MOWA Stop at 34 Raceway Goes to Smith

Burlington, IA (Saturday, September 22, 2012) - After a few weeks off racing action returned to 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA, as the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) 410 Sprint Cars invaded the track. Also on the card was the Season Championships for the IMCA SportMods and Mod Lites, along with a draw/redraw event for the 4 Cylinders.

The first feature up on the night was the 12 lap 4 Cylinders, with Brandon Reu and Billy Stanford drawing the front row. But it was fourth place starter Austen Becerra who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert, who started 6th, and Stanford. Becerra would pull away from the field to lead all 12 laps in a caution free event! Stanford was able to get past Lambert late to claim 2nd, Lambert settled for 3rd, Dustin Ravelin was 4th, with new comer to 34 Raceway Alex Hayes coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods Season Championship feature, with the race being lined up by current points. Tony Dunker and Michael Joe Bliven would lead the field to the drop of the green, with Dunker edging out Bliven to lead lap 1. Dunker then tried to hold back Bliven until a lapped car got sideways in front of the leader on lap 11, which caused the top 5 to get tangled. Bliven, who was running 4th, and Levi Smith, who was running 5th, would pull into the infield with damaged cars to end there nights. Dunker meantime was able to recover from the tangle to keep the lead, but now had John Oliver Jr., who started 6th, close behind in 2nd. But Dunker was able to hold on over the final 4 laps to pick up the win and the 2012 Track Championship, his third of the season as he won titles at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA and the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL. Oliver Jr. settled for 2nd, Creston Williams finised third after starting in 5th, Sean Wyett came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Phillip Cossel taking home 5th after starting in 11th.

Mike Morrill and Evan Epperson started the 15 lap Mod Lite feature on the front row, as a result of being first and second in points. Morrill would take advantage of his front row start to jump into the lead on lap 1 over Epperson and Joel Huggins. Morrill worked to hold back Epperson until the first caution of the event came out on lap 4. Dan Keltner, who started 12th and had worked his way up to 5th, spun in turn 2 after contact from Chase Flatt, who started 10th and was running 6th. On the restart Morrill moved back out front over Epperson and Huggins, but another caution on lap 7 would slow the action up front. This time rookie Mod Lite driver Devon Rouse spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow light. Morrill once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Epperson over the final 8 laps to claim the win and the 2012 Track Championship. Epperson settled for 2nd, Greg Rossell came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Keltner recovered from his lap 4 spin to come back up to 4th, with Huggins rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 30 lap MOWA feature, with Critter Malone and Terry McCarl on the front row. Just as the green flag waved the red flag came out, as Matt Harms, who started 8th, rolled several times in turn 1. He would climb from his heavily damaged car uninjured. On the following restart Malone jumped out into the lead over McCarl. McCarl would slid under Malone coming off turn 2 on lap 10 to take over the lead, just as Malone slowed going down the back stretch with mechanical troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart McCarl moved back out front, with Robbie Standridge and Danny Smith following in 2nd and 3rd. While McCarl started to pull away from the battle behind him, another caution on lap 14 would slow him down. This time Jordan Goldesberry, who was battling for the third spot, got sideways in turn 3 and backed it into the wall to bring out the yellow. McCarl once again jumped out front on the restart over Standridge and Smith, only to be slowed for the final time on lap 16. Provisional starter Caleb Wankel would take a easy roll in turn 3 to bring out the red. On the restart McCarl moved back out front, with Smith over taking Standridge for 2nd. McCarl looked to be pulling away for the win until he entered lapped traffic on lap 25, which allowed Smith to close. McCarl would take the high line around 1 and 2 to get by the lapped cars, which gave the bottom to Smith. Smith would emerge out of turn 2 with the lead on lap 27 and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim the win. McCarl held on for 2nd, Jerrod Hull came from 9th to finish a close 3rd, Standridge settled for 4th, with Tony Bruce Jr. charging from 19th to finish in 5th.

Notes from 34: 23 410 Sprints and 3 360 Sprints made up the 26 signed in on the night......Derek St. Clair started the SportMod feature in 10th and passed 4 cars to finish in 6th....Mike Shelton came from 14th to finish in 10th....Bobby Six made his debut in the SportMod class behind the wheel of the #10 car in which Jim Gillenwater drove all season long. He would finish the feature in 16th......Collin Ball started 8th in the Mod Lite feature and finished 6th....Devon Rouse, who is only 14, moved out of the go karts to the Mod Lites. He would make his first appearence of the season at 34 Raceway and started 13th in the feature. Devon would spin in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out the caution, but would recover to finish 10th at the checkered....Justin Buchholz had mechanical troubles after the heat to force him to scratch from the feature, in which he was suppose to start 6th in......Joey Moughan, who won the MOWA feature on Friday night in Jacksonville, IL, started 10th and moved up to finish 6th....Ian Madsen drove the 7k from 17th to 7th at the finish....AJ Bruns came from 15th to finish in 9th....Jarrod Schneiderman came from 18th to finish in 11th....Jim Moughan started 16th and finished in 12th....Ben Wagoner took a series provisional and started 21st, but passed 7 cars to finish in 14th....John Schulz drove the #73 360 Sprint owned by Kenny Bragg to a 15th place finish....Donnie Steward was another 360 that made the feature, but would settle for 16th....Bobby Mincer was the other 360 to make it into the feature. He would pull off early to end his night in 21st.

Dlouhy/DeVore Memorial Cash Goes to Dierks, Kay and Dolan

Tipton, IA (Saturday, September 8, 2012) - With the 4th Annual Dlouhy/DeVore Memorial Race on the cards at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, IA, I decided to make one of my rare visits to the track. This was the final race of the 2012 season at the speedway, along with Al and Kathy Dlouhy's final event as the promoters of the track after seven years.

On the card for the night was the Open Modifieds racing for $2,000 to win, Late Models for $1,500 to win and IMCA type Modifieds going for a top prize of $1,000. After three IMCA type Modified heats, two Late Model heats and three Open Modified heats, in which the top 18 in passing points were locked into the features. They then ran a semi in the IMCA type Modifieds and Open Modifieds, where the top 6 moved into the feature, to help set the 24 car starting field in both classes. Then the top 6 in passing points in all three divisions ran a dash to determine the first three rows of there features.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 25 lap IMCA type Modifieds, with Ryan Dolan and Milo Veloz leading the field to the drop of the green. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light came on, as Derek Walker spun in turn 1. On the original restart Dolan edged Veloz and Mark Schulte at the line to grab the lead on lap 1. Dolan then started to pull away from the battle for second and was starting to enter lapped traffic on lap 9, when another caution came out. This time Tom Patz spun his machine in turn 2 to slow the action down. Dolan once again jumped out into the lead on the restart, only to be slowed 1 lap later for another yellow. Roy Pestka would spin in turn 1 and collected the cars of Dave Hammond, George Spence Jr. and Derek Walker to bring out the caution on lap 10. On the restart Dolan grabbed the lead, with Veloz and Schulte moving in to make it a three car battle for the lead. Dolan, who was working the top, and Veloz, who was on the bottom, ran the next several laps side-by-side only to be slowed for the final time on lap 17. This time Johnny Walker would spin in turn 3 to bring out caution. Just as the field was set to go back to green the ambulance was called over to the grandstands to give medical assistance for somebody. They had to transport the person to the hospital, which caused a 15 minute delay to resume racing. Once back to green flag racing Dolan pulled away from the field over the final 8 laps to pcik up the win and the $1,000 top prize. Veloz settled for 2nd, Schulte was 3rd, Brain Webb climbed from his 11th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Mike Burbridge rounding out the top 5.

Doug Nigh and Chad Lerch led the field to the green in the 30 lap Late Model feature, with Nigh grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Matt Ryan and Lerch. Nigh's lead was short lived, as the first of four cautions waved on the track on lap 2. Rob Toland, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Toland tried to jump pass several cars on the top side of the track, but another caution was thrown to warn Toland of his start. The following restart saw Nigh move back out front, with Ryan working to hold back Justin Kay, who started 5th. The battle up front turned into a two car battle on lap 11, as Kay jumped to the top of the track to race side-by-side with Nigh, who worked the bottom. Kay was credited with leading lap 12, but Nigh wouldn't give up as he was scored the leader on lap 15. Kay would come back on the top side to lead lap 18 and then held back Nigh until the next caution came out on lap 22. Tanner Allen would spin in turn 3 to bring the yellow light on. Kay jumped back out front on the restart, with Ryan and Nigh battling for second. Just as Nigh reeled Kay back in to make it a two car battle for the lead, the final caution of the race came out on lap 27. Allen spun his machine off turn 4 for his second solo yellow to end his night. On the restart Kay grabbed the lead and then held on to claim the $1,500 top prize. Nigh settled for 2nd, Andy Eckrich came from 11th and mad a bold top side move on the final lap to go from 5th to 3rd, Ryan held on for 4th, with Kyle Hinrichs coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

The final feature on the night was the 35 lap Open Modifieds, with Chris Zogg and Noah Coppess on the front row. Coppess would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Zogg and Dan Chapman. While Coppess and Zogg battled for the top spot, Brad Dierks, who started 6th, used the bottom of the track to make it a three car battle on lap 10. Dierks would use the low grove to grab the lead away from Coppess on lap 13 and then started to pull away from the battle for second. But a caution on lap 27 would slow the action for the first time. Tanner Allen, who was running 8th, spun in turn 3 and collected the car of Justin Speers to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dierks grabbed the lead, with Coppess and Zogg battling for second. While Bruce Hanford, Chapman and Ryan Dolan, who started 9th, battling three wide for 4th, 5th and 6th. The action up front was slowed for the second time on lap 29, as Mark Schulte, who started 17th and had worked his way to 8th, slowed to a stop on the front stretch with a left rear flat. On the restart Hanford tried to work under Coppess for second, but ran out of track going into turn 1 and spun his machine to avoid contact with Coppess. Hanford would also collect the cars of Chapman and Allen to bring the yellow light back on. The follwoing restart saw Dierks pull away from the field over the final 6 laps to claim the win and the $2,000 check. Dolan used the same top side move that Eckrich did in the Late Model feature to go from 4th to 2nd on the final lap, with Coppess settling for 3rd, Dusty Kraklio came from 18th to finish in 4th, with Zogg holding on to take home a 5th place finish.

Notes from Tipton: 28 IMCA type Modifeds, 25 Open Modifieds and 19 Late Models made up the 72 cars signed in on the night....Ryan Dolan, Milo Veloz, Mark Schulte, Mike Burbridge and Steve Stewart pulled double duty in the Modifieds....While Tanner Allen did double duty in the Late Models and Open Modifieds......Scott Powell was running 4th in the IMCA type Modified semi, when he spun off turn 4 and looked to cross the line sideways in 4th. But it turned out the caution was waved for him, which put him last in the running and missing a transfer spot into the feature......Greg Durbin came from 13th in the IMCA type Modified feature to finish in 8th....Steve Stewart started 16th and passed 7 cars to finish in 9th....Brian Bushong came from 18th to finish in 13th....Derek Walker, who started 20th, spun on lap 1 and was invlolved in the lap 10 crash came back up to finish in 16th....Matt Fulton came from 21st to finish in 17th......Mike Garland started the Late Model feature in 13th and passed 6 cars to finish in 7th....Gary Webb, who drove the #11 that Jeff Stephens piloted all season, came from 16th to finish in 10th....Toland worked his way back to 12th after his lap 2 spin....Bart Miller came from 18th to finish in 14th......Matt Werner started the Open Modified feature in 15th and passed 9 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Steve Stewart came from 12th to finish in 9th....Johnny Spaw started 14th and finished in 10th....Dan Chapman recovered from the lap 29 crash to come back up to finish in 12th....Tanner Allen came from the rear twice, after his lap 27 spin and 29 crash, to finish in 13th....Scott Fridley came from 20th to finish in 14th....John Fellman started 21st and finished 15th....Curran Beckler came from 22nd to finish in 16th....Brad Tyler started 24th and took home a 17th place finish....Shawne Lewis came from 23rd to finish in 18th.

I would like to take this time to thank Al and Kathy Dlouhy for allowing me to come up to the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, IA over the past seven years to cover some of there special events for Positively Racing. The few times I made the trip there the racing surface was always smooth, which provided some great two and even three wide racing throught the night. I wish them the best of luck in there future lives and only wish who ever takes over the track continues the tradition that Al and Kathy set for the track.

It's the Johnson and Johnson Show at Independence

Independence, IA (Saturday, August 18, 2012) - With the battle for the 2012 points titles starting to come to an end, I decided to make the trip back to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, Iowa for there weekly racing program. Mother nature provided some great weather to go along with some exciting racing action.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Joel Rust and Brian Hilbert leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was dropped the yellow light would come on, for a no start by the front row. On the original restart Rust jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Hilbert and Ray Lundry. Rust then started to put some distance between him and the battle for second, when another caution came out on lap 4. Hilbert, who was running 2nd, would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Rust moved back out front on the restart, with Alex Zwanzinger, who started 11th, moving into second. Just as quickly as a lap was complete, another caution came out on lap 5. This time Matt McCahen would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. On the restart Rust once again grabbed the lead, while Kip Siems over took Zwanzinger for second. After another lap was completed, lap 6, another caution appeared on the speedway. This time Synjun Bauer spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Rust again moved back out front on the restart, with Siems working to hold back Zwanzinger for second. Just like Rust has always done on the previous restarts, he started to pull away from the field when another caution came out on lap 9. Bob Ebaugh would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow out. This would also bring an end to the time limit, which meant another yellow or the checkered would end the race. On the restart Robert Whalen would spin in turn 2 and collected Jim Aschenbrenner, Steve Wimer and Josh Burrell, to bring out the final caution and the checkered flag. Rust was awarded the win, followed by Lucas Lundry who started 9th, Jared Van Deest who started 10th, Danny Dvorak who came from 12th, and Sam Wieben who passed 15 cars from his 20th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

Joel Rust won the IMCA SportMod feature on Saturday, August 18, 2012 at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Jesse Brown and Russell Damme Jr. making up the front row for the event. Brown would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on the drop of the green flag, followed by Jason Hocken, who started 5th and quickly worked his way to 2nd. Brown then had to work to hold back Hocken over the next 3 laps, when the first caution of the race came out on lap 4. Bryce Carey would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hocken would slip under Brown as he got high in turn 4 to grab the top spot, followed by John Emerson and Sean Johnson, who started 9th. Johnson jumped to the top of the speedway and would work his way past Hocken to grab the top spot away on lap 7. Johnson and Hocken, who was on the bottom, put on a battle for the lead until the caution came out on lap 13. This time Damme Jr. would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Johnson moved back out front, with Jarod Weepie, who started 7th, over taking Hocken for 2nd. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 15, as Norman Chesmore spinning in turn 3 after contact from Brown. On the restart Johnson once again grabbed the lead, while Weepie and Hocken battled for second. Johnson would go on to lead the final 3 laps to claim his 7th win of the season at the track and also locked up the track championship. Weepie won the battle for 2nd, Hocken settled for 3rd, Emerson was 4th, with Scooter Dulin coming home in 5th.

The IMCA Stock Car feature at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA on Saturday, August 18, 2012 was won by Sean Johnson.

Dave Fangman and Neil Nabholz led the field to the green in the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts feature, but it was third place starter Steve Miedke who grabbed the lead on lap 1. Miedke would pull away from the field to lead all 10 laps, in a caution free event, to pick up the win. Merv Chandler finished in 2nd, Adam Gates was 3rd, Nabholz held on for 4th, with A.J. Witten rounding out the top 5.

The IMCA Sport Compact feature on Saturday, August 18, 2012 at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA was won by Steve Miedke.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Kevin Pittman and Jeff Kriz leading the field to the green flag. Pittman would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Kriz and Shawn Ryan. The battle up front was slowed for the one and only caution on lap 2, as Josh Barta spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pittman once again jumped out front, with Ryan over taking Kriz for second. Ryan, who was running the bottom, slipped under Pittman to grab the top spot away on lap 4. But Pittman didn't give up as he grabbed the lead back on lap 5, while Adam Johnson, who started 7th, moved in to make it a three car battle for the lead. Johnson would slip under Pittman and Ryan on lap 8 to grab the top spot and then pulled away from the field to claim his 4th win in a row and 5th in the last 6 races at the track. Ryan settled for 2nd, Pittman was 3rd, Mark Schulte came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Ronn Lauritzen coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Adam Johnson made it 4 wins in a row in the IMCA Modified feature on Saturday, August 18, 2012 at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA.

Justin Lichty and Jerome Wilson led the field to the green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Lichty grabbing the lead on lap 1 over a charging Quinton Miller, who started 6th. Lichty's lead would only last for 1 lap, as Vince Buchholz slipped under him to grab the top spot on lap 2. The action up front came to a stop on lap 4, as the red flag waved over the speedway. Jeremiah Wilson went airborn off of turn 2 and went head on into the guardrail, where his car got stuck in between two rails. He would climb from the car ok, but done for the race. On the restart Buchholz moved back out front, while Miller over took Lichty in the battle for 2nd. Another caution on lap 5 would appear on the speedway, as debris in turn 4 slowed the action up front. Then Cale Peterson would spin in turn 2 on the next restart and collected the cars of Curt Graham and Gary Gates to bring the yellow light back on for the final time. Once again Buchholz edged out Miller and Lichty on the restart, as they came three wide off turn 4. Miller would lead lap 7, on the bottom, by inches over Buchholz and then held him off on the final lap to pick up the win. Buchholz settled for 2nd, Lichty was 3rd, Justin Stander came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Nathan Christie holding on for 5th.

The IMCA Hobby Stock feature at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA on Saturday, August 18, 2012 was won by Quinton Miller.

The final feature of the night was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Dain Sires and Tysus Pattee making up the front row for the event. But it was fourth place starter Greg Hunter who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Sires and Greg Kastli, who started 5th. Hunter then held the top spot until lap 5, when Kastli slipped under him to grab the lead. Kastli then started to pull away from the field, as Tyler Bruening, who started 8th, worked his way to the front. Bruening worked his way into 2nd on lap 19 and then went to work on Kastli for the lead, as Kastli had built up a full straight away lead. But the one and only caution of the race would help bring the field back to Kastli's bumper. Dale Hackwell Jr. would drive into the back of Rick Dralle's machine coming off turn 2, as the two cars got hooked together and spun down the back stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kastli jumped back out front, with Dean Wagner and Bruening battle for second. Bruening would make contact with Kastli coming off turn 4, which allowed Wagner to go by both on the top side to grab the lead on lap 23. Wagner then held off Bruening on the final lap to claim the win. Bruening settled for 2nd, Kastli was 3rd, Jeff Aikey came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Curt Martin finishing in 5th after starting in 9th.

Notes from Indy: 27 Sport Mods, 22 Modifieds, 21 Late Models, 21 Hobby Stocks 15 Stock Cars and 8 Sport Compacts made up the 114 signed in on the night......Shane Ebaugh started the SportMod feature in 15th and passed 9 cars to finish in 6th....Sean Vogt came from 17th to finish in 9th....Cory Evans finished 10th after starting in 19th....Brian Hilbert recovered from his lap 4 spin to come back up to finish in 12th....Bob Ebaugh came from 16th to finish in 13th....Synjun Bauer, who started 22nd, came back to finish in 14th after spinning on lap 6....Robert Whalen came from 24th to finish in 16th....Steve Wimer finished in 18th after starting in 25th....Kip Siems, who was running 2nd, settled for a 20th place finish after retiring with a left rear flat under the lap 9 caution....Travis Peterson pulled off under the lap 4 caution with a right rear flat, after running in 6th, to finish in 21st....Alex Zwanziger was credited with 22nd after starting in 11th and making it up to 3rd by lap 8. But he would exit the track with a right rear flat to end his run to the front......Kirk Fauser started the Stock Car feature in 10th and took home a 7th place finish....Cory Tharp passed 6 cars from his 14th place starting spot to finish in 8th....Norman Chesmore recovered from his lap 14 spin to come back up to finish in 9th....Kevin Rose was a scratch from the feature after having motor troubles in his heat race......Duayne Herb was forced to scratch from the Sport Compact feature after troubles in the heat......Scott Hogan came from 12th in the IMCA Modified feature and took home a 7th place finish....Bill Roberts made the pull up from Burlington and started the feature in 15th. He would pass 5 cars to bring home a 10th place finish....Luke Miller finished in 15th after starting in 22nd....Vern Jackson, was suppose to start in 6th, but was a scratch from the feature after having motor troubles at the checkered of his heat....Jason Morehouse had a left rear flat on the parade lap and was forced to scratch from the drop of the green....Terry Johnson had troubles in his heat to froce him to scratch from the feature......Jim Ball started the Hobby Stock feature in 21st and passed 14 cars to finish in 7th....T.J. Mortenson came from 18th to finish in 10th....Randy Byerly finished 12th after starting in 19th....Nick Welch took home a 13th place finish after starting in 20th....Benji Irvine started in 11th and had worked his way up to 5th by lap 8 when he lost a motor and had to settle for a 16th place finish......Jon Passick came from 10th in the Late Model feature to finish in 6th....Bobby Hansen took home a 7th place finish after starting in 12th....Darrel DeFrance passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 8th....Luke Merfeld came from 13th to finish in 9th....Chad Lerch passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to take home a 10th place finish....LaVern Carey came from 19th to finish in 13th....Russell Hesse finished 15th after starting in 21st.

Chris Simpson Cruises to Corn Belt Clash Win at the Jackson County Speedway

Maquoketa, IA (Saturday, August 11, 2012) - Saturday night took me back to another track I haven't been to for several years, as the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa hosted the first ever visit for the Corn Belt Clash Series. This race would also be the 6th Annual Dusty Kay Memorial Race, with the Late Models battling for a $3,000 top prize and the 4 Cylinders going for $1,000 to win.

Twenty-three Late Models signed in on the night, which divided them into three 10 lap races. The Corn Belt Clash series uses a passing points system to determine the top 6 who would run a dash to help set up the first three rows of the A Main, while the remainder lined up how they finished in passing points.

The first 10 lap Late Model heat race saw Chad Simpson jump out into the lead on the drop of the green flag from his outside front row start, with Denny Eckrich, who started 4th, following behind in second. Simpson would hold the top spot until a caution came out on lap 6, when Pete Parker slipped off turns three and four to bring out the yellow. On the restart Simpson brought the field to a jack rabbit start, which caused Mike Fryer to get into the side of Brian Beaudry, who was driving the back-up car of Justin Kay. Fryer would spin in turn four to bring the yellow back out. But Simpson would be penalized from the lead to 2nd for the bad start. Denny Eckrich would inherit the lead and then held on for the final laps to claim the win. Simpson settled for 2nd, Beaudry came from 5th to 3rd, Rick Wendling finished 4th after starting in 6th, Stephan Kammerer was 5th, Mike Fryer was 6th, Parker was 7th, with Doug Nigh 8th.

Heat number 2 saw Matt Furman grab the lead on lap 1 from his pole position and then held off a charging Chris Simpson, who started 6th, to claim the win. Jeff Larson was 3rd, Matt Ryan was 4th, Jon Rogers came from 7th to finish in 5th, Paul Parker finished 6th after starting in 8th, Dustin Edwards was 7th, with Becky Roth coming home in 8th.

Dave Eckrich took advantage of his outside front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 of heat race 3. While Tim Isenberg, Justin Kay and Jason Rauen, who started 7th, battled three wide for the second spot. Isenberg, who was running the bottom, would spin in turn 2 on lap 5 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Eckrich moved back out front, with Rauen close behind in second. Rauen would try several attempts to get under Eckrich for the lead, when he got sideways in turn 4 with 2 laps to go and fell back to 4th. Eckrich would go on to pick up the win, while Isenberg recovered from his spin on lap 5 to come back to finish in 2nd. Kay was 3rd, Rauen was 4th, Jake Meier was 5th, Rob Moss was 6th, with Joe Zrostlik 7th.

The top 6 in passing points then ran a 6 lap dash, with the winner drawing a pill to determine how many would be inverted for the 40 lap A Main. Denny Eckrich and Chris Simpson led the field to the green, with Simpson grabbing the lead on lap 1. Simpson then pulled away to claim the win, followed by Denny Eckrich, Dave Eckrich, Matt Furman, Chad Simpson and Tim Isenberg. Chris Simpson then stopped on the front stretch to draw a pill from 1 to 6 to see how many would be inverted. He would reach in an pull out a #2, to put Denny Eckrich on the pole and Chris Simpson outside the front row.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap Outlaw Super Bombers, with Wayne Hora and Joe Bonney drawing the front row for the event. Bonney took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Hora and K.C. Ansel. Bonney then started to pull away from the battle for second until he entered lapped traffic midway thru the race. Hora and Ansel were able to close in on Bonney's back bumper with three laps to go, but wasn't able to get around Bonney. Bonney would hold on in a caution free race to pick up the win. Hora settled for 2nd, Ansel was 3rd, Jed Holland came from 6th to finish in 4th, with Dan Mohr coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Joe Bonney won the 15 lap Outlaw Super Bomber feature on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, IA.

Johnny Walker Jr. and Ben Traver led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Traver grabbing the lead on lap 1. Traver then held the top spot until lap 4, when Matt Irwin slipped under him to grab the lead away. The battle up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Jason Masengarb spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Irwin jumped back out front, with Joe Beal slipping past Tarver to take over the second spot. Irwin, who worked the bottom, and Beal, who was up top, ran laps 7 thru 9 side-by-side, before Beal grabbed the top spot on lap 10. The next caution of the event would come out on lap 12, as Scott Powell spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Beal moved back out front on the restart, while Ray Cox Jr., who started 8th, took over the second spot. Once again the action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 13, as Scott Olson spun in turn 4. On the restart Beal jumped back out into the lead, with Cox Jr. and Irwin battling side-by-side for second. Cox Jr. moved to the top of the track on lap 15 to slip past Beal for the top spot and then held on to pick up the win. Beal settled for 2nd, Irwin was 3rd, Kelly Meyer edged out a 4th place finish, with Traver holding on to finish in 5th.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, IA was won by Ray Cox Jr.

Up next was the 35 lap $1,000 to win Dusty Kay Memorial 4 Cylinder race, with Jacob Ellithorpe and Kyle Vohringer drawing the front row. But just as the green flag was dropped the caution light would come out, as Cameron Poci spun in turn 4 and collected Adam Bowman and Aaron Hitt. On the original restart Ellithorpe jumped out front on lap 1 over Gene Potter and Mike Morrow, who started 6th. Ellithorpe then started to pull away from the field, as the next 27 laps went caution free. But the field was brought back to Ellithorpe's back bumper on lap 28, when Rob Harding slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ellithorpe grabbed the lead, while Morrow slipped into second. Morrow would try over the next 7 laps to get under Ellithorpe for the lead, until the next caution came out on lap 30. This time Dillon Daniels lost a right rear tire down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. Ellithorpe once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 5 laps to claim the win and the $1,000 top prize. Morrow settled for 2nd, Jake Montoya came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Ricky Kay, who started 12th and was running 5th, pitted on the lap 28 caution with a left front flat, but would recover to finish in 4th, with Joe Zrostlik coming home in 5th.

Jacob Ellithorpe won the 35 lap Dusty Kay Memorial 4 Cylinder feature at the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, IA on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

The final feature of the night was the 40 lap Corn Belt Clash Late Models, with Denny Eckrich and Chris Simpson on the front row. Denny would grabbed the lead on the drop of the green flag over Simpson and Dave Eckrich and then held it until lap 4. Chris Simpson slipped under Denny coming off turn 4 on lap 4 to take over the top spot. Simpson then started to pull away from the field, when he entered lapped traffic on lap 10. Denny and Dave Eckrich slowly reeled in Simpson, until the first caution came out on lap 28. Just as Simpson started to come up on some heavy lapped traffic, which was running 2 and 3 wide. Rob Moss would spin in turn 1 with rear end troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Simpson jumped back out front, with Dave over taking Denny for seond. But the action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 29. Matt Furman, who was ruuning 6th, spun in turn 4 and collected Justin Kay, who was running 7th, Jason Rauen, who was running 8th, Rick Wendling and Joe Zrostlik to bring out the yellow. Kay, Rauen, Wendling and Zrostlik were done for the night, while Furman went to the pits with a right rear flat. Simpson again moved out front on the restart and then pulled away over the final 11 laps to cruise to an easy win. Denny Eckrich was able to come home 2nd, Dave Eckrich settled for 3rd, Chad Simpson was 4th, with Tim Isenberg rounding out the top 5.

Chris Simpson took home the $3,000 top prize by claiming the 40 lap Corn Belt Clash Series win on Saturday, August 12, 2012 at the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, IA.

Notes from JCS: 23 Late Models, 19 Outlaw Super Bombers, 19 4 Cylinders and 16 Modifieds made up the 77 cars signed in on the night......Chip Kohl came from 10th to finish 6th in the Outlaw Super Bomber feature....Brendan Driscoll finished 7th after starting in 13th....Matt Picray finished 9th after starting in 14th....Ethan Milder came from 17th to finish in 12th....Kerry Drake started 16th and finished in 13th....Shawn Flagel came from 19th to finish in 14th....Brent Nugent and Gene Ehlers had troubles in there heats and were forced to scratch from the feature......Scott Powell, who started 14th, spun on lap 12 of the Modified feature to bring out the caution. He would recover to take home an 8th place finish....Scott Olson came from 12th to finish in 9th....Tim Arp started 13th and finished in 10th....Jake Bowman had toubles in his heat race to force him to scratch from the feature......Lane Vohringer started the 4 Cylinder feature in 9th and finished in 6th....Bob Taggert came from 13th to finish in 8th....Kyle Dyer started 16th and finished in 10th....Mitch Bielenberg, who was running 7th, when he went to the pits under the caution on lap 28 with troubles to end his night in 11th......Brian Beaudry drove Justin Kay's back up car to a 6th place finish in the Late Model feature....Paul Parker charged from 16th to finish in 7th....Matt Ryan, in an IMCA legal Late Model, started 12th and took home an 8th place finish....Matt Furman recovered from his lap 29 spin and flat to come back up to finish in 10th....Jake Meier came from 15th to finish in 11th....Mike Fryer finished 13th after starting in 17th....Becky Roth drove from 22nd to finish in 14th.

I would like to thank Tim Current, Ryan Duhme and the entire Darkside Promotions crew for a great night of racing at the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, IA. I look forward to making it back up to the speedway in the near future.

Lanigan's WoO Late Model Hot Streak Continues With Win at Independence

Independence, IA (Monday, August 6, 2012) - My second ever visit to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA was brought on by the second ever visit by the World of Outlaw Late Models. As I turned onto the road to take me to the pits, I noticed the over fill in the parking lot and on the side streets of the cars and trucks. Thirty-three Late Models were greeted by the packed grandstands in attendance, and the 34 IMCA Modifieds signed in on the night.

Don O'Neal, driving the Moring Motorsports #1 machine on the night, got things started off by setting fast time with a lap of 14.337 seconds around the 3/8th mile track. Darrell Lanigan, Jason Rauen and Chris Simpson were 2nd - 4th to earn the right to start the four 10 lap heat races on the pole. The four heat races would take the top 4 out of each to the 50 lap A Main, with the top 2 redrawing for the top 8 starting spots, the remainder would move to the two B Mains in which the top 3 would transfer into the A Main.

WoO Late Model heat 1 notes: O'Neal jumped out front on the drop of the green flag from the pole and cruised to an easy win. He was followed by Vic Coffey in 2nd, Duane Treadwell came from 5th to finish in 3rd, with Billy Moyer holding on to finish in 4th to take the final transfer spot into the 50 lap A Main. Kent Robinson wasn't able to make the pass on Moyer for 4th over the final few laps and had to settle for 5th, Tim Fuller came from 8th to finish in 6th, Jerrl Lierly was 7th, Curt Martin was 8th, with Jill George coming home in 9th.

WoO Late Model heat 2 notes: Darrell Lanigan used his pole position to grab the lead on lap 1 of the heat and then pulled away to claim the win. Shane Clanton was able to clear Brian Birkhofer to take the 2nd spot, Birkhofer settled for 3rd, with Mike Spatola taking the final transfer spot in 4th. Billy Moyer Jr. tried several attempts to get under Spatola over the 10 lap race, but was unsuccessful and had to settle for 5th, Jack Sullivan was 6th, Rick Wendling took home 7th, with Ross Camponovo finishing in 8th.

WoO Late Model heat 3 notes: Rick Eckert took advantage of his outside front row starting spot to battle Jason Rauen for the lead. But Clint Smith, who started 5th, quickly moved up to challenge the duo for the top spot. Eckert was able to hold on to pick up the win. While Smith settled for 2nd, Rauen was 3rd, with Bub McCool holding on to finish in 4th. Tim McCreadie came from 6th and was working over McCool for the final transfer spot over the final few laps, but fell short in finishing 5th. Chub Frank finished in 6th, Rich Bell was 7th, with Matt Furman coming home in 8th.

WoO Late Model heat 4 notes: Chris Simpson used his pole position to grab the lead on lap 1 of heat 4 and then pulled away to pick up the win. Dennis Erb Jr. drove Jerry Lierly's back up car to a 2nd place finish. Jason Feger held on for 3rd, with Chad Simpson coming from 7th to take the final transfer spot in 4th. Russ Adams came from 8th to finish in 5th. Pat Doar, Tyler Bruening and Brian Shirley piled up in turn 2 on lap 1 of the heat to bring out the caution. All three cars were unable to continue, with Doar getting credited with 6th, Bruening 7th and Shirley 8th.

WoO Late Model B Main 1 notes: Tim Fuller came from 3rd to take the lead on the start of the 12 lap race and then pulled away to pick up the win. Kent Robinson would finish in 2nd, while Jerry Lierly came from 5th to take the final transfer spot in 3rd. Billy Moyer Jr. tried to work under Lierly over the first 6 laps, before faded at the end to finish in 4th. Sullivan was 5th, Camponovo came from 8th to finish in 6th, Wendling was 7th, Martin 8th and George 9th.

WoO Late Model B Main 2 notes: McCreadie took advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 and then pull away over the 12 lap race to pick up the win. Pat Doar, who was involved in the lap 1 crash in his heat, was able to make repairs and came from 4th to finish 2nd. Matt Furman came from 7th to take the final transfer spot into the A Main. Frank would work under Furman several times over the final laps, but was unable to make the pass and settled for 4th. Bell was 5th, Adams 6th, with Bruening and Shirley scratching from the event after being involved in the wreck on lap 1 of heat 4.

After the 4 heat races the top 2 in heat of those races would be brought over in front of the huge crowd for the redraw. Lanigan's 2012 luck would continue, as he drew the pole for the A Main. Chris Simpson would draw the number 2 to start outside the front row. O'Neal and Coffey drew the second row. Eckert and Erb Jr. would make up row 3. While Smith and Clanton will start in the fourth row. Add 3rd thru 4th in each of the heats and the top 3 from the 2 B Mains, with Sullivan and Frank added as series provisionals and Martin getting the track provisional and the 25 car field was set for there 50 lap A Main.

Lanigan jumped out into the lead on the drop of the green flag over Chris Simpson and O'Neal and was starting to pull away. But as he entered lapped traffic on lap 9, the first caution of the race would come out on lap 9. Rauen and Treadwell would tangle in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lanigan once again moved out into the lead, with Simpson working to hold back Clint Smith, who started 7th. Lanigan once again started to pull away from the field, when the second caution of the event came out on lap 18 to bring the field back to his back bumper. This time Rauen spun off the high side of turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Lanigan grabbed the lead, but now had Smith following him close behind in second, with O'Neal moving into third. Lanigan worked to hold back Smith and O'Neal, when they started to enter lapped traffic on lap 29. But Tim McCreadie would slow to a stop in turn 2 on lap 29 to bring out the caution. Lanigan again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Smith and O'Neal battling for second. The three car battle up front was slowed for another caution on lap 36, as Vic Coffey, who was running 11th, came to a stop down the back stretch with left front problems. Coffey would show his displeasure with the hard battle between himself and Chub Frank, as he pushed Frank into the tire in turn 3. Both drivers would stop in turn 4 and waved friendly hand guestures, before Coffey was towed off the track.

On the restart Rauen would spin his machine in turn 1 to bring out his solo caution of the event to end his night. The following restart saw Lanigan jumped back out front, with Smith and O'Neal still close behind in second and third. Lanigan, who was working the bottom of the track, had to work to hold back Smith, who found something on the top side. Smith was able to edge ahead of Lanigan at the line to lead lap 42, with Lanigan coming back to lead lap 43 by inches. As the two went into turn 1, Lanigan slipped up the track and got into Smith, who almost slipped of turn 2. Lanigan would then hold back Smith over the final laps to claim the win and the $10,000 top prize. Smith settled for 2nd, O'Neal was 3rd, Rick Eckert was 4th, with Billy Moyer coming from 13th to round out the top 5.

Darrell Lanigan won his 5th World of Outlaw Late Model feature in a row and series high 12th on Monday, August 6th at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA.

Thirty-four IMCA Modifieds signed in on the night, with hopes of taking home the $1,000 top prize. They would be divided into four 8 lap heats, with the top 4 transfering into the 25 lap A Main. The remainder would be put into one of the two 10 lap B Mains, with the top 4 out of each moving into the A Main.

Modified heat 1 notes: Shawn Ryan jumped out into the lead on lap 1, with Jerry King close behind in second. Ryan, who was running up top, and King, who was on the bottom, ran the final 2 laps side-by-side, with Ryan edging King at the line for the win. Mike Burbridge came home in 3rd, with Shane Burbridge claiming the final transfer spot in 4th. Patrick Flannagan was 5th, Dawn Krall was 6th, Kyle Brown settled for 8th, as he was running 4th when Flannagan got into the back of him with 2 laps to go and got him sideways. Brown fell from 4th to 7th, while Shane Burbridge was able to clear both cars to take 4th. Scott Strauss took home 8th, while Brandon Wilson had motor troubles in hot laps and was a scratch from the event.

Modified heat 2 notes: Ronn Lauritzen took advantage of his pole position to cruise to the easy win. Joe Docekal came home in 2nd, Vern Jackson came from 5th to finish in 3rd, with Adam Johnson holding on for 4th, the final transfer spot. Jerry Luloff started 7th and was challenging for 4th on the final lap, but had to settle for 5th. Tony Snyder was 6th, Chris Snyder was 7th, Tom Hanson was 8th, with Leon Wilson coming home in 9th.

Modified heat 3 notes: Troy Cordes jumped out front from his front row starting spot and led all 8 laps to pick up the win. Johnathan Thimmesch held off a last lap charge from Darin Duffy, who started 8th, to finish in 2nd, with Duffy 3rd. Justin O'Brien came from 7th to slip under Kevin Pittman off turn four on the last lap to edge out the 4th and final transfer spot. Pittman settled for 5th, Jeff Kriz was 6th, Jeff Streeter was 7th, with Tye Haslip in 8th.

Modified heat 4 notes: Mark Schulte jumped out front from his pole position to grab the lead on lap 1 over J.D. Auringer and Richie Gustin. Schulte then held them off to claim the win. Auringer held off Gustin at the line to finish in 2nd, with Gustin 3rd, while Jason Snyder came from 6th to take the final transfer spot in 4th. Josh Sherbon was 5th, Jerry Dedrick was 6th, Dennis Betzer was 7th, with Ed Thomas 8th.

Modified B Main 1 notes: Luloff grabbed the lead on lap 1 of the 10 lap race and then held on to claim the win. Kyle Brown came from 5th to challenge Luloff over the final laps to settle for 2nd, Flannagan was 3rd, with Chris Snyder coming from 6th to take the final transfer spot into the A Main. Strauss finished 5th, Krall was 6th, Hanson was 7th, Tony Snyder, Brandon Wilson and Leon Wilson had troubles in there heats to force them to scratch from the event.

Modified B Main 2 notes: Kevin Pittman jumped out front on lap 1 and then pulled away to lead all 10 laps to pick up the win. Sherbon was 2nd, Kriz was 3rd, with Streeter taking the final transfer spot in 4th. Betzer, Haslip and Dedrick all battled for 4th early before falling out with mechanical troubles. Ed Thomas was a scratch after he lost a motor in his heat.

After the 4 heat races were completed the top 3 in each heat would be brought over in front of the crowd to redraw for the top 12 starting spots in the 25 lap A Main. Rayn would pull the lucky #1, with Docekal drawing the #2. King and Auringer would make up row 2. Schulte and Thimmesch made up row 3. Cordes and Lauritzen was row 4. Mike Burbridge and Jackson made up row 5. While Duffy and Gustin drew row 6. The fourth place finishers in each of the heats, and the top 4 in each of the B Mains made up the 24 car field for the A Main.

Ryan took advantage of his pole position to move out front on lap 1 of the feature over Docekal and King. Ryan would work to hold back Docekal over the next 3 laps, when Docekal got into the back of Ryan in turn 4 and causing him to spin. Ryan was giving the lead back, while Docekal was sent to the rear for the restart. On the restart Duffy, who started 11th and was running 8th, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. King would slip under Ryan on the next restart to grab the top spot away, as Ryan worked to hold back Schult and Cordes, who came from 7th. While King worked the bottom of the track, Ryan would work the top to edge ahead at the line to lead lap 5. Ryan then had to fight off Cordes, when he excited the track with rear end troubles on lap 10 to hand the lead over to Cordes. The battle up front was slowed on lap 19, as Jeff Kriz spun off turn 4 to bring out the caution. Cordes jumped back out front on the restart, with Schulte, King and Gustin, who started 12th, battling for 2nd. King's great run up front would come to an end on lap 21, as he spun in turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the event. On the restart Cordes again jumped out front over Schulte, with Gustin and Auringer battling for 3rd. Cordes was able to hold back Schulte on the final lap to pick up the win and the $1,000 check. Schulte settled for 2nd, Gustin was 3rd, Auringer was 4th, with Brown charging from 19th to edge out a 5th place finish.

Mores notes from Indy: Brian Birkhofer started 10th in the Late Model feature and finished 6th....Chad Simpson came from 16th to finish in 7th....Chub Frank passed 16 cars from his 24th place starting spot, a series provisional, to take home 8th....Pat Doar came from 20th to finish in 11th....Tim Fuller started 17th and finished 13th....Matt Furman came from 22nd to finish in 14th......Joe Docekal recovered from his lap 3 involvement of the caution to come back to finish a close 6th in the Modified feature....Justin O'Brien came from 15th to finish in 7th....Jerrl Luloff started 17th and finished in 8th....Kevin Pittman came from 18th to finish 9th....Adam Johnson started 14th and took home 10th....Jeff Kriz, who started 22nd, recovered from his lap 19 spin to finish in 11th....Jason Snyder was 12th after starting in 16th....Chris Snyder came from 23rd to finish in 13th....Jeff Streeter took home 14th after starting in 24th....Ronn Lauritzen, came from 8th to 5th, when he pulled off on lap 20 with a right front flat to end his night in 17th....Johnathan Thimmesch was running 6th when he pulled off on lap 11 with troubles to end his night in 20th....Vern Jackson was running 7th when he pulled off on lap 12 with a left rear flat to end his run in 21st......The crew would sprinkle the top side of the track before the Late Model heats, Modified heats, Late Model B Mains and Modified B Mains in an effort to make it a multi grove track. There efforts paid off, as both the Late Model and Modified features provided the fans with some great two and even three wide racing through-out there events.

I would like to thank Ryan Clark and the entire crew at the Independence Motor Speedway for the great hospitality. I hope to make it back up to Independence one more time before the 2012 season comes to a close.

Also I would like to send out condolences to the familys of Billy Haffer and the others who where involved in a fatal car accident early this morning. Billy and two others were on there way back home from the Sprint show at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA when there car was struck from behind by a semi at about 1:30 this morning on Highway 63 near Ottumwa, IA. Billy and another passenger in the car was killed in the accident. I only met Billy back in April at the season opener at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL and then ran into him again in July at the UMP Summernationals event at the same track. Both times Billy brought a color of water and soda and offered it to me to help keep hydrated on those hot nights. Billy was a photographer from the S.t Louis area and traveled all over the US to take pictures at many events. He will be missed by many in the racing community!

Gillenwater, Huls and Wenig Continue Winning Streaks at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, August 3, 2012) - Another great night of racing action was put into the books on Friday at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA, as it was KILJ and Coor's Light Night at the races. Also it was Family Motors Fan Appreciation Night, with many fans stopping by there used dealership in West Burlington to pick up FREE tickets. Abe Huls (IMCA Stock Cars), Jim Gillenwater (IMCA SportMods) and Jake Wenig (LCS Hobby Stocks) extended there winning streaks with feature wins in there respective classes, while Wyatt Lantz (IMCA Modifieds) and Rob Hammel (IMCA Sport Compacts) also visited victory lane on the night.

The first feature of the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Casey Lambert and Craig Bangert leading the field to the green. Bangert would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert. Bangert then held the lead until lap 5, when Rob Hammel, who started 6th, slipped under him to take over the top spot. On the completion of lap 5, the first caution of the event would come out for debris in turn 3. On the restart Hammel moved back out front, with Brandon Lambert close behind in second. Hammel would go on to lead the final 7 laps to pick up the win, his third of the season at the track. Brandon Lambert settled for 2nd, Austen Beccera was 3rd, Scott Smith came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Chuck Fullenkamp coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods feature, with Tom Elsen and Jack Evans on the front row. Elsen grabbed the lead from the drop of the green flag and then held it until lap 2, when Phillip Cossel slipped under him to take over the top spot. But Cossel's run out front only lasted for 2 laps, as Jim Gillenwater, who started 8th, jumped to his outside to grab the lead away on lap 4. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 6, as Jay Kirchner spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Gillenwater moved back out front, with Tony Dunker, who started 9th, now close behind in second. Gillenwater worked to hold back Dunker, who was fighting to keep Cossel back in the battle for second when the red flag came out on lap 10. Levi Smith would get into the back of Derek St. Clair, who started 12th and was up to 5th, causing him to spin in turn 1 and collect the car of Sean Wyett. Wyett, who started 14th and was running 10th, ended up rolling over the top of St. Clair's car to bring out the red. Wyett and St. Clair would climb from there cars ok, but done for the night. Gillenwater jumped back out front on the restart, with Dunker working to hold back Brandon Ruffcorn in the battle for second. Gillenwater would go on to lead the final 4 laps to claim his third win in a row and sixth of the season at the speedway. Dunker settled for 2nd, Ruffcorn was 3rd, Bobby Anders came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Scott VanBuskirk coming from 11th to take home a fifth place finish.

Brian Hoener and Ethan Thompson drew the front row for the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Hoener grabbing the lead on lap 1. While Hoener was leading the field, Jake Wenig, who started 7th, quickly worked his way to second by lap 2. Wenig then went to work on Hoener for the lead, as he slipped under him on lap 8 to take over the top spot. The first caution of the race would come out on lap 9, when Dan Wenig spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jake moved back out front, with Hoener working to hold back Victor Hastings in the battle for second. But Hastings' run up front would come to an end on lap 12, as he stopped in turn 2 with a right rear flat to bring out the second caution of the race. Jake Wenig once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held it for the final 3 laps to pick up his sixth win in a row at the track. Tim Pettibone came from 5th to finish in 2nd, Hoener was 3rd, Dan Wenig recovered from his lap 9 spin to finish in 4th, with Hastings recovering from his lap 12 flat to come home in 5th.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was next, with Adam Birck and Derek Hamm leading the field to the green. Hamm would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Birck and Wyatt Lantz. Hamm then worked to hold the lead until the first caution of the race appeared on the speedway on lap 8. Dustin Crear, who was running 5th, spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lonnie Heap, who started 7th and was running 4th, clipped a tire in turn 4 and collected the car of Cayden Carter, who started 12th and was running 8th, to bring the yellow light back on. Lantz would slip under Hamm on the next restart to take over the top spot on lap 9, with Hamm working to hold back Jeff Waterman, who started 10th, in the battle for second. Lantz would hold off the challenges from Hamm over the final 11 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Hamm held on for 2nd, Waterman was 3rd, Ryan Cook was 4th, with Tyler Cale coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jim Lynch and Derek St. Clair on the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution would come out, as Cale Samberg spun in turn 2. On the restart Lynch grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Corey Strothman. While Lynch held the top spot for the first 2 laps, Abe Huls, who started 9th, quickly worked his way to the front. Huls would jump to the outside of Lynch to grab the lead away on lap 3, with Jason Cook, who started 6th, moving up to make it a three car battle. The battle up front was slowed for the first time on lap 11, as Brett Timmerman spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart the yellow once again waved, as debris on the backstretch slowed the action. The next restart saw Huls move back out front, with Cook working to hold back Matt Greiner, who started 7th, in the battle for second. Huls was able to hold back all challenges over the final laps to pick up his second win in a row and fourth overall at the speedway. Cook held on in the battle for 2nd, Greiner settled for 3rd, Samberg recovered from his lap 1 spin to come back up to finish in 4th, with Lynch holding on for 5th.

Notes from LCS: Skipp Dunker started the Sport Compact feature in 13th and passed 6 cars to come home in 7th....Mike Hornung Jr. came from 14th to finish in 11th....Craig Bangert, who led the first 4 laps, pulled off under the lap 5 caution with troubles to end his night in 14th......A season high 24 cars signed in on the night in the SportMod division....John Oliver Jr. started 19th in the SportMod feature and came up to finish 6th....Michael Joe Bliven passed 14 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to take home 7th....Jacob Smith came from 15th to finish 9th....Bradley Holtmeyer came from 17th to finish in 11th....Derek Coleman started 18th and took home 14th....Bob Cowman started 21st and finished in 16th....Phillip Cossel, who was battling for the lead until the red came out on lap 11, retired when his car wouldn't start back up and was credited with 19th....Derek St. Clair was doing double duty on the night, as he made his debut in the SportMod division, plus still running his Stock Car. St. Clair would start the feature in 12th and had climbed his way up to 5th by lap 11. When Levi Smith drove into the back of him down the front stretch and all the way into turn 1, causing him to spin his machine. In the process, Sean Wyett, who started 14th and climbed his way to 10th, was collected in the wreck. He would roll over the top of St. Clair's car to end both there nights......Lonnie Heap recovered from his lap 8 spin to come back to finish 7th in the Modified feature......Brett Timmerman made his first visit of the season to LCS and started the feature in 10th. He would spin in turn 3 on lap 11 to bring out the caution, but would recover over the final 4 laps to take home a 7th place finish.

Veloz Cashes In at the Lee County Speedway

Donnellson, IA (Friday, July 27, 2012) - The Mohrfeld Electric $1,000 to win Modified Shootout that was rained out back on April 13th was rescheduled and ran this Friday, July 27th at the Lee County Speedway. At the end of some great racing action Milo Veloz (IMCA Modifieds), Abe Huls (IMCA Stock Cars), Jim Gillenwater (IMCA SportMods), Jake Wenig (LCS Hobby Stocks), Chase Flatt (Mod Lites) and Anthony Cassat (IMCA Sport Compacts) all visited victory lane.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Tony Dunker and Levi Smith drawing the front row for the event. Dunker would take advantage of his front row start to gab the lead on lap 1 over Smith and Phillip Cossel. Cossel slipped past Smith for second on lap 3 and then went to work on Dunker for the lead, as the two ran side-by-side on laps 4 thru 8. When the first caution of the race came out on the completion of lap 8, as Bob Cowman spun his machine in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker jumped back out front, with Cossel working to hold back Kevin Cale in the battle for second. But the action up front was slowed for a second time on lap 10, as Jay Kirchner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Dunker grabbed the lead on the restart, while Cossel slipped high in turn 2 and fell back to 5th. But once again the action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 12, as Kirchner spun in turn 4 for his second solo yellow to end his night. Dunker again jumped out front on the restart, with Jim Gillenwater, who started 11th, coming from 4th to second. Coming to the white flag Gillenwater was able to get under Dunker to grab the top spot. But Dunker would try the top of Gillenwater coming off turn 4 for the checkered to come up short, as Gillenwater held on for his second win in a row at the track. Dunker settled for 2nd, Kevin Cale was 3rd, Rick Barlow Jr. was 4th, with Cossel holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Dan Wenig and Brian Hoener drawing the front row. Hoener would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dan Wenig. But the action was slowed on the completion of lap 1, as Josh Tripp spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jake Wenig, who started 7th, grabbed the lead on lap 2 over Hoener and Dan Wenig. Jake started to pull away from the battle for second, when the second caution came out on lap 7. This time Dan Wenig, who was running 3rd, stopped in turn 4 with a right rear flat. Jake Wenig once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Tim Pettibone, who started 6th, now following in second. Jake would pull away from the field over the final 8 laps to clam his fifth win in a row at the track. Pettibone finished in 2nd, Hoener was 3rd, Dan Wenig recovered from his flat on lap 7 to come back to finish in 4th, with Dugan Thye coming home in 5th.

Dustin Crear and Dustan Fenton led the field to the drop of the green flag in the $1,000 to win 25 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Crear grabbing the lead on lap 1. Crear then worked to hold back Fenton until the first caution of the race came out on lap 3, as Derek Hamm came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Crear moved back out front, but now had Milo Veloz, who started 6th, close behind in 2nd. But another caution came out on the completion of lap 3, as Josh Foster and Kyle Hill collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Crear once again moved back out front on the restart, with Veloz working to hold back Ryan Cook for second. The action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 7, as Lonnie Heap got sideways in turn 4 causing Foster and Andy Krieger to spin. Once again Crear grabbed the lead on the restart with Veloz and Brandon Savage battling for second. Crear would hold back Veloz until lap 16, when he slipped under him to grab the top spot away. Veloz, who was working the top of the track, then had to work to hold back Tyler Cale, who started 10th and was on the bottom. But Cale was able to get under Veloz on lap 21 to take the lead, as the two ran side-by-side coming to the white flag. Veloz wouldn't give up as he worked the top of the track to come off turn four to edge Cale at the line by inches to claim the $1,000 top prize. Cale settled for 2nd, Crear was 3rd, Savage was 4th, with Wyatt Lantz coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

The 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature was up next, with Rich Vogt and Derek St. Clair drawing the front row for the event. Vogt would jump out into the lead on the drop of the green flag to lead lap 1 over Matt Geiner and St. Clair. But Vogt could only hold back Greiner for 3 laps, as Greiner slipped past on lap 4 to take over the top spot. Greiner then had to work to hold back Abe Huls, who started 9th. Huls, who was working the bottom, was able to slip under Greiner on lap 10 to take over the lead. But he couldn't get away from Greiner, as the two battled for the top spot for the final 5 laps. Huls was able to hold back Greiner on the final lap to win his third feature of the season at the speedway. Greiner settled for 2nd, Jason Cook came from 7th to finish in 3rd, John Oliver Jr. came from the rear to finish in 4th, with St. Clair holding on for 5th.

Brandon Lambert and Chuck Fullenkamp drew the front row for the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts feature. Just as the green flag was dropped the yellow would appear on the track, as Kimberly Abbott spun in turn 2 and collected Fullenkamp. On the restart Lambert would grab the lead on lap 1 over Craig Bangert, only to have another caution come out on lap 2. This time Anthony Grossman slowed to a stop in turn 4 with troubles. On the restart Anthony Cassat, who started 7th, grab the top spot away from Lambert, only to loose it back to him on lap 4. But Cassat didn't give up as he slipped past Lambert on lap 5 to take the lead back. Cassat then held on over the final 7 laps to claim his second career feature win and second in a row at the track. William Michel came from 5th to finish in 2nd, Lambert held on for 3rd, Grossman, who started 12th and brought out the yellow on lap 2, came back to finish in 4th, with Bangert coming home in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Mod Lites, with Gary Snyder and Blake Woodruff leading the field to the green flag. But it was fifth place starter Greg Rossell who moved up to grab the lead on lap 1 over Andrew Smith and Chase Flatt. The first caution of the race would appear on lap 2, as Snyder spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Rossell again jumped back out into the lead, with Flatt moving into second. Rossell worked to hold back Flatt and Evan Epperson, who started 7th, when the second caution came out on lap 4. This time Epperson spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Rossell again grabbed the lead on the restart, only to loose it on lap 6 to Flatt. The action up front was slowed for the final time on the completion of lap 6, when Snyder spun into the turn 3 guardrail. On the restart Rossell was able to slip under Flatt to grab the lead away. But Flatt wouldn't give up, as he slipped under Rossell on lap 10 to take the top spot back. Flatt then held off Epperson, who came from the rear after his lap 4 spin, to claim the win. Epperson settled for 2nd, Rossell was 3rd, Woodruff was 4th, with Smith holding on for 5th.

Notes From LCS: Brandon Dale started the SportMod feature in 9th and finished 6th....Jacob Smith came from 13th to finish in 8th....Charles VanZandt started 14th and took home a 10th place finish....Josh Smith came from 16th to finish in 13th....Tom Elsen picked up a heat race win and then redrew 4th for the feature. But had mechanical troubles that forced him to scratch from the feature......Victor Hastings, who destroyed his Hobby Stock car last Saturday, was able to put together another car in less then a week to return to action on Friday. But his night ended early, as he lost a motor in hot laps......Lonnie Heap recovered from his involvement of the lap 7 caution in the Modified feature to come back up to finish in 8th....Josh Foster, who started 13th, pitted under the lap 4 caution with a left rear flat. He would return to tag the back and made it back up to take home 9th....Andy Krieger started 14th and finished in 11th......Jeff Mueller came from 10th to finish 7th in the Stock Car feature......Skipp Dunker came from 11th in the Sport Compact feature to finish in 7th....The Mod Lites returned to the Lee County Speedway after several years, with 13 cars signing in on the night....Rob Guss started the feature in 11th and passed 5 cars to come home in 6th...Jimmy Halcomb, who was suppose to start 4th, and Brian Hedrick had mechanical troubles in the heat that forced them to scratch from the feature....Collin Ball and Brian Woodruff were involved in a wreck in the heat and was unable to make repairs, forcing them to scratch from the feature.

Chad Simpson Remains Unbeaten on Corn Belt Clash Stop at CJ Speedway

Columbus Junction, IA (Thursday, July 26, 2012) - Thursday night took me over to the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, a track I haven't been to for a few years now, for the Corn Belt Clash Series event during the Louisa County Fair. This years event would mark the fourth year in a row that the Corn Belt Clash has made a stop at the Louisa County Fair, and at the end of the night the same driver who has won the first three stood in victory lane to make it four in a row.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Travis Finke and Jeremy Tompkins leading the field to the green. Finke would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Lane Kauffman and Rod Staats. While Finke worked to hold off Kauffman, Nathan Wood, who started 9th, was working his way to the front. Wood would slip under Finke on lap 7 to take over the top spot and then held it until the first caution of the event came out on lap 9. Jim Redmann slid of the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the first yellow. On the restart Wood jumped back out front, with Finke working to hold back Sky Griffith, who started 7th. The action was slowed up front on lap 10, as the nose cover off Brandon Jay's car was ripped off and laying in turn 1. Wood once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Griffith getting past Finke in the battle for second. Wood now had to work to hold back Griffith, until the final caution of the event came out on lap 13 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. Blaine Doppler, who was running 4th, Alex Buffington who came from 17th to 5th, and Kauffman, who was running 6th, collided in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wood moved back out front, with Griffith close behind in second. Wood, who was running the bottom, and Griffith, who was up top, came off turn four for the checkered with Griffith edging out Wood for the win. Wood settled for second, Jason Cook, who was driving the #57 usually driven by Brodie Dopler, came from 14th to finish in 3rd, Kirk Kinsley was 4th, with Blaine Dopler coming back from the crash on lap 13 to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 10 lap Mod Lite feature, with Blake Woodruff and Rob Guss making up the front row for the event. Guss jumped out front on the drop of the green over Troy Phillpott and Johnathan Huston. But Guss would only lead the first 2 laps, as Phillpott slipped under him to take over the top spot on lap 3. Phillpott then held off Guss over the final 7 laps to pick up the win. Guss settled for 2nd, Huston was 3rd, Collin Ball was 4th, with Woodruff holding on for 5th.

Billy Stanford and Cory Sheetz made up the front row of the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, when pole sitter Erick Hood was a scratch 1from the event. Stanford would jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Sheetz and Bill Whalen Jr. But Sheetz would slip under Stanford on lap 2 to grab the lead, while Whalen Jr. followed him into second. Whalen Jr. then used the same lower groove on lap 4 to slip under Sheetz to take over the top spot. Whalen Jr. looked to be heading to the win, when he slowed down the front stretch coming to the white flag. Which allowed Tyler Whalen, who started 7th, to go by for the win. Sheetz came home in 2nd, Stanford was 3rd, Eric Stogdell came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Josh Starr rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 35 lap Corn Belt Clash Late Models, with Chris and Chad Simpson on the front row. Chris would get the jump on his brother Chad to grab the lead on lap 1 and then held it until lap 4. When disaster would strike him in the form of motor troubles, as he excited the speedway on the front stretch to hand the lead over to Chad Simpson. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, as Dave Eckrich, who was running 6th, slowed in turn 3 with a left rear flat. On the restart Tim Isenberg got a little sideways and got into Jason Utter, who started 10th and was up to 5th. Utter would get into the front stretch wall and came to a stop in turn 1 with right front damage to bring out another yellow. Once again Simpson jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Isenberg and Pete Parker battling for 2nd. Just as Simpson was starting to pull away from the field, the caution would come out on lap 15. This time Aaron Ricketts slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart John VanDenBerg, who started 17th and was running 13th, slowed to a stop with troubles in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. Another yellow on the following restart for debris on the front stretch slowed the battle. While another yellow appeared on the speedway on the next restart, as Matt Furman, who started 16th and was running 8th, came to a stop in turn 2.

Once back to green Simpson worked to hold back Isenberg, who was working to keep Parker at bay in 3rd. But the action up front was slowed once again on lap 18, as Colby Springsteen, who started 25th and was running 18th, slid off turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. Simpson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Isenberg and Parker still battling for second. Just as Simpson was pulling away from the field, another caution would come out on lap 22. This time Spencer Diercks, who was running 6th, spun in turn 4 and collected Mike Fryer to bring out the yellow. Once again Simpson moved out front on the restart, with Isenberg close behind in second. Simpson then started to pull away from the field, and just like before another caution would bring the field back to his bumper on lap 31. Tom Goble would come to a stop down the back stretch to bring out the yellow, and setting up a four lap dash to the finish. On the restart Simpson jumped back out front and then held on over the final laps to claim his fourth win in a row at CJ Speedway's annual Corn Belt Clash visit. Isenberg settled for 2nd, Parker was 3rd, Kurt Kile was 4th, with Dennis Erb Jr. coming from 9th to take home 5th.

Notes from CJ: 27 Late Models, 17 Stock Cars, 16 Sport Compacts and 9 Mod Lites made up the 69 cars signed in on the night......Brian Holmes started the Stock Car feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Alex Buffington came from 17th and was up to 5th, when he was involved in the lap 13 crash. He would end the night in 8th....Jim Redmann got upside down in the second heat race, but was able to fix the car and start the feature in 16th. He would slip off the track in turns 1 and 2, the same place he rolled in the heat, to bring out the first caution on lap 9. He would finish his night in 11th....Bill Faler crossed the finish line in 5th, but was later disqualified in tech, moving the finish order up 1 spot......Evan Epperson, who was suppose to start the Mod Lite feature in 5th, wasn't able to get his machine to fire forcing him to scratch from the feature....Anthony Guss had troubles in his heat race, which forced him to scratch from the feature......Darin Smith came from 8th to finish 6th in the Sport Compact feature....William Michel started 10th and took home 7th....Kimberly Abbott came from 12th to finish in 9th....Chuck Fullenkamp borrowed a car after motor troubles last week, and started the feature in 14th. He would pass 3 cars to finish in 11th....Troy Wonders came from 16th to finish in 12th....Kody Bass had troubles in the heat and would scratch from the feature....Erick Hood was suppose to take the green flag from the pole position, but was forced to scratch after rolling under the flag stand in the heat....Brandon Setser was another one who scratched from the feature after toubles in the heat......Justin Mitchell started the Late Model feature in 12th and passed 6 cars to finish in 6th....Mark Burgtorf came from 13th to finish in 7th....Denny Eckrich was 8th after starting in 11th....Rick Wendling charged from 21st to take home a 9th place finish....Rob Moss came from 20th to finish in 10th....Jerry Lierly started 14th and took home 11th....Jon Rogers came from 18th to finish in 12th....Jim Rychtik started 25th and took home a 14th place finish. But Rychtik would loose the left rear under the lap 5 caution. The wrecker crew was able to lift the car up and put the tire back on, to allow Rychtik to finish out the feature....Tom Goble, who started 5th, and was running 6th until lap 6 when he slid high in turn 2 and fell to the back. He would recover to finish in 15th....Justin Kay came from 26th to finish in 16th....Jay Chenoweth had motor troubles in his heat and was a scratch from the feature.

I would like to thank Brian and Amanda Tipps, the Louisa County Fairboard and Diana Winkel for allowing me to come over and cover the event. But when I arrived at the speedway, Diana asked if I could run the computer since the lady who runs it weekly was sick. So I was put to work and enoyed the night working in the tower. Thanks again every one involved with the CJ Speedway!

Cassat Gets Career First Win at Lee County

Donnellson, IA (Friday, July 20, 2012) - A busy Friday night at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa on Conn Communication and US Cellular Night, with many prizes given away including 9 pairs of tickets to the August 4th NASCAR Nationwide race at the Iowa Speedway. The on track action produced one first career first time winner and four repeat winners, as Tyler Cale (IMCA Modifieds), Jason Cook (IMCA Stock Cars), Jim Gillenwater (IMCA SportMods), Jake Wenig (LCS Hobby Stocks), and Anthony Cassat (IMCA Sport Compacts) visited victory lane.

The first feature up on the night was the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stocks, with Rob Wilsey and Jake Wenig drawing the front row for the event. Wenig would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Wilsey. The action was slowed for the first time on lap 3, as Dane Blozovich spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Wenig jumped back out front, with Wilsey and Brian Hoener close behind. Hoener's run up front would end on lap 4, as he slowed in turn 2 with a right front flat to bring out the second caution of the race. Wenig again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dane Fenton, who started 9th, now challenging him for the top spot. But Wenig was able to pull away, until the third caution of the event came out on lap 11. This time Mike Kincaid would spin his machine in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wenig again moved out into the lead, with Fenton and Victor Hastings, who came from the rear twice, battling for second. But the action was slowed for the final time on lap 13, to set up a 2 lap shootout, as debris on the backstretch brought out the final caution. Wenig once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the final 2 laps to win his fourth consecutive feature at the track. Fenton held on for 2nd, Hastings was 3rd, Kevin Cheney came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Kincaid recovering from his lap 11 spin to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds feature, with Adam Birck and Ryan Cook on the front row. But disaster would strike Birck, as he spun in turn 2 on the drop of the green to brin out the first caution. That would move Brandon Savage up to the front row for the restart, which he took advantage of to lead lap 1 over Cook. Savage then started to pull away from the field, when the second caution of the race came out on lap 6. Bill Roberts, who was running 5th, came to a stop into the front stretch wall just under the flag stand to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage once again jumped out into the lead, with Cook working to hold back Brandon Banks, who started 7th. Savage again started to put some distance on the battle for second, when another caution came out on lap 9 to bring the field back to his back bumper. This time Michael Browning slowed to a stop in turn 4 with right front damage to bring out the yellow. Once again Savage grabbed the lead on the restart, while Cook drifted to high in turn 2 and fell from 2nd to 8th. Disaster would strike Savage on lap 12, as he slowed with mechanical troubles to bring out the fourth caution of the race, which meant 1 lap was added to the number of laps completed. Josh Foster, who started 8th, would inherit the lead on the restart, with Tyler Cale, who started 6th, over taking Banks in the battle for second. The action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 16 as Kyle Hill spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow, which added another lap to the number of laps completed. Foster again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Cale close behind. Disaster would strike Foster coming to the white flag as he cut a left rear tire, allowing Cale to get by for the top spot. Cale then held off Banks on the final lap to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Banks settled for 2nd, Jeff Waterman came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Lonnie Heap was 4th, with Cook recovering from his lap 10 bobble to come back to finish in 5th.

Jeremy Pundt and Jim Lynch led the field to the drop of the green in the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Lynch grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Pundt. The action was slowed for the one and only caution of the event on lap 2, as Jakoby Hooper spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lynch moved back out front, with Jason Cook, who started 6th, moving into the second spot. Lynch then held on to the lead until lap 5, when Cook worked under him to take over the top spot. Cook then led the final 10 laps to pick up his second win in a row at the speedway, following his win last Wednesday during the fair race. Jeff Mueller came from 8th to finish in 2nd, Matt Greiner started 7th and finished in 3rd, Lynch held on for 4th, with Corey Strothman rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts feature, with Brandon Lambert and Austen Becerra leading the field to the green. Lambert would take advantage of his starting spot to edge out Becerra and Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 6th, to lead lap 1. The battle up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, as Kyle Hamelton spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Fullenkamp would get under Lambert to grab the lead on lap 5. Fullenkamp then held it until lap 9, when Rob Hammel, who started 9th, slipped past for the top spot. Fullenkamp's run up front would end on lap 10, as he slowed to a stop in turn 2 with mechanical troubles to bring out the caution. On the restart Hammel's car wouldn't come up to speed, which allowed Anthony Cassat to grab the lead on lap 11. Another caution on the completion of lap 11 would slow the action down, which set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish. As Rachael Reger spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Cassat again grabbed the lead on the restart, only to be slowed for the final time on lap 12. This time Darin Smith spun down the front stretch, after contact from Josh Barnes to bring out the caution. Barnes would be sent to the rear for being the cause of the caution, while Smith would have gotten his spot back but had to go to the pits to change a tire. Once again Cassat jumped out into the lead on the restart and then held off Kimberly Abbott to claim his first career feature win. Abbott settled for 2nd, Becerra was 3rd, Lambert was 4th, with Barnes recovering from the lap 12 caution to finish in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Charles VanZandt and Levi Smith on the front row. After four cautions before a lap was completed, the drivers would settle down to run laps 4-15 caution free. Smith would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out front on lap 1 over John Oliver Jr. Smith then held the lead until lap 6, when Jim Gillenwater, who came from the rear after being involved in a caution on the start, slipped under him to grab the top spot. Gillenwater then pulled away from the field to claim his fourth win of the season at the track. Smith held on for 2nd, Kevin Cale came from 19th to finish in 3rd, Tony Dunker also came from the rear after being involved in one of the early cautions to finish in 4th, with Brandon Ruffcorn coming from 17th to round out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: Victor Hastings was suppose to start the LCS Hobby Stock feature in 3rd, but had to go to tail for being pushed off of the staging area. He would work his way up to 5th by the lap 4 caution. But went to the pits with a right rear flat and returned to go to the tail for the restart. Hastings would work his way back to finish the feature in 3rd....Dane Blozovich came from 10th to finish in 6th, despite going to the rear after his lap 3 spin....Rob Wilsey was battling for the lead early in the event, before exciting on lap 12 with mechanical troubles to end his night in 7th....Dan Wenig lost an engine in his heat race and was a scratch from the feature......Derek Hamm came from 14th in the Modified feature and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Scott Boles made his first trip of the season to the Lee County Speedway and started the feature in 16th. He would pass 9 cars to finish in 7th....Kyle Hill came from 13th to finish in 8th....Paul Nelson started 15th and finished in 9th....Josh Foster limped to a 10th place finish after leading and having a flat on the white flag lap....A.J. Fike started 11th and had worked his way up to 7th by lap 12, before pulling off with troubles......John Oliver Jr. came from 11th in the Stock Car feature to finish in 8th......Josh Barnes, who started 10th in the Sport Compacts feature, came from the rear on his involvement in the lap 12 caution to finish in 5th....Rob Hammel, started 9th, and was leading on lap 10 when his car slowed on a restart. But Hammel was able to hold on to finish in 6th....Darin Smith came from the rear after pitting on the lap 12 caution with a flat to come back to finish in 8th....Rachael Reger, in her first visit of the season to the track, started the feature in 12th and spun on lap 11 to bring out a caution. She came back to finish in 9th....Kyle Hamelton, who started 13th, came from the rear after his lap 4 spin to come back to finish in 10th....William Michel had mechanical troubles after his heat and was a scratch from the feature....Nick Wilkerson lost an engine in his heat and also scratched from the feature......Tom Elsen came from 11th in the SportMod feature to finish in 6th....Jacob Smith was involved in the first caution of the feature and came from the rear to finish in 8th....Rick Barlow Jr. was another driver involved in one of the early cautions and went to the pits for repairs. He would come from the rear to finish in 9th....John Oliver Jr. was running 4th and slowed on the white flag lap to finish in 10th.