Gary Wilson started 14th in the Modified feature and finished in 9th.

Smith Tops Modified Shootout at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, May 27, 2011) - Mother nature tried once again to put a stop to the rescheduled Modified Shootout from April 17th at the Lee County Speedway. But despite the light rain showers and thanks to the hard work and patience by all involved, the night was able to be completed. In action on the night was the IMCA Modifieds going for $2,000 to win, IMCA SportMods and Hobby Stocks racing for $500 to win, IMCA Stock Cars for $300 to win and the Wild Things for $200 to win.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Matt Gavin and Jake Wenig drawing the front row. Wenig would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, with Gavin and Dan Wenig battling for 2nd. The first caution of the event would appear after the completion of lap 1, as Matt Tucker, Nick Fenton and Bobby Anders collided in turn 4. On the restart Jake Wenig jumped back out into the lead, with Gavin and Dan Wenig giving chase. Gavin would try Jake Wenig on the low side of the track for the next six laps, until the final caution of the race came out on lap 8. Aaron Sperry would slow to a stop to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jake Wenig would slow with a left rear flat, giving the lead over to Gavin. Gavin then pulled away over the final 6 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the speedway. Ray Raker came from 9th to claim 2nd, Dan Wenig was 3rd, Tanner Thomann was 4th, with Jim Lynch rounding out the top 5.

Chris Webb and Derek St. Clair led the field to the green in the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Webb grabbing the lead on lap 1. Webb then worked to hold back Sean Johnson over the next 2 laps, when the first caution came out on lap 3. Jim Redmann, Aaron Brocksieck, Ryan Cook and Gabe Harrison all collided in turn 2. On the restart Webb moved back out front, with Johnson close behind in second. But another caution would appear on lap 4, when Harrison spun in turn 2 to end his night. Webb again grabbed the lead on the restart, while Johnson drifted high in turn four and lost 5 spots and fell back to 7th. Jeff Mueller would move into 2nd and then went to work on Webb for the lead. Mueller would slip by Webb on lap 8 to grab the top spot, with Matt Griener, who started 8th, battling Webb for second. While Mueller was working to hold back Griener, Ryan Cook was coming back to the front after his lap 3 crash. Cook would over take Griener for 2nd on the white flag lap and then went to work on Mueller for the win. But Mueller came from the top to the bottom of the speedway coming off turn four, which made Cook jump on the binders to avoid a collision. Cook would spin into the infield, allowing Mueller to go on for the win. Griener came home 2nd, Johnson recovered to finish in 3rd, Webb held on for 4th, with Abe Huls coming from 13th finish in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Jacob Smith and Derek Coleman drawing the front row. But it was third place starter Jim Gillenwater who grabbed the lead over Coleman on lap 1. Gillenwater would hold back Coleman until the first caution of the event came out on lap 3, when Nathan Murders spun in turn 4. On the restart Gillenwater jumped back out into the lead, with Dylan Book over taking Coleman for 2nd. The yellow light would come back on after the completion of lap 4, when Kyle Bentley stopped on the back stretch and collected David Matthews. On the restart Ryan Fullenkamp would spin off turn 4 to bring the caution back out. Gillenwater again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Book close behind in 2nd. The battle for the lead was slowed on lap 7, when Austin Schulte spun in turn 2. On the restart Jeff Mueller, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2. Jacob Smith, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on for another restart. Once again Gillenwater moved out front on the restart, with Book close behind in 2nd. The action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 9, when Dean Kratzer rolled in turn 2 and collected Coleman and Patrick Profeta. Kratzer climbed from his car ok. On the restart Gillenwater jumped back out front and then pulled away over the final five laps to claim the win. Mueller charged back through the field to come home in 2nd, Michael Bliven was 3rd, Rod Staats came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Greg Wichman making the pull down from Wisconsin pay off, as he took home a top five.

Luke Wanninger and Dan Chapman led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 30 lap IMCA Modified Shootout feature. Wanninger would edge out Chapman at the line to lead laps 1 and 2, but Chapman would edge Wanninger at the line to lead lap 3. As the two battled up front, Rich Smith would close in to join the battle on lap 3. Smith jumped under Chapman and Wanninger coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot on lap 4, with Josh Foster moving in to battle Ricke Gustin for 3rd. Smith continued to lead, as Gustin Foster and Chapman swapped the second spot over the next 3 laps when the first caution came out on lap 8. Adam Birck and JJ Wise would come to a stop on the back stretch to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Smith moved back out front, with Foster and Gustin challenging him for the top spot. Foster would grab the lead away from Smith on lap 10, with Gustin trying to get by Smith for 2nd. But Smith wouldn't back down as he over took Foster on lap 8 to grab the lead back, leaving Foster to work to hold back Gustin. The final caution of the event would appear on lap 17, when Brandon Savage, Jeff Waterman and Rob Kirchner collided in turn 2. On the restart Smith moved back out front, with Foster close behind in second. Smith would lead the final 13 laps to claim the win and the $2,000 top prize. Foster held on for 2nd, Todd Schute was 3rd, Chapman held on for 4th, with Daniel Hilsabeck coming home in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 12 lap Wild Things, with Darin Smith and C Jay Loring on the front row. Smith would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on the drop of the green. Smith then worked to hold back Nick Wilkerson and Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 10th. The first caution of the race would come out on lap 8, when Fullenkamp was trying to lap Steven Lake who made contact with Fullenkamp. Fullankamp then made contact with the front stretch wall to end his night. On the restart Smith again jumped out into the lead, with Wilkerson close behind in 2nd. The final caution of the race would appear on lap 11, when William Michel was spun around on the backstretch by Jerrod Nichols. Smith again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 3 laps to pick up the win. Wilkerson held on for 2nd, Devin Still came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Derek Fenton passed 10 cars from his 14th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Kimberly Abbott rounding out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: 33 Modifieds, 23 Wild Things, 22 SportMods, 19 Hobby Stocks and 17 Stock Cars made up the 114 cars signed in on the night......Clayton Crump made the 2 hour drive to Donnellson from Centralia, MO. He would start 3rd in the Hobby Stock feature and would cross the line in 6th with his 9:1 legal Hobby Stock....Dean Kratzer came from 14th to finish in 7th....Bobby Anders started 15th and was collected up in the lap 1 crash. He would recover to finish in 8th....Jake Wenig, who was leading until the lap 9 restart, pulled off with a flat and was credited with 12th......Aaron Brocksieck recovered from the lap 3 crash in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish in 7th....Jeremy Pundt came from 14th to finish in 9th....Ryan Cook was credited with 11th after coming from the back after a lap 3 crash and then battling for the lead on the final lap.......Rick Barlow Jr started the SportMod feature in 12th and passed 5 cars to finish in 7th....Jacob Smith recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 8th....Nathan Murders recovered from his lap 3 spin to finish in 9th....Ryan Fullenkamp started 22nd and spun on lap 5. But he would recover to finish in 10th....Patrick Profeta came from 17th and was involved in the lap 9 red. He would come back to finish in 11th....Dylan Book was credited with 16th after battling Gillenwater for the lead until lap 11, when he pulled off with troubles......Brandon Banks, who took the final transfer spot in the B Main, would start the Modified feature in 24th. He would pass 17 cars to finish in 7th to take home the $100 hard charger award....Dennis LaVeine, who also came out of the B Main, started 22nd and passed 13 cars to take home 9th....Rob Kirchner recovered from the lap 17 crash to come back to finish in 11th....Andy Krieger, who started 19th, had worked his way up to 5th by lap 22. But he would pull off on lap 23 with rear end troubles to end his run in 14th....Richie Gustin would pull off on the lap 17 caution with a flat, after battling for the top 3. He was credited with 15th....Michael Long, who started 11th, was battling for 8th on lap 12. When Luke Wanninger got sideways off of turn 2 and collected Long. Long would break something in the rear end to end his night in 19th....Brian Mullen made the pull down from Seymour, Wisconsin and picked up the win in the B Main. But he had troubles early in the feature to end his night in 24th....Rich Smith would take home $845 in lap money to make his total night take home worth $2845....Josh Foster would claim $330 in lap money, while Chapman took home $85, Wanninger $70 and Richie Gustin $20......Casey Kendrick was DQ in his heat and would start the Wild Thing feature in 22nd. He would pass 16 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Mike Hornung Jr came from 13th to finish in 7th....Andrew Davis passed 11 cars from his 21st starting spot to claim 10th....Connie Justice was also DQ from the heat and started 23rd in the feature. She would pass 12 cars to come home in 11th.

Foster Repeats, While Redmann, Gillenwater, Tucker and Helenthal Get First of the Season at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, May 6, 2011) - For the second week in a row mother nature provided the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa with some great weather. The second points night of the 2011 season, featuring the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, Hobby Stocks and Wild Things, was put into the books.

The first feature on the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Jake Wenig, suppose to start on the pole but scratched, moving Mike Amenell and Josh Tripp to the front row. Tripp would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Amenell. The field was slowed on lap 3 for the first of two cautions of the event, when Bob Cowman came to a stop in turn 4 with a flat. On the restart Tripp moved back into the lead, with Nathan Anders and Jim Lynch battling it out for 2nd. Lynch would over take Anders for 2nd on lap 5 and then went to work on Tripp for the top spot. Tripp was able to hold back Lynch until lap 7, when Lynch got under him to grab the lead by inches. The field was slowed for the final time on lap 9, when Tripp, who was running 2nd, spun in turn 2, and Dan Wenig, who started 12th and was up to 4th, spun to avoid him to bring out the yellow. Lynch grabbed the lead on the restart, with Tanner Thomann, who started 10th, and Matt Tucker who started 9th, who were both making there 2011 debut at Lee County, following him close in 2nd and 3rd. Coming out of turn 4 to get the white flag Lynch would drift to high which allowed Tucker and Thomann to make it three wide out of four. Lynch would run out of space on the top side and came down into Thomann, which caused Lynch to get into the front stretch wall. Tucker meanwhile drove away to pick up the win, his first of the season. Thomann was able to hold on to finish in 2nd, Ray Raker came from 14th to finish in 3rd, Anders held on for 4th, with Jim Powell, another newcomer for 2011, coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Phillip Cossel and Jim Gillenwater leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Gillenwater jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Cossel and Jacob Smith. The first caution of the event would come out on the completion of lap 1, as Mike Shelton spun in turn 2 and collected Patrick Profeta. On the restart Gillenwater moved back out into the lead, with Cossel hold back Smith for 2nd. After the completion of lap 2 the yellow light would come back on, as Rick Barlow Jr., AJ Johnson, Brandon Ruffcorn and Aric Beckler spun in turn 1. Gillenwater again jumped back into the lead on the restart, with Cossel close behind in 2nd. Just as Gillenwater started to pull away from the field, the caution would come back out on lap 8 for debris on the backstretch. With that yellow the time limit was up on this event, which meant the next yellow or checkered flag would put an end to the race. On the restart Gillenwater grabbed the lead, with Coseel holding back Smith for 2nd. The race would come to an end on lap 11, when AJ Johnson spun in turn 4 to bring the caution out. Gillenwater claimed the win, his first of the season. Cossel held on for 2nd, Jeff Mueller came from 12th to finish in 3rd, Rodger Dresden started 8th and came home in 4th, with Smith holding on to finish in fifth.

Nick Wilkerson and Dakota Fenton made up the front row for the 12 lap Wild Thing feature, with Wilkerson grabbing the lead on lap 1. Wilkerson was able to hold back the field until the one and only caution of the event came out on lap 4. C Jay Loring would come to a stop in turn 1. On the restart Wilkeron moved back out into the lead, with David Helenthal, who started 10th, following close behind in 2nd. Helenthal would try Wilkerson on the bottom for the next 3 laps, before making the pass for the lead on lap 8. Helenthal then led the final 4 laps to claim his first of the season. Wilkerson held on for 2nd, Chuck Fullenkamp came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Darin Smith started 9th and finish in 4th, with Craig Bangert rounding out the top 5.

The IMCA Stock Car feature was up next, with John Oliver Jr. and Ryan Cook on the front row. Oliver Jr. would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Derek St. Clair. The first of three cautions would come out on the completion of lap 2, as Aaron Brocksieck, who was running 4th, spun in turn 2 and collected Gabe Harrison. On the restart Jeremy Pundt spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. Oliver Jr. jumped back into the lead on the restart, with Ryan Cook close behind in 2nd. Just as a three car battle between Oliver Jr., Ryan Cook and Jim Redmann, who started 9th, for the lead was going three wide somebody clipped a tire in turn 4 to bring the final caution out on lap 8. Once again Oliver Jr. grabbed the lead on the restart, with Redmann challenging. Redmann would slip under Oliver Jr. coming off turn 4 on lap 9 to take over the top spot, with Ryan Cook working to hold back Jeff Mueller, who started 10th. Redmann held on over the final 6 laps to claim his first win of the season. Oliver Jr. was 2nd, Ryan Cook was 3rd, Mueller finished 4th, with Jason Cook coming home in fifth.

The final feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Dustin Crear and Bill Roberts leading the field to the green flag. Crear jumped out into the lead on lap 1, as Adam Birck and Brandon Savage battled for 2nd. Crear, Birck and Wyatt Lantz would battle for the lead, as Josh Foster, who started 10th, was working his way to the front. Foster worked the bottom to perfection as he over took Crear on lap 9 to grab the lead. Foster then started to pull away when the first caution of the race came out on lap 15, as Dustan Fenton spun in turn 1. On the restart Kirk Hopkins would spin in turn 3 to bring the yellow light back on. Foster grabbed the lead on the next restart, with Lantz and Crear battling for 2nd. The next caution would appear on lap 17, when Tyler Cale, who was running 6th, spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Lantz's car wouldn't come up to speed as Crear, Birck, Savage and Lonnie Heap piled up on the front stretch. Foster jumped into the lead on the restart and then led the final 3 laps to claim his second win in a row at the speedway. Brandon Banks came from 11th to finish in 2nd, James Leffew started 13th and passed 10 cars to come home in 3rd, Bill Roberts came from the back after pitting on the lap 17 caution to finish in 4th, with Cale recovering from his spin on lap 17 to round out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: 25 Modifieds, 20 SportMods, 19 Wild Things, 16 Hobby Stocks and 15 Stock Cars made up the 95 cars in 5 classes......Dan Wenig, who started 12th and had worked his way to 4th, recovered from his lap 9 caution to finish in 6th in the Hobby Stock feature....Dane Fenton came from 11th to finish in 7th....Kirk Puttmann started 13th and finished in 9th....Bob Cowman recovered from his flat on lap 3 to come back to finish in 10th....Michael Wenke came from 16th to finish in 11th....Jim Lynch was disqualified after the event for using his car as a weapon, as he drove into Matt Tucker on the backstretch after the race was over......Dylan Book started the SportMod feature in 15th and passed 8 cars to take home 7th....Patrick Profeta recovered from the lap 1 crash to come back to finish in 10th....Mike Shelton also recovered from the lap 1 crash to come back up to 11th......Wayne Noble had to start the Wild Thing feature from 19th after a disqualification in the heat race. He would pass 12 cars to take home 7th......Chris Webb made his 2011 debut at the speedway in the Stock Car class. He would start the feature in 15th and passed 6 cars to finish in 9th......Bill Seyb started the Modified feature in 16th and passed 10 cars to finish in 6th....Dustan Fenton, who started 14th, recovered from his lap 15 spin to come back to finish in 7th....Jim Roach passed 16 cars from his 24th staring spot to finish in 8th....Kirk Hopkins, who started 19th, recovered from his lap 15 spin to finish in 9th....Derek Hamm came from 18th to finish in 10th....Chadwick Giberson passed 10 cars from his 21st staring spot to take home 11th....Wyatt Lantz, who was running 2nd, was credited with 12th after his car wouldn't come up to speed on the lap 17 caution....Adam Birck was credited with 13th, after running 3rd and getting caught up in the pile up on the lap 17 restart....Dustin Crear was running 4th and got caught up in the lap 17 crash to get credited with 14th....Rich Smith started 25th, after troubles in the heat, and had worked his way to 5th when he pulled off with troubles on the lap 17 caution. He was credited with 15th....Jeff Waterman came from 15th to 10th when he pulled off on the lap 17 caution with troubles to end his night in 17th.