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!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Shirley Dominates UMP Summernationals "Hell Tour" Stop in Quincy
Quincy, IL (Friday, July 6, 2012) - The UMP Summernationals "Hell Tour" made a stop at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL on Friday, with temperatures well over the 100 degree mark by the time hot laps began at 6:45 p.m. But that didn't slow Brian Shirley down any, as he would claim his series high fifth win of the tour.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Jake Powers and Jeremy Buss drawing the front row. Powers would take advantage of his front row start to edge Buss at the line to lead lap 1. But Buss would come back on the top to grab the lead away on lap 2, only to have Powers slid under him to grab the lead back on lap 3. Buss wouldn't give up though, as he stayed up top to take the top spot back on lap 7, only to loose it back to Powers on lap 8. The great battle up front was slowed for the one and only time on lap 10, as debris in turn 1 brought out the yellow. Powers would grab the lead on the restart, with Jeff DeLonjay over taking Buss for second. Powers, who was working the bottom of the track, worked to hold back DeLonjay, who was working the top, when DeLonjay was able to edge him at the line to lead lap 14. But Powers would come off the bottom coming out of turn 4 for the checkers to edge out DeLonjay at the line for the win. DeLonjay settled for 2nd, Tanner Klingele came from 5th to finish in 3rd, Buss held on for 4th, with Justin Bevill coming home in 5th.
Jake Powers won the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature on Friday, July 6th at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL.
Brian Shirley and Brandon Sheppard led the field to the green in the 40 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Shirley jumping out front on lap 1. Shirley then had to work to hold back Sheppard, when the first caution of the race appeared on lap 3. Debris on the back stretch would bring the yellow light on. On the restart Shirley moved back out front, with Sheppard close behind in second. Once again Shirley worked to hold back Sheppard, when antoher caution came out on lap 9. This time Jason Papich would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Shirley once again jumped back out front on the restart, only to be slowed two laps later for another caution. Papich would spin his mcahine in turn 4 for his second solo to end his night. Once again Shirley grabbed the lead on the restart, with Sheppard now working to hold back Ryan Unzicker and Shannon Babb in the battle for second. Just as Shirley started to pull away from the field a red was waved on the speedway on lap 20, as the lights on the track when out from a lightning strike. After a 15 minute delay to get the light to come back on, the field went back to green with Shirley jumping back out front. Shirley would pull away to lead all 40 laps to claim his fifth series win and the $7,500 top prize to go with it. Sheppard held on for 2nd, Babb was able to take 3rd, Unzicker was 4th, with Jason Feger rounding out the top 5.
Brian Shirley dominated the nights events at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL on Friday, July 6th, as he won fast time overall, the first heat and the 40 lap UMP Summernationals "Hell Tour" feature. The win was his series high fifth and would help him to extend his points lead over Babb.
The 25 lap UMP Summit Modified Nationals feature was the final event of the night, with Michael Long and Steven DeLonjay leading the field to green. DeLonjay would take advantage of his front row starting spot to edge out Long on lap 1 for the lead. But Long would work under DreLonjay on lap 5 to grab the top spot away and then held on until the first caution came out on lap 7. Russ Schoonover would spin in front of the leaders in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long moved back out front, with Mike Harrison over taking DeLonjay for 2nd. Another caution on lap 8, as Derrick Carlson came to a stop in turn 4, would slow the action up front. Just when the field was set to go back to green, the rains moved in to send the cars to the pits. The rains wouldn't go away, which forced the officials to call the race after 8 laps. Long was credited with the win, Harrison was 2nd, DeLonjay was 3rd, Donovan Lodge came from 8th to finish in 4th, with David Wietholder rounding out the top 5.
The 25 lap (cut to 8 laps after rains moved in) UMP Summit Modified Nationals feature on Friday, July 6, 2012 at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL went to Michael Long.
Notes from Quincy: 31 UMP Late Models signed in on the hot night to compete for the $7,500 top prize, with 16 Modifieds and 9 Hobby Stocks making up the 56 total cars......Just like the Hobby Stock feature, the heat race was a three wide battle for the top 3 spots at the checkered. Justin Bevill was able to edge out Tanner Klingele by inches for the win....Brian Hoener, who was suppose to start 6th, was a scratch from the feature......Mike Spatola, who won the Late Model C Main, started the feature in 17th and passed 7 cars to finish in 10th....Justin Reed received a provisional to start the feature in 21st. He would pass 10 cars to take home an 11th place finish....Jim Moon, who held off Matt Furman, who started 10th in the C Main, for the final transfer spot, started the feature in 18th and finished in 15th....Mike Hammerle was awarded a provisional and started the feature in 20th. He would pass 4 cars to finish in 16th....Donovan Lodge, who started the UMP Modified feature in 8th, passed 4 cars to take home the $100 hard charger award from Dunker Concrete....David Wietholder set fast time and was awarded an extra $100 from Dunker Concrete.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Jake Powers and Jeremy Buss drawing the front row. Powers would take advantage of his front row start to edge Buss at the line to lead lap 1. But Buss would come back on the top to grab the lead away on lap 2, only to have Powers slid under him to grab the lead back on lap 3. Buss wouldn't give up though, as he stayed up top to take the top spot back on lap 7, only to loose it back to Powers on lap 8. The great battle up front was slowed for the one and only time on lap 10, as debris in turn 1 brought out the yellow. Powers would grab the lead on the restart, with Jeff DeLonjay over taking Buss for second. Powers, who was working the bottom of the track, worked to hold back DeLonjay, who was working the top, when DeLonjay was able to edge him at the line to lead lap 14. But Powers would come off the bottom coming out of turn 4 for the checkers to edge out DeLonjay at the line for the win. DeLonjay settled for 2nd, Tanner Klingele came from 5th to finish in 3rd, Buss held on for 4th, with Justin Bevill coming home in 5th.
Brian Shirley and Brandon Sheppard led the field to the green in the 40 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Shirley jumping out front on lap 1. Shirley then had to work to hold back Sheppard, when the first caution of the race appeared on lap 3. Debris on the back stretch would bring the yellow light on. On the restart Shirley moved back out front, with Sheppard close behind in second. Once again Shirley worked to hold back Sheppard, when antoher caution came out on lap 9. This time Jason Papich would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Shirley once again jumped back out front on the restart, only to be slowed two laps later for another caution. Papich would spin his mcahine in turn 4 for his second solo to end his night. Once again Shirley grabbed the lead on the restart, with Sheppard now working to hold back Ryan Unzicker and Shannon Babb in the battle for second. Just as Shirley started to pull away from the field a red was waved on the speedway on lap 20, as the lights on the track when out from a lightning strike. After a 15 minute delay to get the light to come back on, the field went back to green with Shirley jumping back out front. Shirley would pull away to lead all 40 laps to claim his fifth series win and the $7,500 top prize to go with it. Sheppard held on for 2nd, Babb was able to take 3rd, Unzicker was 4th, with Jason Feger rounding out the top 5.
The 25 lap UMP Summit Modified Nationals feature was the final event of the night, with Michael Long and Steven DeLonjay leading the field to green. DeLonjay would take advantage of his front row starting spot to edge out Long on lap 1 for the lead. But Long would work under DreLonjay on lap 5 to grab the top spot away and then held on until the first caution came out on lap 7. Russ Schoonover would spin in front of the leaders in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long moved back out front, with Mike Harrison over taking DeLonjay for 2nd. Another caution on lap 8, as Derrick Carlson came to a stop in turn 4, would slow the action up front. Just when the field was set to go back to green, the rains moved in to send the cars to the pits. The rains wouldn't go away, which forced the officials to call the race after 8 laps. Long was credited with the win, Harrison was 2nd, DeLonjay was 3rd, Donovan Lodge came from 8th to finish in 4th, with David Wietholder rounding out the top 5.
Notes from Quincy: 31 UMP Late Models signed in on the hot night to compete for the $7,500 top prize, with 16 Modifieds and 9 Hobby Stocks making up the 56 total cars......Just like the Hobby Stock feature, the heat race was a three wide battle for the top 3 spots at the checkered. Justin Bevill was able to edge out Tanner Klingele by inches for the win....Brian Hoener, who was suppose to start 6th, was a scratch from the feature......Mike Spatola, who won the Late Model C Main, started the feature in 17th and passed 7 cars to finish in 10th....Justin Reed received a provisional to start the feature in 21st. He would pass 10 cars to take home an 11th place finish....Jim Moon, who held off Matt Furman, who started 10th in the C Main, for the final transfer spot, started the feature in 18th and finished in 15th....Mike Hammerle was awarded a provisional and started the feature in 20th. He would pass 4 cars to finish in 16th....Donovan Lodge, who started the UMP Modified feature in 8th, passed 4 cars to take home the $100 hard charger award from Dunker Concrete....David Wietholder set fast time and was awarded an extra $100 from Dunker Concrete.
Double Sprint Invaders at 34 Raceway Goes to Higday and Schneiderman
Burlington, IA (Tuesday, July 3, 2012) - Well it was back to 34 Raceway on Tuesday for double Sprint Invader features, as the rained out feature from April 14th was added to the program. Josh Higday (Make-up Sprint Invader), Josh Schneiderman (Sprint Invader), Mike Morrill (Mod Lites), Victor Hastings (Hobby Stocks), and Dustin Ravelin (4 Cylinders) ended the hot night in victory lane.
The make-up 25 lap Sprint Invader feature was ran after the B Main and two 4 Cylinder heats, with Josh Higday and John Greenwood on the front row. Higday would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1, as Greenwood worked to hold back Jordan Goldesberry. Just as Higday started to open up a lead over the second place battle, the first caution of the race would appear on lap 7. Bret Tripplett, who started 15th after winning the B Main and had worked his way to 6th, spun off of turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Higday moved back out front, with Goldesberry now close behind in second. But a red on lap 10 would slow the action once again. This time Andy Huston would roll his mcahine in turn 3 to bring out the red. Higday once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Goldesberry following in his tracks. Goldesberry wouldn't let Higday get away this time, as he stayed close to his back bumper even as they entered lapped traffic on lap 16. But a caution on the completion of lap 16 would slow the battle up front. Greenwood who slowed to a stop in turn 1 with troubles would bring the yellow light on. Once again Higday jumped back out front, with Goldesberry close behind. But disaster would strike Goldesberry on lap 18, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the final caution of the event and ending his run up front. Higday once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 7 laps to claim the win. Bobby Mincer would finish in 2nd, Scotty Thiel came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Dustin Selvage started 11th and took home 4th, with Ben Wagoner rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature, with Brian Mehaffy and Dustin Ravelin drawing the front row for the event. Ravelin would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on the drop of the green over Ryan Walker, a new comer to the track. But a caution on the completion of lap 1 would slow the field down. Mehaffy would get into the front stretch wall to bring out the yellow light. On the restart Ravelin moved back out front, with Walker close behind in second. Ravelin, who was running up top, then worked to hold back Walker, who was running the bottom, when the final caution came out on lap 11. This time Josh Fuhs lost a right front tire to come to a stop just under the flag stand to bring out the yellow. This would set up a green and white together, checkered finish. Ravelin would grab the lead on the restart and held on over the final lap to claim the win. Walker settled for 2nd, Daytona Fenton came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Anthony Cassat started 9th and finished in 4th, with Mike Hornung Jr. rounding out the top 5.
Collin Ball and Joe Huggins drew the front row for the 15 lap Mod Lite feature. But just as the green flag waved Huggins would slow to a stop under the flag stand with troubles to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Michael Dominguez would spin in turn 1 and collected Gary Snyder, who rolled to bring out the red. Snyder would climb from his mangled machine ok. Mike Morrill, who started 7th, quickly moved to the front on the next restart to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jonathan Huston and Greg Rossell. Morrill then pulled away to lead all 15 laps to pick up the easy win. Huston was 2nd, Evan Eppperson came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Todd Cramer started 8th and finished in 4th, with Andrew Smith coming from 10th to finish in 5th.
The next feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Victor Hastings and Dugan Thye drawing the front row. Just as the green flag dropped the yellow light would come back on, as Skyler Troutman got into the back of Jake Wenig in turn 1. As a result Wenig would spin to a stop to bring out the yellow, sending both drivers to the rear for the restart. Hastings would jump out front on the restart, with Thye holding back Dane Fenton for the battle for second. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 5 to slow the action one final time. This time Ed Weyrick would come to a stop in turn 3 with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hastings moved back out front, with Thye working to hold back Wenig, who came from the rear after his lap 1 spin. Wenig was able to clear Thye on lap 7 and then went to work on Hastings for the lead. Hastings, who was working the top, and Wenig, who was on the bottom, ran the final 2 laps side-by-side, with Hastings holding off Wenig on the final lap to pick up the win. Wenig settled for 2nd, Matt Gavin came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Thye was 4th, with Fenton coming home in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the regular Sprint Invader feature. The feature was set to go 34 laps with a caution break on lap 19, which would allow the teams to change anything on the cars in a 12 minute time limit. Bret Tripplett and Russ Hall would lead the field to the green, with Hall grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Tripplett and Josh Schneiderman. Tripplett was able to stay close to Hall until disaster struck him on lap 8, as he spun in turn 3 and collected the car of Scotty Thiel, who was running 3rd. On the restart Hall jumped back out front, with Schneiderman close behind in second. Hall then led the field to the break on lap 19, as the red came out to slow the field on the front stretch. The crews were able to come out and change anything on the car they wanted, but it had to be done in a 12 minute timed break.
Once the 12 minutes ran out on the break, the field was set to go back to green for the final 15 laps. Hall would grab the lead on the restart, with Bobby Mincer over taking Schneiderman for second. But Schneiderman would jump to the top of the track on lap 21 to grab second back from Mincer and then went to work on Hall for the lead. Hall, who was working the bottom, wasn't able to hold back Scneiderman, who worked the top to grab the lead on lap 24. Schneiderman then pulled away from the field over the final 10 laps to pick up the win and $2012 paycheck to go with it. Dustin Selvage came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Mincer held on for 3rd, Josh Higday came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Hall rounding out the top 5.
Notes from 34: Tony Shilling came from 12th in the make-up Sprint Invader feature to finish in 6th....Josh Schneiderman passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Ryan Jamison came from 16th to finish in 8th....Justin Parrish started 17th and took home a 9th place finish....Russ Hall came from 14th to finish in 10th....Jimmy Davies started 20th and passed 8 cars to finish in 12th....Jon Agan, who broke a part in hot laps and crashed his car hard into the pit exit wall, borrowed the car of Evan Martin's to take 1 lap in the feature....John Hall and Dustin Whiting were unable to return to start the feature......Casey Mehaffy started the 4 Cylinder feature in 11th and took home a 8th place finish....Bryerson Tharp came from 13th to finish in 9th....Kevin Mortimer started 15th and finished in 11th....Rick Hurlbut, another new comer to the track, started 4th and was running 3rd when he got to high in turn 2 and fell back to 10th. But he would pull off on the lap 11 caution with a right front flat to end his night in 12th......Jimmy Halcomb came from 15th in the Mod Lite feature to finish in 7th....Brian Woodruff came from 16th to finsih in 9th....Todd Thornburg started 17th and took home a 10th place finish....Greg Rossell who was running 3rd and battling for 2nd, pulled off on lap 10 with right front troubles to end his night in 14th......Randy Martin started the regular Sprint Invader feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to finish in 6th....Ben Wagoner came from 15th to finish in 9th....Scotty Thiel recovered from the lap 8 caution to come back to finish in 10th....Tony Shilling came from 18th to finish in 11th....John Schulz started 19th and took home a 12th place finish....RJ Johnson, who took the final transfer spot in the B Main, started 20th and finished in 15th....Andy Huston who rolled in the make-up feature was a scratch from the remainder of the night....Destini Clark had brake problems in hot laps and was another scratch from the night....John Schulz was running 2nd in heat 3 and spun on the final lap off turn 4 to go from the dash to the B Main. Schulz then started the B Main in 10th and worked his way to finish 3rd to start the feature in 19th....Jimmy Davies and Matt Sutton got together on the start of the B Main going down the back stretch, with Davies rolling. Sutton was able to save his car until he got to turn 3 when he climbed a track tire, which sent him for a soft roll. Both drivers climbed from there cars ok, but done for the night....Jayson Ditsworth, who was running 3rd in the B Main (a transfer spot into the A Main), when he came to a stop in the turn 4 wall on lap 10 to end his night.
The make-up 25 lap Sprint Invader feature was ran after the B Main and two 4 Cylinder heats, with Josh Higday and John Greenwood on the front row. Higday would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1, as Greenwood worked to hold back Jordan Goldesberry. Just as Higday started to open up a lead over the second place battle, the first caution of the race would appear on lap 7. Bret Tripplett, who started 15th after winning the B Main and had worked his way to 6th, spun off of turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Higday moved back out front, with Goldesberry now close behind in second. But a red on lap 10 would slow the action once again. This time Andy Huston would roll his mcahine in turn 3 to bring out the red. Higday once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Goldesberry following in his tracks. Goldesberry wouldn't let Higday get away this time, as he stayed close to his back bumper even as they entered lapped traffic on lap 16. But a caution on the completion of lap 16 would slow the battle up front. Greenwood who slowed to a stop in turn 1 with troubles would bring the yellow light on. Once again Higday jumped back out front, with Goldesberry close behind. But disaster would strike Goldesberry on lap 18, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the final caution of the event and ending his run up front. Higday once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 7 laps to claim the win. Bobby Mincer would finish in 2nd, Scotty Thiel came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Dustin Selvage started 11th and took home 4th, with Ben Wagoner rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature, with Brian Mehaffy and Dustin Ravelin drawing the front row for the event. Ravelin would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on the drop of the green over Ryan Walker, a new comer to the track. But a caution on the completion of lap 1 would slow the field down. Mehaffy would get into the front stretch wall to bring out the yellow light. On the restart Ravelin moved back out front, with Walker close behind in second. Ravelin, who was running up top, then worked to hold back Walker, who was running the bottom, when the final caution came out on lap 11. This time Josh Fuhs lost a right front tire to come to a stop just under the flag stand to bring out the yellow. This would set up a green and white together, checkered finish. Ravelin would grab the lead on the restart and held on over the final lap to claim the win. Walker settled for 2nd, Daytona Fenton came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Anthony Cassat started 9th and finished in 4th, with Mike Hornung Jr. rounding out the top 5.
Collin Ball and Joe Huggins drew the front row for the 15 lap Mod Lite feature. But just as the green flag waved Huggins would slow to a stop under the flag stand with troubles to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Michael Dominguez would spin in turn 1 and collected Gary Snyder, who rolled to bring out the red. Snyder would climb from his mangled machine ok. Mike Morrill, who started 7th, quickly moved to the front on the next restart to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jonathan Huston and Greg Rossell. Morrill then pulled away to lead all 15 laps to pick up the easy win. Huston was 2nd, Evan Eppperson came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Todd Cramer started 8th and finished in 4th, with Andrew Smith coming from 10th to finish in 5th.
The next feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Victor Hastings and Dugan Thye drawing the front row. Just as the green flag dropped the yellow light would come back on, as Skyler Troutman got into the back of Jake Wenig in turn 1. As a result Wenig would spin to a stop to bring out the yellow, sending both drivers to the rear for the restart. Hastings would jump out front on the restart, with Thye holding back Dane Fenton for the battle for second. The final caution of the event would come out on lap 5 to slow the action one final time. This time Ed Weyrick would come to a stop in turn 3 with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hastings moved back out front, with Thye working to hold back Wenig, who came from the rear after his lap 1 spin. Wenig was able to clear Thye on lap 7 and then went to work on Hastings for the lead. Hastings, who was working the top, and Wenig, who was on the bottom, ran the final 2 laps side-by-side, with Hastings holding off Wenig on the final lap to pick up the win. Wenig settled for 2nd, Matt Gavin came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Thye was 4th, with Fenton coming home in 5th.
The final feature of the night was the regular Sprint Invader feature. The feature was set to go 34 laps with a caution break on lap 19, which would allow the teams to change anything on the cars in a 12 minute time limit. Bret Tripplett and Russ Hall would lead the field to the green, with Hall grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Tripplett and Josh Schneiderman. Tripplett was able to stay close to Hall until disaster struck him on lap 8, as he spun in turn 3 and collected the car of Scotty Thiel, who was running 3rd. On the restart Hall jumped back out front, with Schneiderman close behind in second. Hall then led the field to the break on lap 19, as the red came out to slow the field on the front stretch. The crews were able to come out and change anything on the car they wanted, but it had to be done in a 12 minute timed break.
Once the 12 minutes ran out on the break, the field was set to go back to green for the final 15 laps. Hall would grab the lead on the restart, with Bobby Mincer over taking Schneiderman for second. But Schneiderman would jump to the top of the track on lap 21 to grab second back from Mincer and then went to work on Hall for the lead. Hall, who was working the bottom, wasn't able to hold back Scneiderman, who worked the top to grab the lead on lap 24. Schneiderman then pulled away from the field over the final 10 laps to pick up the win and $2012 paycheck to go with it. Dustin Selvage came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Mincer held on for 3rd, Josh Higday came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Hall rounding out the top 5.
Notes from 34: Tony Shilling came from 12th in the make-up Sprint Invader feature to finish in 6th....Josh Schneiderman passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Ryan Jamison came from 16th to finish in 8th....Justin Parrish started 17th and took home a 9th place finish....Russ Hall came from 14th to finish in 10th....Jimmy Davies started 20th and passed 8 cars to finish in 12th....Jon Agan, who broke a part in hot laps and crashed his car hard into the pit exit wall, borrowed the car of Evan Martin's to take 1 lap in the feature....John Hall and Dustin Whiting were unable to return to start the feature......Casey Mehaffy started the 4 Cylinder feature in 11th and took home a 8th place finish....Bryerson Tharp came from 13th to finish in 9th....Kevin Mortimer started 15th and finished in 11th....Rick Hurlbut, another new comer to the track, started 4th and was running 3rd when he got to high in turn 2 and fell back to 10th. But he would pull off on the lap 11 caution with a right front flat to end his night in 12th......Jimmy Halcomb came from 15th in the Mod Lite feature to finish in 7th....Brian Woodruff came from 16th to finsih in 9th....Todd Thornburg started 17th and took home a 10th place finish....Greg Rossell who was running 3rd and battling for 2nd, pulled off on lap 10 with right front troubles to end his night in 14th......Randy Martin started the regular Sprint Invader feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to finish in 6th....Ben Wagoner came from 15th to finish in 9th....Scotty Thiel recovered from the lap 8 caution to come back to finish in 10th....Tony Shilling came from 18th to finish in 11th....John Schulz started 19th and took home a 12th place finish....RJ Johnson, who took the final transfer spot in the B Main, started 20th and finished in 15th....Andy Huston who rolled in the make-up feature was a scratch from the remainder of the night....Destini Clark had brake problems in hot laps and was another scratch from the night....John Schulz was running 2nd in heat 3 and spun on the final lap off turn 4 to go from the dash to the B Main. Schulz then started the B Main in 10th and worked his way to finish 3rd to start the feature in 19th....Jimmy Davies and Matt Sutton got together on the start of the B Main going down the back stretch, with Davies rolling. Sutton was able to save his car until he got to turn 3 when he climbed a track tire, which sent him for a soft roll. Both drivers climbed from there cars ok, but done for the night....Jayson Ditsworth, who was running 3rd in the B Main (a transfer spot into the A Main), when he came to a stop in the turn 4 wall on lap 10 to end his night.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Beuseling, LaVeine and Oliver Jr. Collected First Wins of the Season at 34 Raceway
Burlington, IA (Saturday, June 30, 2012) - Even though the calendar said Saturday, June 30th the racing action at 34 Raceway was the completion of last weeks (Saturday, June 23rd) races, as heavy rains moved in just after 9 of the 14 heat races were completed. So rather then starting over the next week the staff at 34 Raceway just decided to let everybody use there pit passes and grandstand tickets to return the follow week to complete the rest of the program. At the end of the nights events three drivers visited victory lane at 34 Raceway for the first time in 2012, while three others picked up repeat wins.
The first feature of the night was the 20 lap 305 Sprints, with Tony Burk and Kyle Peterson on the front row. On the drop of the green flag Burk and Dustin Whiting would get together down the backstretch, with both cars flipping to bring out the red. Both drivers would climb from there mangled cars ok. That would move Shane Quam to the pole for the restart, but it was Brandyn Martin who jumped into the lead on lap 1 over Quam and Andy Huston. A caution on lap 2 for Jacob Glasgow, who spun in turn 2, would slow the action. On the restart Martin moved back out front, with Huston following close behind in second. Martin started to pull away from the field, when the field was brought back to his back bumper on lap 9. This time Peterson would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Corey Timmerman would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Martin once again jumped back out front on the restart, with Huston trying to hold back Donnie Steward, who started 12th. Just like he did before the last caution, Martin started to pull away from the battle for second when he was slowed for the final time on lap 12. This time Justin Newberry, who started 14th and was running 7th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Martin jumped back out front, but now had Steward close behind in second. While Martin worked the bottom of the speedway, Steward jumped to the top to try and get by Martin. Steward would make the grove work as he took over the top spot on lap 17. But Martin wouldn't give up, as he ran the next 2 laps side-by-side with Steward. Steward was able to hold back Martin over the final laps to pick up another win of the season at the track. Martin settled for 2nd, John Schulz came from 11th to finish in 3rd, Huston held on for 4th, with Ryan Jamison coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Sean Wyett and Rod Staats leading the field to green. Wyett would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Staats and Levi Smith. While Wyett continued to lead the field, Tony Dunker, who started 10th, was working his way towards the front. Dunker would slip under Wyett on lap 7 to grab the lead away, as they started to enter lapped traffic. Disaster would almost strike Dunker coming out of turn 4 to complete lap 10, as Josh Smith spun in front of him to almost collect Dunker. On the restart Creston Williams, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 and collected Rick Barlow Jr. and Adam Shelman to bring out the yellow. Dunker would jump back out front on the restart, with John Oliver Jr., who started 9th, close behind in second. Dunker would go on to lead the final 6 laps to remain undefeated on the season at 34 Raceway. Oliver Jr. would finish in 2nd, Michael Joe Bliven came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Staats held on for 4th, with Barlow Jr. recovering from the lap 9 crash to finish in 5th.
Dustin Ravelin and Jerrod Nichols led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature. But it was 5th place starter John Whalen who quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1. The first caution of the event would appear on the completion of lap 1, as Nick Wilkerson slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Whalen moved back out front, with Nichols working to hold back James Roose for second. But another caution on lap 2 would slow the action up front for the second time. This time Bradley Stevenson spun off of the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mike Hornung Jr., who started 15th and was running 5th, jumped the restart to bring the yellow light back on and was sent to the rear. On the restart Roose was able to get around Whalen to grab the top spot on lap 3. Whalen wouldn't give up, as he worked the bottom of the speedway to stay close to Roose. But a red on lap 8 would slow the battle up front. This time Stevenson would stop in turn 4 with flames coming from under the hood of his car to bring out the red. He would climb out ok. Roose again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Whalen close behind in second. Roose, who was up top, and Whalen, who was on the bottom, ran the final 8 laps side-by-side, with Whalen edging out Roose at the line by inches to lead lap 11. But Roose was able to make the top groove work on the final lap to pick up his second win in a row at the track. Whalen settled for 2nd, Wilkerson recovered from his lap 1 caution to come back up to finish in 3rd, Victor Hastings piloted the A1 usually driven by Kevin Mortimer to a 4th place finish after starting back in 11th, with Hornung Jr. coming from the rear after his jump on the lap 3 restart to round out the top 5.
Tom Bowling Jr. and Matt Strassheim led the field to the green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Bowling Jr. grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Todd Malmstrom and Strassheim. As Bowling Jr. continued to lead the field, Nate Beuseling, who started 5th, was working to chase down Bowling Jr. Beuseling was able to chase down Bowling Jr. to over take him on lap 15 to grab the top spot, while Mark Burgtorf, who started 7th, and Tom Goble, who started 8th, moved in to battle Bowling Jr. for second. But Beuseling would pull away over the final 10 laps to pick up the easy win, his first of the season at 34 Raceway. Goble was able to win the battle for 2nd, Burgtorf was 3rd, Bowling Jr. held on for 4th, with Colby Springsteen coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Bill Roberts Jr. and Dennis LaVeine on the front row. LaVeine would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Roberts Jr. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, as Quienten Schoffner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart LaVeine jumped back out front, with Roberts Jr. working to hold back Dusty Kraklio. Just as LaVeine started to pull away from the field, the second caution of the event would come out on lap 8. This time Chadwick Giberson spun in turn 4 and collected Schoffner and Jamie Smith to bring out the yellow. Once again LaVeine moved back out front on the restart, with Roberts Jr. now working to hold back Josh Foster, who started 10th, for second. But the action up front was slowed on lap 9, as Smith spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart LaVeine again jumped out front, with Roberts Jr. still holding back Foster for the battle for second. LaVeine then started to pull away from the second place battle, when the final caution of the event came out on lap 15. Once again Smith spun in turn 4 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night. On the restart LaVeine moved back out front and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Roberts Jr. held on for the battle for 2nd, Foster was 3rd, Lonnie Heap came home in 4th, with Chris Horn rounding out the top 5.
The final feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with John Oliver Jr. and Jeremy Pundt drawing the front row for the event. Oliver Jr. would jump out front on lap 1 from his front row starting spot, with Pundt following close behind in 2nd. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 3, as Jeff Mueller spun in turn 4 with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. On the restart Corey Strothman would spin in turn 2 and collected Chris Webb to bring the yellow light back on. Oliver Jr. moved back out front on the restart, with Jason Cook over taking Pundt for second. Just as Oliver Jr. started to pull away from the field, another caution would appear on the speedway on lap 12. This time Travis Hartman would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Alex Buffington, who was running 3rd, got sideways down the front stretch and was straighten out by Matt Greiner, who was running 5th. But Greiner was clipped by Pundt to get him sideways and collected Hartman, as the three cars came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the red. On the restart Oliver Jr. grabbed the lead once again, with Abe Huls, who started 10th, moving pass Buffington to take second. Oliver Jr. was able to hold on over the final 8 laps to pick up the win. Buffington was able to get 2nd on the final lap, Huls settled for 3rd, Cook was 4th, with Brett Timmerman coming home in 5th.
Notes from 34: Jayson Ditsworth and Dustin Clark in 305 Sprints, Chuck Fullenkamp and Garrett McGinnity in 4 Cylinders, Tom Darbyshire, Matt Bailey and Rob Toland, who was piloting the #29 of Adam Oppendike's in the Late Models, Kyle Hill, Jonathan Olmscheid and Darin Thye in the Modifieds, and Matt Keller in the Stock Cars were all unable to return this week to compete in there features......Corey Timmerman, who started 15th, in the 305 Sprint feature ans spun on lap 9 to bring out a yellow recovered to come back up to finish in 8th....Justin Newberry recovered from his lap 12 spin to finish in 10th....Jacob Glasgow recovered from his lap 2 spin to come back up to finish in 12th......Richard Shinall came from 11th in the SportMod feature to finish in 7th....Tim Zeman, who was running 5th, had troubles on the final lap coming off turn 4 to get into the front stretch wall to end his run in 8th....Josh Smith recovered from his lap 9 spin to come back to finish in 9th....Sean Wyett, who was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 10 with rear end troubles to end his night in 10th......Skipp Dunker passed 11 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 6th in the 4 Cylinder feature, on his first trip to the track....Bryerson Tharp started 13th and finished in 8th....Kody Bass had troubles in hot laps to force him to scratch from the feature......Chuck Hanna made his first trip to 34 Raceway and started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished in 7th......Scott Hogan came from 11th in the Modified feature to finish in 6th....Mike Weikert Jr. came from 17th to take home a 9th place finish....Dane Fenton came from 18th to finish in 12th....Brandon Rothzen, who was running 8th, pulled off on the lap 8 caution with a right rear flat. He was unable to make it back out before the caution light went out to end his night in 16th....Jeff Waterman pulled off on the drop of the green flag with a broken gear to end his night early in 18th......Corey Strothman recovered from his lap 3 spin in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish in 6th....Tim Breuer passed 9 cars from his 16th place starting spot to take home a 7th place finish....Ray Raker came from 14th to finish in 8th....Derek St. Clair and John Brockway had troubles to force them to scratch from the feature.
The first feature of the night was the 20 lap 305 Sprints, with Tony Burk and Kyle Peterson on the front row. On the drop of the green flag Burk and Dustin Whiting would get together down the backstretch, with both cars flipping to bring out the red. Both drivers would climb from there mangled cars ok. That would move Shane Quam to the pole for the restart, but it was Brandyn Martin who jumped into the lead on lap 1 over Quam and Andy Huston. A caution on lap 2 for Jacob Glasgow, who spun in turn 2, would slow the action. On the restart Martin moved back out front, with Huston following close behind in second. Martin started to pull away from the field, when the field was brought back to his back bumper on lap 9. This time Peterson would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Corey Timmerman would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Martin once again jumped back out front on the restart, with Huston trying to hold back Donnie Steward, who started 12th. Just like he did before the last caution, Martin started to pull away from the battle for second when he was slowed for the final time on lap 12. This time Justin Newberry, who started 14th and was running 7th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Martin jumped back out front, but now had Steward close behind in second. While Martin worked the bottom of the speedway, Steward jumped to the top to try and get by Martin. Steward would make the grove work as he took over the top spot on lap 17. But Martin wouldn't give up, as he ran the next 2 laps side-by-side with Steward. Steward was able to hold back Martin over the final laps to pick up another win of the season at the track. Martin settled for 2nd, John Schulz came from 11th to finish in 3rd, Huston held on for 4th, with Ryan Jamison coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Sean Wyett and Rod Staats leading the field to green. Wyett would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Staats and Levi Smith. While Wyett continued to lead the field, Tony Dunker, who started 10th, was working his way towards the front. Dunker would slip under Wyett on lap 7 to grab the lead away, as they started to enter lapped traffic. Disaster would almost strike Dunker coming out of turn 4 to complete lap 10, as Josh Smith spun in front of him to almost collect Dunker. On the restart Creston Williams, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 and collected Rick Barlow Jr. and Adam Shelman to bring out the yellow. Dunker would jump back out front on the restart, with John Oliver Jr., who started 9th, close behind in second. Dunker would go on to lead the final 6 laps to remain undefeated on the season at 34 Raceway. Oliver Jr. would finish in 2nd, Michael Joe Bliven came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Staats held on for 4th, with Barlow Jr. recovering from the lap 9 crash to finish in 5th.
Dustin Ravelin and Jerrod Nichols led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature. But it was 5th place starter John Whalen who quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1. The first caution of the event would appear on the completion of lap 1, as Nick Wilkerson slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Whalen moved back out front, with Nichols working to hold back James Roose for second. But another caution on lap 2 would slow the action up front for the second time. This time Bradley Stevenson spun off of the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mike Hornung Jr., who started 15th and was running 5th, jumped the restart to bring the yellow light back on and was sent to the rear. On the restart Roose was able to get around Whalen to grab the top spot on lap 3. Whalen wouldn't give up, as he worked the bottom of the speedway to stay close to Roose. But a red on lap 8 would slow the battle up front. This time Stevenson would stop in turn 4 with flames coming from under the hood of his car to bring out the red. He would climb out ok. Roose again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Whalen close behind in second. Roose, who was up top, and Whalen, who was on the bottom, ran the final 8 laps side-by-side, with Whalen edging out Roose at the line by inches to lead lap 11. But Roose was able to make the top groove work on the final lap to pick up his second win in a row at the track. Whalen settled for 2nd, Wilkerson recovered from his lap 1 caution to come back up to finish in 3rd, Victor Hastings piloted the A1 usually driven by Kevin Mortimer to a 4th place finish after starting back in 11th, with Hornung Jr. coming from the rear after his jump on the lap 3 restart to round out the top 5.
Tom Bowling Jr. and Matt Strassheim led the field to the green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Bowling Jr. grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Todd Malmstrom and Strassheim. As Bowling Jr. continued to lead the field, Nate Beuseling, who started 5th, was working to chase down Bowling Jr. Beuseling was able to chase down Bowling Jr. to over take him on lap 15 to grab the top spot, while Mark Burgtorf, who started 7th, and Tom Goble, who started 8th, moved in to battle Bowling Jr. for second. But Beuseling would pull away over the final 10 laps to pick up the easy win, his first of the season at 34 Raceway. Goble was able to win the battle for 2nd, Burgtorf was 3rd, Bowling Jr. held on for 4th, with Colby Springsteen coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Bill Roberts Jr. and Dennis LaVeine on the front row. LaVeine would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Roberts Jr. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, as Quienten Schoffner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart LaVeine jumped back out front, with Roberts Jr. working to hold back Dusty Kraklio. Just as LaVeine started to pull away from the field, the second caution of the event would come out on lap 8. This time Chadwick Giberson spun in turn 4 and collected Schoffner and Jamie Smith to bring out the yellow. Once again LaVeine moved back out front on the restart, with Roberts Jr. now working to hold back Josh Foster, who started 10th, for second. But the action up front was slowed on lap 9, as Smith spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart LaVeine again jumped out front, with Roberts Jr. still holding back Foster for the battle for second. LaVeine then started to pull away from the second place battle, when the final caution of the event came out on lap 15. Once again Smith spun in turn 4 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night. On the restart LaVeine moved back out front and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Roberts Jr. held on for the battle for 2nd, Foster was 3rd, Lonnie Heap came home in 4th, with Chris Horn rounding out the top 5.
The final feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with John Oliver Jr. and Jeremy Pundt drawing the front row for the event. Oliver Jr. would jump out front on lap 1 from his front row starting spot, with Pundt following close behind in 2nd. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 3, as Jeff Mueller spun in turn 4 with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. On the restart Corey Strothman would spin in turn 2 and collected Chris Webb to bring the yellow light back on. Oliver Jr. moved back out front on the restart, with Jason Cook over taking Pundt for second. Just as Oliver Jr. started to pull away from the field, another caution would appear on the speedway on lap 12. This time Travis Hartman would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Alex Buffington, who was running 3rd, got sideways down the front stretch and was straighten out by Matt Greiner, who was running 5th. But Greiner was clipped by Pundt to get him sideways and collected Hartman, as the three cars came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the red. On the restart Oliver Jr. grabbed the lead once again, with Abe Huls, who started 10th, moving pass Buffington to take second. Oliver Jr. was able to hold on over the final 8 laps to pick up the win. Buffington was able to get 2nd on the final lap, Huls settled for 3rd, Cook was 4th, with Brett Timmerman coming home in 5th.
Notes from 34: Jayson Ditsworth and Dustin Clark in 305 Sprints, Chuck Fullenkamp and Garrett McGinnity in 4 Cylinders, Tom Darbyshire, Matt Bailey and Rob Toland, who was piloting the #29 of Adam Oppendike's in the Late Models, Kyle Hill, Jonathan Olmscheid and Darin Thye in the Modifieds, and Matt Keller in the Stock Cars were all unable to return this week to compete in there features......Corey Timmerman, who started 15th, in the 305 Sprint feature ans spun on lap 9 to bring out a yellow recovered to come back up to finish in 8th....Justin Newberry recovered from his lap 12 spin to finish in 10th....Jacob Glasgow recovered from his lap 2 spin to come back up to finish in 12th......Richard Shinall came from 11th in the SportMod feature to finish in 7th....Tim Zeman, who was running 5th, had troubles on the final lap coming off turn 4 to get into the front stretch wall to end his run in 8th....Josh Smith recovered from his lap 9 spin to come back to finish in 9th....Sean Wyett, who was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 10 with rear end troubles to end his night in 10th......Skipp Dunker passed 11 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 6th in the 4 Cylinder feature, on his first trip to the track....Bryerson Tharp started 13th and finished in 8th....Kody Bass had troubles in hot laps to force him to scratch from the feature......Chuck Hanna made his first trip to 34 Raceway and started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished in 7th......Scott Hogan came from 11th in the Modified feature to finish in 6th....Mike Weikert Jr. came from 17th to take home a 9th place finish....Dane Fenton came from 18th to finish in 12th....Brandon Rothzen, who was running 8th, pulled off on the lap 8 caution with a right rear flat. He was unable to make it back out before the caution light went out to end his night in 16th....Jeff Waterman pulled off on the drop of the green flag with a broken gear to end his night early in 18th......Corey Strothman recovered from his lap 3 spin in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish in 6th....Tim Breuer passed 9 cars from his 16th place starting spot to take home a 7th place finish....Ray Raker came from 14th to finish in 8th....Derek St. Clair and John Brockway had troubles to force them to scratch from the feature.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Heap, Huls, Dunker, Wenig and Fullenkamp Collect Mid-Season Championship Wins at Lee County
Donnellson, IA (Friday, June 29, 2012) - Despite mother nature's attempts to spoil the MEGAtalk by I-Wireless Mid-Season Championship, the racing action on Friday at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA was able to be completed. Taking home feature wins on the night, with rains and lightning surrounding the track in all directions, was Lonnie Heap (IMCA Modifieds), Abe Huls (IMCA Stock Cars), Tony Dunker (IMCA SportMods), Jake Wenig (LCS Hobby Stocks) and Chuck Fullenkamp (IMCA Sport Compacts).
The first feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Lonnie Heap and Tyler Cale leading the field to the drop of the green. Heap would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Cale and Josh Foster, who started 5th. While Heap continued to lead the field, Cale and Foster had a great battle going for second until lap 12. Foster would spin in turn 2 to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Heap again grabbed the top spot, with Cale close behind in second. Just when it looked like Cale might be able to get under Heap to grab the lead away, the caution waved on lap 13. This time Ryan Cook, who was running 7th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Heap jumped back out front on the restart, with Cale still following close behind in second. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 18 as Kyle Hill stopped in turn 1 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. On the restart Heap moved back out front, as Cale tried to get under him. Cale would make contact with Heap in turn 1, but Heap was able to keep the lead coming to the white flag. Cale would come out of turn 4 to take the white with a right front flat, which allowed Jeff Waterman, who started 8th, to move past to battle Heap for the lead. But Heap was able to hold on to claim his first win of the season. Waterman came home in 2nd, Cayden Carter came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Brandon Banks finished 4th after starting in 7th, with Bill Roberts Jr. rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Matt Greiner and Abe Huls making up the front row. Greiner would take advantage of his front row start to move out front on lap 1 over Huls and Jeff Mueller. The action was slowed for the first time on lap 2, as Michael Larsen came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller was able to get under Greiner to take the top spot away on lap 3. After the completion of lap 3 the caution would appear on the speedway for the second time, as John Oliver Jr. spun in turn 4. Mueller would jump back out front on the restart, with Huls and Greiner battling it out for second. As Mueller started to pull away from the battle for 2nd, Huls was able to clear Greiner for that battle on lap 9 and then went to work to chase down Mueller. The one and only thing that Mueller didn't want to see happened on lap 13, when Matt Keller spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Mueller moved back out front, with Huls following a close second. Mueller, who was running the bottom, and Huls, who was up top, took the white flag side-by-side, with Mueller getting credit for leading lap 14. Huls would grab the advantage coming of of turn 2 and then held on to claim his second win in a row at the track. Mueller settled for 2nd, Jason Cook came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Derek St. Clair finished 4th after starting in 10th, with Cale Samberg coming home in 5th.
Darin Smith and Austen Becerra, who was moved to the front row after Nick Wilkerson scratched from the event, led the field to the green in the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts feature. But it was 4th place starter Chuck Fullenkamp who grab the lead on lap 1 over Kimberly Abbott, who started 6th, and Smith. Fullenkamp then pulled away from the field to lead all 12 laps of caution free racing to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Abbott would finish in 2nd, Becerra settled for 3rd, Anthony Cassat came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Smith holding on for 5th.
The next feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Tony Dunker and John Oliver Jr. on the front row. Dunker would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Oliver Jr. and Brandon Ruffcorn. The action was slowed for the first time on the completion of lap 2, as the yellow light came on for debris in turn 3. On the restart Bob Cowman spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. The next restart saw Dunker move back out front, with Oliver Jr. working to hold back Ruffcorn and Jim Gillenwater, who started 7th. Another yellow on the completion on lap 3 would slow the action again. This time Cowman would come to a stop in turn 1, which was his second solo to end his night. Once again Dunker grabbed the lead on the restart over Oliver Jr., while Gillenwater was able to get past Ruffcorn for third when Ruffcorn went into turn 1 to hard and got into the guardrail. Another caution, for Levi Smith who stopped in turn 1, on the completion of lap 4 would slow the event once again, which meant for every caution moving forward would add 1 lap to the total laps ran up to that point. Dunker once again jumped out front on the restart, with Oliver Jr. holding back Gillenwater for second. But another yellow on lap 6 would slow the battle up front, as Jay Kirchner spun sideways under the flag stand on the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the final restart Dunker grabbed the lead once again, leaving Oliver Jr. and Gillenwater to battle for second. Dunker would lead all 15 laps to claim his third win of the season and second in a row at the speedway. Gillenwater was able to get past Oliver Jr. to finish in 2nd, Oliver Jr. settled for 3rd, Rick Barlow Jr. came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Chris Larson coming home in 5th.
The final event of the night was the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Jake Wenig and Dan Wenig on the front row. Just after the field took the green, TJ Sammons would come to a stop in turn 2 to bring the caution out. On the original restart Jake Wenig grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Dan Wenig and Brian Hoener. The final caution of the event would appear on the completion of 2, as Dane Fenton got into the back of Dugan Thye and sending Thye spinning in turn 4. Fenton was penalized for being the cause of the caution, while Thye was moved back up to his spot in 5th. Once again Jake Wenig moved back out front on the restart, with Hoener and Dan Wenig battling for second. Jake Wenig would hold on to lead all 15 laps to pick up his third win in a row and overall at the track. Hoener held on for 2nd, Dan Wenig was 3rd, Victor Hastings was 4th, with Thye holding on for 5th.
Notes from LCS: With it being Mid-Season the night borught out a different format to help determine the feature line-ups. The top 12 drivers, in points, signed in on the night would be inverted for the heat races with the remainder lined up behind them. Then how they finished there heats was how they started the feature. For instance the winner of heat 1 would start from the pole, while heat 2 winner would start 2nd, and so on....Derek Hamm came from 11th in the Modified feature to finish in 6th....Brandon Savage finished 9th after staring in 14th....Josh Foster would cross the line in 7th, after coming from the back from his lap 12 spin while running 3rd. But was scored a lap down to officially finish in 12th......Jeremy Pundt came from 11th in the Stock Car feature to finish in 8th....John Oliver Jr. recovered from his lap 3 spin to finish in 9th......The Sport Compacts went CAUTION FREE!!!....Scott Smith came from 9th to finish in 6th......Carter VanDenBerg came from 14th in the SportMod feature to finish in 7th....Levi Smith, who started 17th, brought out the caution on lap 4. He would recover to finish in 9th....Michael Joe Bliven came from 13th to finish in 10th....Jay Kirchner, who started 22nd, spun on lap 6 to bring out the final caution. He would recover to finish in 14th....Jimmie Fierge, who made his first visit of the season to LCS, started the feature in 20th and passed 5 cars to finish in 15th.
The first feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Lonnie Heap and Tyler Cale leading the field to the drop of the green. Heap would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Cale and Josh Foster, who started 5th. While Heap continued to lead the field, Cale and Foster had a great battle going for second until lap 12. Foster would spin in turn 2 to bring out the first caution of the event. On the restart Heap again grabbed the top spot, with Cale close behind in second. Just when it looked like Cale might be able to get under Heap to grab the lead away, the caution waved on lap 13. This time Ryan Cook, who was running 7th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Heap jumped back out front on the restart, with Cale still following close behind in second. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 18 as Kyle Hill stopped in turn 1 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. On the restart Heap moved back out front, as Cale tried to get under him. Cale would make contact with Heap in turn 1, but Heap was able to keep the lead coming to the white flag. Cale would come out of turn 4 to take the white with a right front flat, which allowed Jeff Waterman, who started 8th, to move past to battle Heap for the lead. But Heap was able to hold on to claim his first win of the season. Waterman came home in 2nd, Cayden Carter came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Brandon Banks finished 4th after starting in 7th, with Bill Roberts Jr. rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Matt Greiner and Abe Huls making up the front row. Greiner would take advantage of his front row start to move out front on lap 1 over Huls and Jeff Mueller. The action was slowed for the first time on lap 2, as Michael Larsen came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller was able to get under Greiner to take the top spot away on lap 3. After the completion of lap 3 the caution would appear on the speedway for the second time, as John Oliver Jr. spun in turn 4. Mueller would jump back out front on the restart, with Huls and Greiner battling it out for second. As Mueller started to pull away from the battle for 2nd, Huls was able to clear Greiner for that battle on lap 9 and then went to work to chase down Mueller. The one and only thing that Mueller didn't want to see happened on lap 13, when Matt Keller spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Mueller moved back out front, with Huls following a close second. Mueller, who was running the bottom, and Huls, who was up top, took the white flag side-by-side, with Mueller getting credit for leading lap 14. Huls would grab the advantage coming of of turn 2 and then held on to claim his second win in a row at the track. Mueller settled for 2nd, Jason Cook came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Derek St. Clair finished 4th after starting in 10th, with Cale Samberg coming home in 5th.
Darin Smith and Austen Becerra, who was moved to the front row after Nick Wilkerson scratched from the event, led the field to the green in the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts feature. But it was 4th place starter Chuck Fullenkamp who grab the lead on lap 1 over Kimberly Abbott, who started 6th, and Smith. Fullenkamp then pulled away from the field to lead all 12 laps of caution free racing to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Abbott would finish in 2nd, Becerra settled for 3rd, Anthony Cassat came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Smith holding on for 5th.
The next feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Tony Dunker and John Oliver Jr. on the front row. Dunker would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Oliver Jr. and Brandon Ruffcorn. The action was slowed for the first time on the completion of lap 2, as the yellow light came on for debris in turn 3. On the restart Bob Cowman spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. The next restart saw Dunker move back out front, with Oliver Jr. working to hold back Ruffcorn and Jim Gillenwater, who started 7th. Another yellow on the completion on lap 3 would slow the action again. This time Cowman would come to a stop in turn 1, which was his second solo to end his night. Once again Dunker grabbed the lead on the restart over Oliver Jr., while Gillenwater was able to get past Ruffcorn for third when Ruffcorn went into turn 1 to hard and got into the guardrail. Another caution, for Levi Smith who stopped in turn 1, on the completion of lap 4 would slow the event once again, which meant for every caution moving forward would add 1 lap to the total laps ran up to that point. Dunker once again jumped out front on the restart, with Oliver Jr. holding back Gillenwater for second. But another yellow on lap 6 would slow the battle up front, as Jay Kirchner spun sideways under the flag stand on the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the final restart Dunker grabbed the lead once again, leaving Oliver Jr. and Gillenwater to battle for second. Dunker would lead all 15 laps to claim his third win of the season and second in a row at the speedway. Gillenwater was able to get past Oliver Jr. to finish in 2nd, Oliver Jr. settled for 3rd, Rick Barlow Jr. came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Chris Larson coming home in 5th.
The final event of the night was the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Jake Wenig and Dan Wenig on the front row. Just after the field took the green, TJ Sammons would come to a stop in turn 2 to bring the caution out. On the original restart Jake Wenig grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Dan Wenig and Brian Hoener. The final caution of the event would appear on the completion of 2, as Dane Fenton got into the back of Dugan Thye and sending Thye spinning in turn 4. Fenton was penalized for being the cause of the caution, while Thye was moved back up to his spot in 5th. Once again Jake Wenig moved back out front on the restart, with Hoener and Dan Wenig battling for second. Jake Wenig would hold on to lead all 15 laps to pick up his third win in a row and overall at the track. Hoener held on for 2nd, Dan Wenig was 3rd, Victor Hastings was 4th, with Thye holding on for 5th.
Notes from LCS: With it being Mid-Season the night borught out a different format to help determine the feature line-ups. The top 12 drivers, in points, signed in on the night would be inverted for the heat races with the remainder lined up behind them. Then how they finished there heats was how they started the feature. For instance the winner of heat 1 would start from the pole, while heat 2 winner would start 2nd, and so on....Derek Hamm came from 11th in the Modified feature to finish in 6th....Brandon Savage finished 9th after staring in 14th....Josh Foster would cross the line in 7th, after coming from the back from his lap 12 spin while running 3rd. But was scored a lap down to officially finish in 12th......Jeremy Pundt came from 11th in the Stock Car feature to finish in 8th....John Oliver Jr. recovered from his lap 3 spin to finish in 9th......The Sport Compacts went CAUTION FREE!!!....Scott Smith came from 9th to finish in 6th......Carter VanDenBerg came from 14th in the SportMod feature to finish in 7th....Levi Smith, who started 17th, brought out the caution on lap 4. He would recover to finish in 9th....Michael Joe Bliven came from 13th to finish in 10th....Jay Kirchner, who started 22nd, spun on lap 6 to bring out the final caution. He would recover to finish in 14th....Jimmie Fierge, who made his first visit of the season to LCS, started the feature in 20th and passed 5 cars to finish in 15th.
Sutton, Huls and Dunker Cash In on Bud Night at the Lee County Speedway
Donnellson, IA (Thursday, June 21, 2012) - The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA raced on Thursday night this week, instead of there normal Friday night, as it was Budweiser Night. On tap for the night was the 360 Sprint Invaders, IMCA Stock Cars and IMCA SportMods, with a great field of cars and fans on both sides of the speedway to help make it an exciting night.
After four Sprint Invader heat races, a dash and B-Main, plus two IMCA Stock Car heats and three IMCA SportMod heats, the features were set to take to the speedway.
The first feature of the night was the 15 lap Tire IMCA Stock Cars, with John Oliver Jr. and Abe Huls drawing the front row for the event. Huls would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, leaving Oliver Jr., Jason Cook and Matt Greiner battling for second. While Huls was pulling away from the field and Oliver Jr., Cook and Greiner battling for second, Jeff Mueller, who started 8th, was working his way to the front. Mueller would over take Greiner for 4th on lap 3, then passed Oliver Jr. on lap 7 to move into third, and then passed Cook on lap 11 to move into second. But Huls had built up a straight-away lead by that point, leaving Mueller with alot of work to do to catch Huls in the final 4 laps. Disaster would strike Mueller on lap 14, as he approached the lapped car of Matt Keller. Keller was glued to the bottom of the speedway going into turn 1, with Mueller trying to work under him. But when Mueller realized he was able to get to the bottom he tried to move up top, but was blocked by Cook and Greiner who were battling side-by-side for third. Mueller then spun into the infield to avoid contact with Keller, ending his night. While all that was happening Huls went on to claim the win in a caution free event and the $400 to prize, thanks to Discount Tire Service and track announcer Ryan Clark who added $100 to the first place prize. Cook held on for 2nd, Greiner was 3rd, Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Tanner Thomann coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap Sprint Invaders feature, with Matt Sutton and Tony Shilling making up the front row as a result of there finish in the dash. But it was third place starter Tyler Blank who grabbed the advantage on the drop of the green, only to have the red come out before the lap was completed. As Matt Krieger clipped the tire going into turn 1 and took a light roll on his side to bring out the red. On the restart Sutton jumped out front to lead lap 1, with Blank and Shilling battling for second. Sutton would start to pull away from the field, when he was slowed on lap 6. Harold Pohren spun in turn 4 and collected Jordan Goldesberry to bring out the yellow. Once again Sutton grabbed the lead on the restart, while Blank tried to get around Sutton on the outside which allowed Shilling to slip by for second. Sutton again started to pull away from the field, even as he entered lapped traffic on lap 13. The only thing to slow Sutton down over the final laps was a late race caution on lap 17, when Travis Porter spun off turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Sutton grabbed the lead, while Blank was able to get under Shilling to take over second. Sutton was able to hold on over the final 3 laps to claim the win and the $1,200 top prize. Blank was 2nd, Shilling was 3rd, Russ Hall was 4th, with Justin Parrish rounding out the top 5.
The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Tom Elsen and Tony Dunker drawing the front row. Elsen would take advantage of his front row start to move out front on the drop of the green, only to be slowed before the lap was complete for a caution. Chris Larson spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart Elsen again grabbed the lead on the drop of the green, but was slowed before the lap was complete for another caution. This time Levi Layman, who started 8th, slowed to a stop in turn 2 with left front troubles. Once again Elsen jumped out front on the next restart, with Dunker and Jim Gillenwater battling for second. Elsen then had to work to hold back Dunker and Gillenwater, when the final caution of the race appeared on the track on lap 5. Jacob Smith would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker shot under Elsen to grab the top spot away on lap 6, leaving Elsen to hold back Vance Wilson, who started 6th, for second. While Dunker started to pull away from the field, a three car battle was going on for second. Elsen was working to hold back Wilson and John Oliver Jr., who started 4th and fell back to 7th by the lap 5 caution. Oliver Jr. would jump to the top of the track on the final restart on lap 6 and started to work his way back to the front. He would over take Wilson for 3rd on lap 7 and then went to work on Elsen for 2nd. Meanwhile Dunker pulled away over the final 9 laps to pick up the win and the $400 top prize, thanks to Dunker Concrete who added $100 to the first place prize. Elsen held off a last lap charge from Oliver Jr. to hold on for 2nd, Oliver Jr. settled for 3rd, Wilson was 4th, with Gillenwater holding on for 5th.
Notes from LCS: 29 Sprints, 22 SportMods and 16 Stock Cars made up the 67 cars signed in to due battle on the night......Carson McCarl drew the pole for heat 1 of the Sprints and was dominating, until he spun in turn 2 on the last lap to end his great run. He then had to start 13th in the B Main, which the top 4 moved into the A Main, and could only work his way up to 6th to end his night....John Schulz, driving the 14s owned by Byron Sebastain, started the B Main from the outside front row and was running 4th, the final transfer spot into the A Main. When disaster struck in midway thru the race, as he spun in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Schulz had to go to the rear and could only recover to finish in 8th to end his night....Jerrod Hull, driving the 41 owned by Dale Oaks, started the A Main in 10th and worked his way up to finish in 7th....Ben Wagoner started 13th and took home an 8th place finish....Bobby Mincer passed 8 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish 9th and took home the hard charger award....Jimmy Davies came from 14th to finish in 11th....Jon Agan started 16th and finished in 12th....Josh Schneiderman took the final transfer spot in the B Main and started the A Main in 20th. He would pass 7 cars to take home a 13th place finish....Matt Krieger, despite taking an easy roll on lap 1 of the feature to bring out the red, would recover to finish in 15th....Randy Martin, who was running 10th, pulled off on the lap 17 caution with a right rear flat to end his night in 18th......The 15 lap Stock Car feature went CAUTION FREE!!!!....Michael Larsen started 10th and finished in 8th....Jim Lynch came from 12th to finish in 9th......After 3 cautions in the first 5 laps of the SportMod feature the drivers settled down to run the final 10 laps caution free.....Brandon Ruffcorn charged from 20th to finish 6th....Kevin Cale, who is still subbing in for Dean Kratzer in the 4k machine, started 12th and finished 7th....Carter VanDenBerg came from 11th to finish in 8th....Brandon Dale started 14th and finished in 10th....Ben Chapman came from 15th to finish in 12th....Sean Wyett came from 17th to finish in 13th....Phillip Cossel, who was driving the #5 machine usually driven by Jay Kirchner, came from 18th to finish in 14th....Chris Larson, who spun on the start of the feature to bring out the first caution, went to the back and would finish in 16th....Jacob Smith, who started 22nd, spun off turn 4 on lap 5 to bring out the final caution was able to finish in 17th....Tom Rawlins was running 8th when he pulled off under the lap 5 caution to end his night in 20th.
After four Sprint Invader heat races, a dash and B-Main, plus two IMCA Stock Car heats and three IMCA SportMod heats, the features were set to take to the speedway.
The first feature of the night was the 15 lap Tire IMCA Stock Cars, with John Oliver Jr. and Abe Huls drawing the front row for the event. Huls would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, leaving Oliver Jr., Jason Cook and Matt Greiner battling for second. While Huls was pulling away from the field and Oliver Jr., Cook and Greiner battling for second, Jeff Mueller, who started 8th, was working his way to the front. Mueller would over take Greiner for 4th on lap 3, then passed Oliver Jr. on lap 7 to move into third, and then passed Cook on lap 11 to move into second. But Huls had built up a straight-away lead by that point, leaving Mueller with alot of work to do to catch Huls in the final 4 laps. Disaster would strike Mueller on lap 14, as he approached the lapped car of Matt Keller. Keller was glued to the bottom of the speedway going into turn 1, with Mueller trying to work under him. But when Mueller realized he was able to get to the bottom he tried to move up top, but was blocked by Cook and Greiner who were battling side-by-side for third. Mueller then spun into the infield to avoid contact with Keller, ending his night. While all that was happening Huls went on to claim the win in a caution free event and the $400 to prize, thanks to Discount Tire Service and track announcer Ryan Clark who added $100 to the first place prize. Cook held on for 2nd, Greiner was 3rd, Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Tanner Thomann coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap Sprint Invaders feature, with Matt Sutton and Tony Shilling making up the front row as a result of there finish in the dash. But it was third place starter Tyler Blank who grabbed the advantage on the drop of the green, only to have the red come out before the lap was completed. As Matt Krieger clipped the tire going into turn 1 and took a light roll on his side to bring out the red. On the restart Sutton jumped out front to lead lap 1, with Blank and Shilling battling for second. Sutton would start to pull away from the field, when he was slowed on lap 6. Harold Pohren spun in turn 4 and collected Jordan Goldesberry to bring out the yellow. Once again Sutton grabbed the lead on the restart, while Blank tried to get around Sutton on the outside which allowed Shilling to slip by for second. Sutton again started to pull away from the field, even as he entered lapped traffic on lap 13. The only thing to slow Sutton down over the final laps was a late race caution on lap 17, when Travis Porter spun off turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Sutton grabbed the lead, while Blank was able to get under Shilling to take over second. Sutton was able to hold on over the final 3 laps to claim the win and the $1,200 top prize. Blank was 2nd, Shilling was 3rd, Russ Hall was 4th, with Justin Parrish rounding out the top 5.
The final feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Tom Elsen and Tony Dunker drawing the front row. Elsen would take advantage of his front row start to move out front on the drop of the green, only to be slowed before the lap was complete for a caution. Chris Larson spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart Elsen again grabbed the lead on the drop of the green, but was slowed before the lap was complete for another caution. This time Levi Layman, who started 8th, slowed to a stop in turn 2 with left front troubles. Once again Elsen jumped out front on the next restart, with Dunker and Jim Gillenwater battling for second. Elsen then had to work to hold back Dunker and Gillenwater, when the final caution of the race appeared on the track on lap 5. Jacob Smith would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker shot under Elsen to grab the top spot away on lap 6, leaving Elsen to hold back Vance Wilson, who started 6th, for second. While Dunker started to pull away from the field, a three car battle was going on for second. Elsen was working to hold back Wilson and John Oliver Jr., who started 4th and fell back to 7th by the lap 5 caution. Oliver Jr. would jump to the top of the track on the final restart on lap 6 and started to work his way back to the front. He would over take Wilson for 3rd on lap 7 and then went to work on Elsen for 2nd. Meanwhile Dunker pulled away over the final 9 laps to pick up the win and the $400 top prize, thanks to Dunker Concrete who added $100 to the first place prize. Elsen held off a last lap charge from Oliver Jr. to hold on for 2nd, Oliver Jr. settled for 3rd, Wilson was 4th, with Gillenwater holding on for 5th.
Notes from LCS: 29 Sprints, 22 SportMods and 16 Stock Cars made up the 67 cars signed in to due battle on the night......Carson McCarl drew the pole for heat 1 of the Sprints and was dominating, until he spun in turn 2 on the last lap to end his great run. He then had to start 13th in the B Main, which the top 4 moved into the A Main, and could only work his way up to 6th to end his night....John Schulz, driving the 14s owned by Byron Sebastain, started the B Main from the outside front row and was running 4th, the final transfer spot into the A Main. When disaster struck in midway thru the race, as he spun in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Schulz had to go to the rear and could only recover to finish in 8th to end his night....Jerrod Hull, driving the 41 owned by Dale Oaks, started the A Main in 10th and worked his way up to finish in 7th....Ben Wagoner started 13th and took home an 8th place finish....Bobby Mincer passed 8 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish 9th and took home the hard charger award....Jimmy Davies came from 14th to finish in 11th....Jon Agan started 16th and finished in 12th....Josh Schneiderman took the final transfer spot in the B Main and started the A Main in 20th. He would pass 7 cars to take home a 13th place finish....Matt Krieger, despite taking an easy roll on lap 1 of the feature to bring out the red, would recover to finish in 15th....Randy Martin, who was running 10th, pulled off on the lap 17 caution with a right rear flat to end his night in 18th......The 15 lap Stock Car feature went CAUTION FREE!!!!....Michael Larsen started 10th and finished in 8th....Jim Lynch came from 12th to finish in 9th......After 3 cautions in the first 5 laps of the SportMod feature the drivers settled down to run the final 10 laps caution free.....Brandon Ruffcorn charged from 20th to finish 6th....Kevin Cale, who is still subbing in for Dean Kratzer in the 4k machine, started 12th and finished 7th....Carter VanDenBerg came from 11th to finish in 8th....Brandon Dale started 14th and finished in 10th....Ben Chapman came from 15th to finish in 12th....Sean Wyett came from 17th to finish in 13th....Phillip Cossel, who was driving the #5 machine usually driven by Jay Kirchner, came from 18th to finish in 14th....Chris Larson, who spun on the start of the feature to bring out the first caution, went to the back and would finish in 16th....Jacob Smith, who started 22nd, spun off turn 4 on lap 5 to bring out the final caution was able to finish in 17th....Tom Rawlins was running 8th when he pulled off under the lap 5 caution to end his night in 20th.
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