Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Long, Harward, VanDenBerg, Shelton Among Winners on Memorial Day in Bloomfield

Bloomfield, IA (Monday, May 28, 2012) - Memorial Day Monday took be back to the Bloomfield Speedway in Bloomfield, IA to once again fill in for Jen Turner. The make-up SportMod Double Down rained out after lap 6 back on April 21st was the first event up, followed by the regular nights program for the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts.

Jim Gillenwater took over where he left off on lap 6 back on April 28th in the rained out SportMod feature, with Jason McDaniel and Chris Larson behind. Gillenwater then held the lead until the completion of lap 12, when the caution was waved for the break. On the break the crews could change one tire and add 5 gallons of fuel to run the final 12 laps. A number was drawn to invert the field and that number was 8, which ment the top 8 cars would be inverted for the restart. Tyler Heckart and Kelly Buckallew would lead the field back to green, with Heckart grabbing the lead on lap 1. But Carter VanDenBerg would jump to his outside on lap 2 to take over the top spot. VanDenBerg then pulled away over the final 10 laps to pick up the win. McDaniel was 2nd, Mike Shelton came from 6th to finish in 3rd, Gillenwater came from 8th to finish 4th, with Heckart holding on to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Andrew Hustead and Nick Ulin drawing the front row for the event. Ulin would grab the lead on lap 1 over Hustead and Dustin Griffiths and then held it until the completion of the lap. As Danny Thrasher came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the first caution. Ulin would take his machine to the pits under the yellow with throttle troubles, which gave Hustead the lead for the restart. Hustead moved out front on the restart, only to be slowed on the completion of lap 2 for the final caution. Ben Grove would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Rocky Fosdyck, who started 10th, jumped to the outside of Hustead to grab the top spot away on lap 3. Fosdyck then held on over the final 12 laps to claim the win. Hustead was 2nd, Griffiths was 3rd, Donovan Nunnikoven came from 8th to finish 4th, with Scott Shull coming home in 5th.

Michael Long and Jim Lynch drew the front row for the 17 lap Modified feature, with Long jumping out front on the drop of the green. Tyler Cale tried to keep in Long's tracks over the next 11 laps, when the first and only caution waved on lap 11. Hugh Eddy spun his machine in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long again grabbed the lead, with Cale close behind in second. Long would pull away over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Tyler VandeKamp was 2nd, Ryan Cook was 3rd, Beau Taylor came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Lynch rounding out the top 5.

The 12 lap Sport Compact feature was next, with Brandon Housley and Tim Bevins drawing the front row. But it was third place starter William Michel who moved out front on lap 1 over Housley and Dakota Anderson. Michel would hold the top spot until lap 5, when Bill Whalen Jr., who started 8th, jumped to his outside to grab the lead away. Whalen Jr. then held off a charging Kevin Kirkpatrick, who started 10th, in a caution free race to pick up the win. Kevin Kirkpatrick was 2nd, Michel held on for 3rd, Housley was 4th, with Kassidy Kirkpatrick coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Kevin Harsch and Tyler McClure drew the front row for the 17 lap Stock Car feature, but a caution after the drop of the green would change the front row. Greg Harsch would come to a stop in turn 2, while Kevin Harsch stopped in turn 3 with troubles. Mike Harward then took advantage of being moved to the pole for the restart to grab the lead on lap 1 over McClue and Louis Lynch. Harward then started to pull away from the battle for second, when the final caution of the race would appear on lap 11. Lynch slowed in turn 3 with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Harward jumped back out front, but now had Colt Mather, who started 10th, on his back bumper. But Harward would go on to lead the final 6 laps to pick up the win. McClure settled for 2nd, Nathan Wood passec 13 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish in 3rd, Jim Lynch was 4th, with Mather coming home in 5th.

The regular 16 lap SportMod feature was the final feature to take to the track, with Mark Mundell and Brandon Dale drawing the front row. Mundell took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dale and Tom Lathrop. The one and only caution of the event would come out on lap 6, when Trent Barker spun in turn 3. On the restart Mundell moved back out front, with Mike Shelton moving past Dale to take over 2nd. Mundell then worked to hold back Shelton over the final 10 laps, when they came off turn 4 for the checkered. Something on Mundell's machine broke coming off turn 4 to cause him to slow. Shelton jumped to the outside of Mundell to edge him at the line by inches for the win. Mundell settled for 2nd, Dale was 3rd, Jim Gillenwater was 4th, with Tyler Heckart coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Notes from Bloomfield: 18 SportMods, 16 Stock Cars, 13 Sport Compacts, 12 Hobby Stocks and 9 Modifieds made up the 68 cars signed in for the night......Tony Johnson, Tony Dunker, Ryan Fullenkamp, Jared Miller and Curtis Barnes were un able to return for the make-up SportMod feature......Danny Thrasher recovered from his lap 1 caution to come back up to finish 6th in the Hobby Stock feature....Eric Glass came from 12th to finish in 8th......Andrew Schroeder started 8th in the Modified feature and finished in 6th....Tyler Cale pulled off on lap 15 with troubles, after putting pressure on Long for the lead, to end his night in 8th......Kassidy Kirkpatrick, who started 9th in the Sport Compact feature, had worked up to 4th by lap 2. But spun in turn 3 and kept going to fall to last. He would recover to come back up to 5th....Trent Orwig came from 13th to finish in 8th......Nathan Wood had somebody draw for him in the Stock Car class, as they were running late due to changing a motor. He would miss his heat race and had to start 16th in the feature, but passed 13 cars to finish in 3rd....Louis Lynch, who was running 3rd, slowed to a stop in turn 3 on lap 11 to bring out the caution. He would recover from the troubles to come back up to finish in 7th.......Danny Lorton came from 12th in the regular SportMod feature and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Michael Guthrie came from 18th to finish in 12th....Chris Larson, who started 3rd, was battling for 3rd when he pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 15th....Scott VanBuskirk had troubles during the heat and was forced to scratch from the feature,

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Lasoski Stops by 34 Raceway and Takes Home the MOWA Win

Burlington, IA (Sunday, May 27, 2012) - Sunday night the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) made a stop at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA. When the checkered flag waved at the end of the night Danny Lasoski was standing in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Mod Lites, with Dan Keltner and Greg Rossell drawing the front row. Rossell would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Keltner and Mike Morrill. Morrill jumped to the top of the track to grab the lead away from Rossell on lap 3 and then held it until the first caution came out on lap 6. Jimmy Halcomb would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Halcomb would spin in turn 1 to bring the caution back out, his second solo to end his night. Morrill moved back out front on the following restart, with Joe Huggins moving past Rossell to grab 2nd. Huggins would slip under Morrill to grab the top spot away on lap 8 and then had the caution come out on the completion of the lap. This time Keltner, who was running 8th, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Huggins jumped back out front, with Morrill holding back Rossell for 2nd. After the completion of lap 10, Morrill was able to get under Huggins going into turn 1 to grab the lead. But the caution would come out to give the lead back to Huggins. Danny Foster would spin in turn 4 to bring the caution out on lap 10. Huggins moved back out front on the restart and then held off Morrill over the final 2 laps to pick up the win. Morrill settled for 2nd, Rossell was 3rd, Randy Bryan came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Todd Cramer rounded out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Dugan Thye and Ed Weyrick leading the field to the green. But it was third place starter Luke McLaughlin who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Thye and Josh Tripp. McLaughlin then held the top spot until lap 8, when Tripp was able to get under him to take over the lead. The action up front was slowed for the only caution of the race on lap 9. Dane Fenton, who was running 4th, and Jake Wenig, who was running 5th, collided coming off turn 4 and came to a stop under the flag stand tied together. On the restart McLaughlin was able to get under Tripp to grab the top spot back on lap 10 and then held on over the final 5 laps to claim the win. John Oliver Jr. came from 10th to finish in 2nd, Tripp held on for 3rd, Matt Gavin came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Victor Hastings coming home in 5th.

Daytona Fenton and Casey Mehaffy led the field to the drop of the green in the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature, with Fenton edging out Mehaffy to lead lap 1. But Mehaffy would jump to the outside of Fenton to grab the top spot away on lap 2 and then held it until lap 8. Brian Mehaffy would use the same grove as Casey Mehaffy, the outside, to get around Casey for the lead on lap 8. The first and only caution of the event would come out on lap 9, when Jarrod Nichols spun Fenton down the back stretch while battling for 8th. On the restart Brian jumped back out front and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim the win and breaking Nick Wilkerson's 5 week winning streak. Billy Stanford came from 5th to finish in 2nd, Wilkerson came from 8th to finish in 3rd, John Whalen was 4th after staring in 7th, with Michael Grossman coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

The final feature on the night was the 30 lap MOWA (410 Sprint) feature, with Danny Lasoski and Jerrod Hull on the front row. But it was third place starter Brian Brown who grabbed the lead over Lasoski and Hull to lead lap 1. The first caution of the event would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Jordon Goldsberry spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Brown moved back out front with Lasoski and Hull close behind. Brown would start to enter lapped trafic on lap 7, which allowed Lasoski to close in on his back bumper. Then disaster struck Brown on lap 9, when he tried to get to the bottom going into turn 1 and made contact with the lapped car of Jeremy Standridge. The contact would send Standridge rolling into turn 1 to bring out the red. Brown would have a left rear flat, as a result of the contact, and was done for the event per the MOWA rules. Lasoski would grab the lead on the restart and then started to pull away when the final caution came out on lap 13. This time Chris Urish spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Lasoski moved out front on the restart and then pulled away over the final 17 laps to claim the easy win. Hull came home in 2nd, A.J. Bruns was 3rd, Jim Moughan was 4th, with Ryan Bunton coming from 13th to take home a 5th place finish.

Notes from 34: 27 MOWA Sprints, 24 Mod Lites, 18 4 Cylinders and 13 Hobby Stocks made up the 82 cars signed in on the night......Jake Halcomb passed 11 cars from his 19th place starting spot in the Mod Lite feature to take home 8th....Andrew Smith passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Joe Wood came from 16th to finish in 11th....Jason Whitehead passed 12 cars from his 24th place starting spot to take home a 12th place finish....Gary Snyder came from 21st to finish in 14th......Dane Fenton recovered from the lap 9 caution to finish 6th in the Hobby Stock feature....Chad Krogmeier came from 11th to finish in 7th....Adam Scott came from 12th to finish in 9th....Jake Wenig retired to the pits after the lap 9 contact with a right rear flat and was credited with 12th....Dan Wenig was running 5th, when he pulled off with troubles on lap 6 to end his night in 13th......Troy Wanders started the 4 Cylinder feature in 10th and came home in 7th....Bradley Stevenson passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 8th....Bryerson Tharp came from 13th to finish in 9th....Daytona Fenton recovered from the lap 9 spin to come back up to finish in 10th....Casey Mehaffy, who was running 4th, spun in turn 2 on lap 11 and kept going and fell back to finish in 12th......Ben Wagoner passed 12 cars from his 18th place starting spot in the MOWA feature to take home a 6th place finish....Ryan Jamison passed 9 car from his 16th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Ian Madsen came from 11th to finish in 9th....Matt Sutton came from 17th to finish in 11th....Matt Harms started 20th and passed 8 cars to take home 12th....Chris Urish recovered from his lap 13 spin to come back up to finish in 13th.

"Together We Fight Hunger 25 For 35" In Honor of Brian Hetrick Goes to Parrish

Donnellson, IA (Friday, May 25, 2012) - The "Together We Fight Hunger 25 For 35" in honor of Brian Hetrick, that was suppose to be ran in mid April, was finally put into the record books on Friday at the Lee County Speedway. When the night ended Justin Parrish ended up in victory lane and took home the $1,000 top prize for the 305 Sprints.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Kevin Cale and Levi Smith on the front row. Smith would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Cale. But on the completion of lap 1 Jay Kirchner would spin in turn 3 to bring out the first of four cautions on the lap. On the restart Brandon Ruffcorn spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Then Kirchner would spin in turn 1 on the next restart to bring the caution out for his second solo to end his night. On the next restart Mitchell Boles spun in 4 and collected Jim Kuhlmeier to bring the yellow light back on. Smith would jump back out front on the next restart, with John Oliver Jr. over taking Cale for 2nd. While Smith worked to hold back Oliver Jr., Scott VanBuskirk was working his way to the front from his 9th place starting spot. The action up front was slowed once again on lap 12, as Ruffcorn spun in turn 4 for his second solo to his his night. On the restart VanBuskirk slid up in front of Smith coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot, as Smith ran into the back of VanBuskirk and lost control of his machine and spinning down the front stretch to bring out the final caution. VanBuskirk would hold on over the green-white-checkered finish to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Oliver Jr. settled for 2nd, Tony Dunker came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Cale was 4th, with Phillip Cossel rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Kevin Cheney and Luke McLaughlin drawing the front row for the race. But it was 4th place starter Jake Wenig who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over McLaughlin. The event was slowed for the first time on lap 2, as a tire was clipped and moved onto the track in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Jake moved back out front and then held it until lap 3, when the next caution came out. This time it was for debris on the front stretch. On the restart Brian Hoener got into the turn 1 guardrail hard to bring out the yellow. He would climb from the car ok, but done for the night. Once again Jake jumped back out front on the restart, with Dan Wenig now following him in second. Disaster would strike both Jake and Adam Scott on lap 4, as Scott, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. While Jake had over heating troubles and retired to the pits. Dan would inherit the lead for the restart and then held it until lap 11, when Victor Hastings, who came from 10th, jumped to his outside to take over the top spot. Hastings then held on over the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Dan Wenig settled for 2nd, Nathan Anders came from 11th to finish in 3rd, Cheney was 4th, with McLaughlin recovering from his lap 3 flat to come back up to finish in 5th.

Cale Samberg and Corey Strothman led the field to the green in the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Samberg grabbing the lead on lap 1. Samberg then went on to hold the lead until lap 8, when Jeff Mueller, who started 7th, slipped under him to take over the top spot. Mueller then worked to hold back Samberg for the next 4 laps, when Abe Huls over took Samberg for second on lap 13 and then went to work on Mueller for the lead. But Mueller was able to hold back Huls on the final lap to pick up the win. Huls settled for 2nd, Samberg was 3rd, Strothman was 4th, with Matt Greiner coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 25 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Larry Ball Jr. and J Kinder making up the front row as a results of there 1 and 2 finish in the 6 lap dash. But disaster would strike Kinder on the drop of the green, as he got into the guardrail in turn 4 and rolled his machine. Alan Ambers had no where to go and ended up rolling over the guardrail to bring out the red. Both drivers walked away ok. On the restart Justin Parrish, who was moved to the front row as a result of Kinder's roll, jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Ball Jr. Parrish then worked to hold back Ball Jr until the caution came out on the completion of lap 3. This time Chase Wanner spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Parrish once again grabbed the lead, as Ball Jr worked to hold back Ryan Jamison, who started 6th. Just as Parrish started to pull away from the battle for second, another caution came out on lap 18. This time Jake Glasgow spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Parrish jumped out front on the restart and then held on over the final 7 laps to claim the win and the $1,000 top prize. Jamison was 2nd, John Schultz came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Daniel Bergquist finished 4th after starting in 9th, with Jarrod Schneiderman coming from 13th to round out the top 5.

The final feature on the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with C.J. Loring and Mike Hornung Jr. leading the field to green. Loring would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, but would loose it to Hornung Jr. on lap 2. Just like Loring, Hornung Jr. would only lead 1 lap, as Chuck Fullenkamp slid under him to take over the top spot on lap 3. While Fullenkamp continued to lead, Nick Wilkerson, who started 9th, was working his way towards the front. Wilkerson would try to get past Fullenkamp over the final 2 laps, but Fullenkamp was able to hold him off to claim the win. Wilkerson settled for 2nd, Darin Smith came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Scott Smith was 4th, with Kimberly Abbott coming home in 5th.

Notes from LCS: 22 SportMods, 18 305 Sprints, 12 Sport Compacts, 11 Stock Cars and 11 Hobby Stocks made up the 74 cars signed in on the night......Jacob Smith came from 21st to pass 14 cars to finish in 7th....Carter VanDenBerg made his first visit of the year and started 12th, he would finish in 9th....Charles VanZandt came from 15th to finish in 11th....Chris Larson was running 8th when he pulled off on the lap 12 caution to end his night in 14th....Jim Gillenwater, who started 11th and had worked his way to 8th, pulled off on the lap 1 caution with troubles to end his night in 17th....Tom Elsen made the pull up from Shelbina, MO and had troubles after the heat to force him to scratch from the feature......Don Septer made his first visit of the season in the LCS Hobby Stocks, but he dropped the drive shaft in the heat to force him to scratch from the feature......The Stock Car feature was ran CAUTION FREE!....Joe Gerdes made his first visit of the season at the track and started 11th and took home a 9th place finish......Larry Ball Jr. had a right rear tire go flat on the lap 18 restart of the 305 Sprint feature and ended up in 9th....Brandyn Martin came from 17th to finish in 11th....Jayson Ditsworth, Dustin Whiting and Kevin Hetrick all had motor troubles during their heats to cause them to scratch from the feature.

Bailey, Hogan and Mueller Visit 34 Raceway Victory Lane For First Time in 2012

Burlington, IA (May 19, 2012) - Another beautiful night for racing, as 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA was able to get there 4th points race of 2012 in the books. At the end of the night there was three new winners and three repeat winners standing in victory lane.

The first feature of the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Brad Tyler and Dustan Fenton leading the field to the green. Fenton would spin in turn 4 on the drop of the green to bring the first caution of the race out. He would be sent to the tail, moving Jeff Waterman up to the pole for the restart. Waterman would take advantage of the gift to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dennis LaVeine and Tyler. Tyler's great run up front would end on lap 4, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the second yellow of the race. On the restart Waterman again jumped out into the lead, with LaVeine trying to hold back Scott Hogan, who came from 9th. LaVeine would move to the top of the track to take over the top spot on lap 6, with Waterman holding back Hogan, Rich Smith, who came from 8th, and Josh Foster, who started 10th. LaVeine, Hogan and Foster battled two and three wide for the lead from lap 10 to lap 18, when Hogan was able to slip past LaVeine for the top spot. Hogan then held off a last lap challenge from Foster to pick up his first win of 2012 at the track. Foster settled for 2nd, LaVeine was 3rd, Smith was 4th, with Waterman coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Chris Webb and John Brockway making up the front row for the event. Webb would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag over Jim Lynch and Alex Buffington. But Webb would only lead lap 1, as Lynch jumped to his outside to grab the lead away on lap 2. The first of five caution flags would wave on lap 3, as Ray Raker stopped in turn 2 with left front damage. On the restart David Brandies would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Lynch moved back out front on the next restart and then held the lead until lap 5, when Webb got under him to take the top spot back. The battle up front took a twist on lap 7, as Corey Strothman, who was running 4th, got into Lynch, who was running 3rd, which caused Lynch to spin in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Both drivers were sent to the rear for the restart. On the restart Webb jumped back out front, but now had Jeff Mueller, who came from 9th, on his back bumper. Mueller would slip under Webb on lap 9 to take over the top spot and then held it until another caution on lap 13 slowed him down. This time Brett Timmerman, who was running 6th, got into Buffington, who was running 5th, which caused him to spin in turn 4. Both cars were sent to the back for the restart. Timmerman who had to go into the pits under the caution to change a tire, came out of the pits a half lap behind. He would spin in turn 3 on lap 14 to bring out the final caution of the race. Mueller was able to grab the lead on the restart and then held on to pick up his first win of the season at 34 Raceway. Matt Greiner came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Webb held on for 3rd, Jeremy Pundt was 4th, with Brandies recovering after his lap 3 spin to come back up to finish in 5th.

Chase Wanner and Shane Quam led the field to the green in the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, but Quam would spin in turn 2 on the drop of the green to bring the yellow out. On the restart Wanner was able to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandyn Martin and Harold Pohren. Wanner then held the top spot until lap 4, when Pohren spun in turn 2 to bring out another caution. On the restart Justin Newberry, who started 6th, slipped under Wanner to take over the top spot on lap 5. But Donnie Steward, who started 10th, quickly moved to the top of the track to grab the lead away from Newberry on lap 6. Disaster would strike Wanner, who was running 3rd, when he spun in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Once again Steward jumped out front on the restart and was pulling away, when he was slowed for the final time on lap 8. This time Andy Huston spun in turn 2 and collected Kyle Peterson. Steward again moved out front for the restart and then pulled away over the final 12 laps to claim his second win in a row and third overall at the track. Newberry settled for 2nd, Dustin Whiting came from 11th to finish in 3rd, Ryan Jamison came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Daniel Bergquist rounding out the top 5.

Matt Bailey and Todd Malmstrom made up the front row for the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Bailey jumping out front on lap 1. Bailey, who was running the bottom, and Malmstrom, who was up top, ran the next 4 laps side-by-side, when Bailey decided to move to the top on lap 6. Bailey then pulled away from the field over the final 20 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track in a caution free event. Nate Beuseling came from 8th to finish in 2nd, Colby Springsteen started 7th and was 3rd, Malmstrom held on to finish in 4th, with Matt Strassheim coming home in 5th.

The 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature was up next, with Bryerson Tharp and Dustin Ravelin leading the field to the drop of the green. But it was 5th place starter James Roose who quickly moved up to grab the lead on lap 1 over Tharp and Nick Wilkerson, who started 10th. The first of two cautions would appear on the track after the completion of lap 1, as Jerrod Nichols came to a stop in turn 3. On the restart Roose moved back out front, with Wilkerson over taking Tharp for second. Wilkerson then moved up to grab the top spot away from Roose on lap 3 and then started to pull away until the final caution on lap 10. This time Bradley Stevenson came to a stop in turn 4 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. Once again Wilkerson grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 2 laps to claim his fifth win in a row at the track. Roose settled for 2nd, Billy Stanford came from 12th to finish in 3rd, John Whalen came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Tharp rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Hobby Stocks, with Travis Plummer and Mark Bowman leading the field to the green. Plummer would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chad Krogmeier. But the first caution of the event would come out on lap 3 to slow down Plummer. A tire was clipped in turn 2 and moved out onto the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dan Wenig, who started 8th, moved past Plummer to take over the top spot. Only to be slowed on the completion of the lap for another caution. This time Josh Tripp spun in turn 2 and collected Eric Rowley. Dan Wenig again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Matt Gavin, who started 7th, and Jake Wenig, who came from 14th, now on his back bumper. Gavin took over the top spot from Dan on lap 6, with Jake following him into second. The final two cautions of the event would come out on lap 7. The first was for Dugan Thye who spun in turn 4. On the restart Plummer, who was running 7th, would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. Gavin again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Jake Wenig over the final 8 laps to pick up the win. Dan Wenig settled for 3rd, Victor Hastings was 4th, with Krogmeier coming home in 5th.

Notes from 34: Dean McGee came from 11th to finish 8th in the Modified feature....Dusty Kraklio passed 7 cars from his 16th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Andy Krieger came from 14th to finish in 10th......Jason Cook came from 11th to finish in 6th in the Stock Car feature....Jim Lynch recovered from the lap 7 spin to come back up to finish in 8th....Corey Strothman also recovered from the contact on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 9th....Brett Timmerman came from the rear after his lap 13 and 14 cautions to finish in 10th......Harold Pohren recovered from his lap 4 spin in the 305 Sprint feature to come back to finish 8th....Nick Guernsey came from 12th to finish in 9th....Dave Getchell came from 14th to finish in 10th......Lonnie Bailey came from 10th to finish 6th in the Late Model feature......Mike Amenell started the Hobby Stock feature in 11th and finished in 6th....Chuck Underwood came from 10th to finish in 7th....Skyler Troutman, who started 13th, spun on the first lap and went to the rear. He would recover to come back up to finish in 9th.

Lee County Speedway Produces Three New Winners in Lynch, Wenig and Hammel

Donnellson, IA (Friday, May 18, 2012) - Friday night at the Lee County Speedway turned out to be a picture perfect night, with mother nature providing the great weather and the drivers producing some great racing action. At the end of the nights action there was three new winners standing in victory lane, with two repeat winners.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Brandon Dale and Jacob Smith leading the field to the green. But it was fifth place starter John Oliver Jr. who jumped out into the lead on lap 1, followed by Dale and Chris Larson. Oliver Jr. started to pull away from the field, leaving Dale and Larson to battle it out for second. But the first caution of the event would come out on lap 7 to bring the field back to Oliver Jr.'s back bumper. Tony Dunker who spun his machine in turn 2, while running 6th, brought the first yellow out. Under that caution Oliver Jr. took his machine into the pits with oil pressure problems. Jim Gillenwater, who started 11th and worked his way into 2nd on lap 5, would inherit the lead for the restart. On the restart Kevin Cale would come to a stop in turn 2 to bring the caution back out. The next restart saw Gillenwater move out into the lead, while Dale and Larson continued there battle for second. Just like Oliver Jr., Gillenwater started to pull away from the field when he was slowed for the final time on lap 12. This time Jay Kirchner spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Gillenwater grabbed the lead on the restart, while Larson worked to hold back Dunker, who came from the rear after his lap 7 spin. Gillenwater would hold on for the final 3 laps to pick up his second win in a row at the track. Larson crossed the line in 2nd but was disqualified for being light at the scales, Dunker was moved up to 2nd, Brandon Ruffcorn came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Rick Barlow Jr. was 4th, with Dale holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Victor Hastings and Nathan Anders drawing the front row for the event. Hastings would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Anders and Dan Wenig. Hastings then held the top spot until lap 4, when Wenig got under him to grab the lead away. Wenig would go on to lead the final 11 laps to pick up his first of the season at the speedway. Hastings settled for 2nd, Anders was 3rd, Kevin Cheney was 4th, with Michael Wenke rounding out the top 5.

Adam Birck and Derek Hamm led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, but Tyler Cale would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Cale and Wyatt Lantz collided in turn 1 to bring the caution back out. Birck jumped out front on the following restart, with Hamm and Brandon Savage close behind in second and third. Birck then held the top spot until lap 3, when Hamm jumped to his outside to take the lead on lap 3. Hamm would start to pull away from the battle for second, when the final caution of the event came out on lap 7. This time Todd Hansen, who started 8th and had worked his way to 4th, spun in turn 2 and collected Bill Roberts Jr. and Ryan Cook. On the restart Hamm moved back out front, but now had Rich Smith and Josh Foster, who came 11th, on his back bumper. Smith would work under Hamm on lap 9 to take over the top spot, with Jeff Waterman, who came from 10th following into 2nd. Foster, who had fallen back to 4th on lap 9, drove his machine hard into turn 3 and would come out of four into 2nd and then went to work on Smith for the lead. Smith would hold back Foster until lap 12, when Foster got under him coming out of four to take over the top spot. Foster then led the final 8 laps to claim his second win in a row at the track. Smith settled for 2nd, Waterman was 3rd, Brandon Banks came from 9th to finish in 4th, with new comer Hunter Marriott coming from 13th to take home 5th.

Up next to take to the speedway was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature event, with Cale Samberg and Corey Strothman leading the field to the drop of the green. Samberg would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Jim Lynch and Strothman. Samberg then held onto the top spot until lap 5, when Lynch slipped under him for the lead. While Lynch led the field, Jeff Mueller, Matt Greiner and Abe Huls battled behind him. Greiner would jump to the top of the track on lap 10 to take over second and then went to work on Lynch for the lead. Lynch and Greiner ran the final 4 laps side-by-side, while Mueller and Huls ran side-by-side for the battle for 3rd. Lynch was able to hold on by a half a car length in a caution free event to claim his first career Stock Car feature win at the track and second of the year. Greiner had to settle for 2nd, Mueller was 3rd, Huls was 4th, with Jason Cook coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with C.J. Loring and Mike Hornung Jr. making up the front row. But it was third place starter Chuck Fullenkamp who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Loring and Hornung Jr. As Fullenkamp continued to lead the field, Rob Hammel, who returned to racing after a few years off started 10th, was quickly working his way to the front. Hammel would try to get under Fullenkamp on laps 8-11, but Fullenkamp was able to hold him off each time. But coming out of turn four for the checkered flag Hammel was able to get under Fullenkamp to edge him out by inches to claim his first win of the season. Fullenkamp settled for 2nd, Darin Smith came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Kimberly Abbott was 4th, with Scott Smith coming home in 5th.

Notes from LCS: 18 Modifieds, 18 SportMods, 13 Sport Compacts, 10 Stock Cars and 8 LCS Hobby Stocks made up the 67 cars signed in for week 3.......Bradley Holtmeyer came from his 14th place starting spot to pass 7 cars to take home a 7th place finish in the SportMod feature....Charles VanZandt came from 13th to finish in 8th....Bob Cowman started 15th and took home a 9th place finish....Jay Kirchner, who started 16th, recovered from his lap 12 spin to come back up to finish in 11th....Jim Kuhlmeier came from 18th to finish in 12th....Kevin Cale was the replacement driver for the injuried Dean Kratzer in the 4k. He would stop in turn 2 with troubles on the lap 7 restart to end his night in 14th....Michael Joe Bliven was running 6th until the lap 7 caution, when he pulled off the track with motor troubles to end his night in 16th....Phillip Cossel had troubles in his heat to force him to scratch from the feature......Both Jake Wenig and Derek Kirkland had troubles in there LCS Hobby Stock heats, which forced them to scrath from the feature......Michael Browning started the Modified feature in 15th and passed 9 cars to finish 6th....Kyle Hill came from 17th to take home an 11th place finish....Todd Hansen, who started 8th and was running 4th, spun in turn 2 and collected Bill Roberts Jr, who was 7th, and Ryan Cook, who was 9th. The contact ended Hansen's run in 14th and Roberts Jr. in 15th....Tyler Cale and Wyatt Lantz collided in turn 1 on the second original restart, ending both there nights in 16th and 17th......The Stock Car feature might have only had 10 cars in the feature, but it turned out to be one of the best races of the night. There was two and even three car battles for first thru 6th the entire 15 laps of CAUTION FREE racing!.....Brandon Lambert came from 13th to finish the Sport Compact feature in 6th....The Sport Compacts ran there 12 lap feature CAUTION FREE!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

NASCAR Drivers Sweep the Top Three Spots at Peoria

Peoria, IL (Wednesday, May 16, 2012) - Wednesday, May 16th took me back to the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL for NASCAR Night at the track. Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Justin Allgaier dropped in to compete in there UMP Modifieds in an event promoted by Bob Sargeant of Track Enterprises.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap Limited Late Models, with Brian Crebo and Matt Murphy leading the field to the drop of the green. Crebo would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Murphy and Tommy Duncan. While Crebo hugged the bottom of the speedway, Murphy jumped to the top of the track which paid off with the pass for the lead on lap 3. Murphy continued to work the top while Tommy Duncan worked the bottom to try and get around Murphy for the lead. Duncan would make the pass for the top spot coming off turn 4 to complete lap 11, but a caution would come out before the lap was scored to give the top spot back to Murphy. Carl Feger, Chuck Barnes Jr. and Jeff Cunningham all collided in turn 3 to bring out the first yellow of the event. On the restart Murphy moved back out front, with Duncan and Crebo close behind. But disaster would strike Duncan on lap 11, as he came off turn 4 to get under Murphy for the lead going into turn 1. Duncan would spin the car to bring out the final caution, ending his great battle up front. Murphy again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Joey Markle, who started 6th, moving into second. Markle tried over the final 4 laps to get under Murphy, but Murphy would hold him off to pick up the win. Markle settled for 2nd, Crebo was 3rd, Evan Fink came from 12th to finish in 4th, with Bob Gardner rounding out the top 5.
Peoria, Illinois' Matt Murphy claimed the 15 lap Limited Late Model feature on Wednesday, May 16th at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL.

Up next was the 10 lap Hornet feature, with Jonathon Schuck and Jeremy Kingsly making up the front row for the event. Schuck took advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on the drop of the green over Kingsly. Schuck then had to work to fight off Kingsly over the next 7 laps, when Kingsly was able to get under Schuck on lap 8. The two would battle side-by-side over the final 2 laps, with Kingsly getting the edge going into turn 3 on the final lap. Kingsly then held on coming off turn 4 to claim the win. Schuck settled for 2nd, Zac Bollinger was 3rd, Tyler Benson was 4th, with Matt Machey rounding out the top 5.
The 10 lap Hornet feature at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL on Wednesday, May 16th was won by Jeremy Kingsly of Peoria, IL.

The final feature of the night was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Billy Tuckwell and Derick Doerr on the front row for the event. Doerr took advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Tuckwell and Kenny Wallace. The action up front was slowed after the completion of lap 1, as there was debris in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Tuckwell was able to get under Doerr to take over the top spot on lap 2. But after the completion of lap 2 another caution came out, as Joe Wagner spun in turn 4. The yellow light would come back out on the following restart, as Dale Munson spun in turn 2. Just like the last restart attempt, another caution waved. This time it was Mike Brooks spinning in turn 3 to bring the yellow light back on. Kenny Wallace would jumped to the top of the track to over take Tuckwell on the restart to lead lap 3. Wallace then worked to hold back Tuckwell over the next 7 laps, when another caution came out on lap 10. Chad Evans would spin in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Wallace again moved back out front for the lead, with Tuckwell holding back Kenny Schrader for 3rd. Wallace and Schrader worked the top of the speedway with Tuckwell down low, as the three battled for the lead. But the action was slowed for the final time on lap 13, when Brooks spun in turn 4 for his second solo to end his night. On the restart Wallace again grabbed the lead, with Schrader holding back Tuckwell for 3rd. Wallace, who had worked the top of the speedway most of the night, moved down to the low grove on lap 16. Schrader would take advantage of Wallace's move to the bottom to take over the top spot on lap 17. Schrader then held off Wallace over the final 8 laps to pick up the win. Wallace, who won Tuesday night in Lincoln, Illinois, settled for 2nd, Just Allgaier came from 12th to work his way to 3rd, Tuckwell was 4th, with Gary Cook Jr. coming from 8th to take home a 5th place finish.
Kenny Schrader drove his #9 UMP Modified to the 25 lap feature win at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL on Wednesday, May 16th.
Kenny Wallace, who led for 8 laps before Schrader moved by on lap 17, settled for a 2nd place finish on Wednesday, May 16th at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL.
Justin Allgaier in only his 2nd start in a UMP Modified, started the 25 lap feature in 12th. He would work the top of the track to move up to finish 3rd.

Notes from Peoria: 28 UMP Modifieds, 21 Limited Late Models and 17 Hornets made up the 66 cars signed in on the night......James Carmody, who won the Limited Late Model feature on Sunday at the Peoria Speedway, came from 13th to take home an 8th place finish....Robert Cowell passed 5 cars from his 15th place start to finish in 10th....Dwayne Walters came from 17th to finish in 11th....Mike Reeder finished 13th after starting 18th......The 10 lap Hornet feature went CAUTION FREE for the second time, as they did it on Sunday also....Matt Musgrave came from 13th to take home 7th....Kenny Butterfield came from 11th to finish in 8th....Jerry Sally passed 8 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 9th......Ray Bollinger started the Modified feature in 17th, after winning the B Main, to pass 9 cars to finish in 8th....Dale Munson, who started 18th and spun in turn 2 on the lap 2 restart to bring out the caution, went to the tail and then drove his way back up to finish in 9th....Chad Goff started 15th and finished in 11th....Chad Evans, who started in 16th and spun in turn 4 on lap 10 to bring out a caution, went to the back and then came back up to finish in 12th....Brock Bauman came from 19th to finish in 14th......Dewain Hulett and myself took the CFF Racing Show on the road, as we recorded this weeks event from the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL. Dewain was able to get an interview with Bob Sargeant, Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Justin Allgaier. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to the show you can go to the Tri-State Speed Review's website and click on the link to listen to the show. I would like to thank Bob Sargeant for putting on a fast and efficent event, as the final checkered waved at 9:05 pm.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Drake Edges Weaver to Take Home Peoria Cash

Peoria, IL (Sunday, May 13, 2012) - Sunday night took me to the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL for the first time in many years. On this night the UMP Late Models would be battling it out for a $2,000 top prize.

The first feature of the night was the 15 lap Limited Late Models, with James Carmody and Brian Crebo leading the field to the green. But Mike Reeder would spin in turn 4 on the drop of the green to bring the yellow light back on. On the restart Carmody jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Crebo and Tommy Duncan. Carmody worked the next 7 laps to hold back Crebo, when the next caution came out on lap 8. This time Terry Pratt spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Carmody again moved out front on the restart, with Duncan jumping to the outside of Crebo to grab the second spot. Just as it looked like Carmody would pull away to claim the win, the final caution of the race appeared on lap 13. C.J. VanBeveran and Reeder would spin in turn 4 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. Once again Carmody grabbed the lead on the restart, with Crebo working to hold off Evan Fink, who started 5th. Fink would get around Crebo for second on the white flag lap and then quickly closed in on Carmody going into turn 3. But Carmody was able to hold back Fink at the line to pick up the win. Fink settled for 2nd, Crebo was 3rd, Duncan was 4th, with Chuck Barnes Jr. rounding out the top 5.
James Carmody of Dunlap, IL held on to pick up the 15 lap Limited Late Model feature on Sunday, May 13th at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL.

Up next was the 12 lap UMP Street Stock feature, with Greg Osman and Frank Wright leading the field to the drop of the green. But it was third place starter Mike Cusack who edged out the lead on lap 1 over Osman and Bob Simpson, who started 5th. The battle up front was slowed for the first of two cautions on lap 3, as Rudy Oelberg spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Cusack moved back out front, with Simpson over taking Osman for 2nd. Cusack then had to work to hold back Simpson over the next 7 laps, when the final caution came out on lap 10. This time Greg Sauder would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Cusack grabbed the lead on the restart, with Travis Johnson, who started 6th, and John Farris, who started 7th, moving up to 2nd and 3rd. Cusack would go into turns 3 and 4 on the final lap and drifted up enough to allow Farris to get under him, as Johnson jumped to the top of the track to make it a three wide battle to the line. Farris was able to edge out the win at the line by inches. Cusack settled for 2nd, Johnson was 3rd, Simpson was 4th, with Osman coming home in 5th.
The 12 lap UMP Street Stock feature on Sunday, May 13th at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL was won by John Farris of Marquette Heights, IL.

Jay Drake and Kevin Weaver made up the front row for the 30 lap UMP Late Model feature, with $2,000 awaiting the winner. Weaver would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Drake and Jason Feger. While most everybody was working the bottom of the track, Weaver was working the middle to start to pull away from the battle for 2nd. Weaver started working lapped traffic early in the event and was starting to put some distance on 2nd. But the one and only caution of the event came out on lap 17 to bring the field back to Weaver's back bumper. Scott Schmitt, who was battling for the 7th spot, spun his machine in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Weaver jumped back out front, with Drake and Feger close behind. Drake stayed close to Weaver over the next 9 laps, when Weaver struggled to get around lapped traffic. On laps 27 and 28 Drake would get into the left rear quarter panel of Weaver's, as he slowed up to avoid a lapped car. What looked like an early win for Weaver, now turned into disaster on the final lap. Weaver would go high in turn 3 to get around Bob Gardner, but Gardner would drift high to make Weaver get on the brakes to avoid contact. That would allow Drake to get under him coming off turn 4, as the two drag raced to the finish line. Drake would hold off Weaver at the line by a nose to claim the $2,000 pay check. Weaver settled for 2nd, Feger was 3rd, Steve Lance Jr. was 4th, with Wes Steidinger rounding out the top 5.
Billy Drake of Bloomington, IL drove the familiar #75 to the 30 lap UMP Late Model feature on Sunday, May 13th at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL.

Up next was the 20 lap UMP Modified feature, with David Baldwin and Gary Cook Jr. on the front row. Cook Jr. would moved out front on the drop of the green flag over Baldwin and Butch Weisser. While Cook Jr. started to pull away from the field, Weisser and Erik Bruce were putting on a battle for the second spot. The lead that Cook Jr. had built up was erased on lap 8, when Austin May spun to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the first caution. But he was given his spot back, as the 21J was called for spinning out May. On the restart Cook Jr. jumped back out front, with Bruce following in 2nd and Baldwin close behind in 3rd. Just like the run before the caution, Cook Jr. was starting to pull away from the field when the final caution of the race appeared on lap 17. This time Donovan Lodge, who was running 6th, spun into the turn 3 wall to end his night. Cook Jr. once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Weisser moving into 2nd. Weisser was able to stay close to Cook Jr. over the final 3 laps, as he tried to get under Cook Jr. coming out of 4 on the final lap. But Cook Jr. would hold on to pick up the win. Weisser settled for 2nd, Bruce was 3rd, Milo Veloz Jr. came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Ray Bollinger coming home in 5th.
The 20 lap UMP Modified feature at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL on Sunday, May 13th was won by Gary Cook Jr. of Deer Creek, IL.

Brent Burrows and Austin Archdale made up the front row for the 15 lap Illinois Lightning Sprint feature, with Burrows grabbing the lead on lap 1. Burrows would work the lapped traffic to perfection over the final laps to hold off Archdale on the final lap to claim the win in a caution free race. Billy Brickley came home in 3rd, Brad Funk was 4th, with Josh Brienen coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
Brent Burrows topped the 15 lap Illinois Lightning Sprint feature on Sunday, May 13th at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, IL.

The final feature of the night was the 10 lap UMP Hornets, with Shane Kelly and Jonathon Schuck on the front row. Kelly would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Schuck and Zack Bollinger. Kelly then held on to the lead until lap 5, when Bollinger slipped under him to take over the top spot. Bollinger then held on over the final 5 laps to pick up the win in a caution free race. Kelly settled for 2nd, Jeremy Kingsly was 3rd, Kenny Butterfield came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Tyler Benson rounding out the top 5.

Notes from Peoria: 25 Modifieds, 21 Late Models, 20 Limited Late Models, 16 Hornets, 13 Street Stocks, 11 Illinois Lightning Sprints made up the 106 cars signed in on the night......Rob Bauman Sr. started the Limited Late Model feature in 11th and took home an 8th place finish....Joey Markle passed 7 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Matt Murphy came from 18th to finish in 12th....Steve Shannon had troubles in his heat to scratch from the feature.....Walter Zander had a right rear flat in his heat and was forced to start the Street Stock feature in 11th. He would pass 4 cars to take home a 7th place finish....Rudy Oelberg, who spun in turn 4 on lap 3 and went to the back, climbed his way back up to finish 6th in the feature....Both David Weaver III and Ray Rivers had troubles after there heats to force them to scratch from the feature......Mike Spatola started the Late Model feature in 13th and passed 5 cars to finish in 8th....Jeff Monroe started the feature in 17th and passed 6 cars to take home an 11th place finish...Jay Sparks came from 15th to finish in 13th....Cameron Guidi passed 3 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish in 18th....Gary Scharp came from 20th to finish in 19th......Billy Tuckwell started the Modified feature in 10th and passed 4 cars to finish in 6th....Allen Weisser came from 15th to take home an 9th place finish....Derick Doerr started 18th and passed 6 cars to finish in 12th...Mike Chasteen Jr. came from the B Main to start the feature in 17th. He would pass 3 cars to finish in 14th......A.J. Hill had troubles in hot laps and was forced to start 9th in the Illinois Lightning Sprint feature. He would pass 1 car to finish in 8th....John Springer came from 10th to finish in 9th......Matt Musgrave came from 15th in the Hornet feature to pass 5 cars to finish in 10th.

Defending Lee County Speedway Track Champions Foster, Greiner, Gillenwater return to the Winner’s Circle

Donnellson, IA (Friday, May 11, 2012) – Mother nature finally provided a great night for racing at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, as it was DOC360 / Pepsi Next night at the track. The fans were treated to some great racing action and to top the night off they were provided with a FREE can of DOC306, diet DOC360 or Pepsi Next on their way out the gate, thanks to Memphis (Memphis, MO) Bottling Company.

The first feature to take to the track was the 20 lap Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, with Rich Smith and Brandon Savage on the front row. Smith would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on the drop of the green flag. The first caution of the race would come out on lap 2, as Paul Nelson came to a stop in turn four with an engine fire. On the restart Smith again grabbed the lead, with Todd Hansen and Josh Foster, who started 7th, battling it out for second. But the battle up front was slowed on lap 3, when Brad Ford came to a stop in turn 4 to bring the yellow out. Smith again jumped back out front on the restart, with Foster getting around Hansen for second. The final caution of the race would appear on the track on lap 4, as Brandon Rothzen suddenly slowed in turn 1 which caused Kyle Hill and Derek Hamm to get together. On the restart Smith moved back out front, with Foster and Hansen following close behind. Foster tried on every lap for the next 9 laps to get around Smith, as Hansen followed in third ready to pounce when ether made a mistake. Foster would get the break he needed on lap 13, as Smith jumped the cushion in turn four to allow Foster to get under him going into turn 1. Foster would exit turn two with the lead on lap 14 and then held on to it over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Smith settled for 2nd, Hansen was 3rd, Tyler Cale came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Jeff Waterman charging from his 16th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap Coor’s Light LCS Hobby Stock feature, with Dane Fenton and Brian Hoener drawing the front row. Fenton took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Hoener. As Fenton continued to lead the field, Victor Hastings, who started 6th, and Dan Wenig, who started 10th, were working the way to the front. Wenig would overtake Hastings for second on lap 9 and then went to work on Fenton for the lead. But disaster would strike Wenig on the completion of lap 10, as he spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the only caution of the event. On the restart Fenton moved back out front, with Hastings and Hoener battling for second. Fenton would drift to high in turn two on lap 13, which allowed Hastings to get by for the lead, as Fenton slipped back to 4th. Hastings then led the final 3 laps to pick up the win. Luke McLaughlin came from 5th to finish in 2nd, Wenig recovered from his lap 10 spin to come back up to 3rd, Hoener settled for 4th, with Jeff DeLonjay coming home in 5th.

Matt Greiner and Cale Samberg led the field to the drop of the green in the 15 lap Donnellson Tire IMCA Stock Cars, with Greiner jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Jeff Mueller. Mueller tried to work under Greiner over the next five laps, only to have Greiner edge him at the line each time to hold the top spot. But disaster would strike Mueller on lap 6, as he slowed in turn 3 with a right rear flat to bring out the first caution. On the restart Greiner moved back out front, with Samberg and Jason Cook, who started 8th, battling it out for second. Greiner then had to work to hold back Samberg, who was under challenge from Cook and Jim Redmann, over the next 6 laps. When the final caution of the event came out on lap 12 for Travis Hartman, who lost a drive shaft down the front stretch. Greiner once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Cook moving into 2nd. Greiner then went on to lead the final 3 laps to claim the win. Cook finished in 2nd, Redmann was 3rd, Mueller recovered from his lap 6 flat to finish in 4th, with Jim Lynch rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 12 lap Sunline Auto Parts IMCA Sport Compact feature, with C.J. Loring and Austen Becerra on the front row. Becerra would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Loring. The red flag would wave over the speedway on lap 2, as Mike Hornung Jr. got into Loring, which caused him to roll in turn 4. Loring would be ok as he fired his car and continued on, with Hornung Jr. going to the tail. On the restart Becerra jumped back out front, with Brandon Lambert, who started 8th, and Darin Smith close behind. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 3, as Kyle Hamelton slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Becerra once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Lambert and Smith battling for 2nd. The three car battle up front would become four on lap 10, as Seth Woodruff move in to set up a 2 lap dash to the finish. Becerra was able to hold back all challenges over the final laps to pick up the win. Smith edged out a 2nd place finish on the final lap, Lambert settled for 3rd, Woodruff was 4th, with Scott Smith coming home in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 15 lap Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA SportMods, with Jacob Smith and Levi Smith leading the field to green. Levi Smith would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. Levi then held the lead until lap 3, when Brandon Ruffcorn slipped under him to take over the top spot. The action up front was slowed on the completion of lap 3, as Jay Kirchner spun his machine in turn four. On the restart Ruffcorn moved back out front, with Levi Smith working to hold back Bobby Anders for second. As Ruffcorn worked to hold back Levi and Anders, Jim Gillenwtaer, who started 7th, and Scott VanBuskirk, who started 10th, were working their way to the front. But the action was slowed for the second time on lap 7, as Jacob Smith spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Ruffcorn again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Anders and Gillenwater close behind. But another caution on the completion of lap would slow the action once again. This time Charles VanZandt spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow back on. On the restart Ruffcorn again moved back out front, with Anders holding back Gillenwater for 2nd. But another caution on the completion of lap 9 would slow the action. Kirchner would spin his machine in turn 4 for his second solo caution to end his night. Once again Ruffcorn jumped back out front on the restart, with Gillenwater getting by Anders for 2nd. Ruffcorn now had to work to hold back Gillenwater, when the final caution came out in lap 11. This time Brandon Dale spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Gillenwater was able to slip under Ruffcorn to take over the top spot on lap 13 and was able to hold it to claim the win. Ruffcorn settled for 2nd, VanBuskirk was able to edge out a 3rd, Anders held on for 4th, with Tony Dunker coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: A.J. Fike started the 21 car Modified feature in 17th and passed 6 cars to finish in 11th....Brandon Rothzen had troubles in his heat and had to start 19th in the feature. He would slow with troubles on lap 4 to end his night in 13th....Both Andy Krieger and Ryan Cook had mechanical troubles after there heats and scratched from the feature......After one week of IMCA Hobby Stocks on the card for the 2012 season, and no hopes up picking up any cars after only 4 showed up on opening night, the owners and promoter decided to make some changes to the rules for the remainder of the season. The rules would allow cars from 34 Raceway and Quincy Raceways to come and enjoy the racing action on Friday nights in Donnellson without making any changes to there cars. On the first night of the new rules 10 cars showed up, with hopes of some more to join in the coming weeks......Tanner Thomann made his debut in a Stock Car on Friday, after several seasons in a Hobby Stock. He would start the feature in 12th and worked his way up to a 9th place finish....Corey Strothman had troubles in his heat to force him to scratch from the feature event......William Michel had motor troubles in hot laps and was forced to scratch his Sport Compact from the nights events......Rick Barlow Jr. passed 7 cars from his 14th place starting spot in the SportMod feature to take home 7th....Phillip Cossel came from 12th to finish in 8th....Jacob Smith, who spun his machine in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out a caution, came from the rear to finish in 10th....John Oliver Jr. came from 17th after troubles in his heat to take home an 11th place finish....Charles VanZandt started 16th and finished in 13th......A new rule change for the 2012 season at the Lee County Speedway that was witnessed for the first time was the elimination of the time limit for the features. Instead after the third caution of the event a lap would be added on every caution after that until the race is completed. The SportMod feature had the third caution come out on lap 8, so every caution after that a lap was added to the total laps run to the point of the caution. So the four caution came out on lap 9, which added 1 lap to make the restart on lap 10. The fifth and final caution came out on lap 11, so once again 1 lap was added to make the restart a green-white-checkered shootout.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Cale, Lynch, McDaniel, Thrasher and Kirkpatrick Visit Bloomfield Speedway Victory Lane

Bloomfield, IA (Saturday, May 5, 2012) - Saturday night took me over to the Bloomfield Speedway in Bloomfield, IA to fill in scoring for Jen Turner. Chris and Cindy Eggers of TTM Marketing LLC have brought back weekly racing at the Davis County Fairgrounds, after a few years of just running during the fair. Weekly action can be found in the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts on many Saturday nights thru out the months of April, May, June, July and August.

The first feature to take to the speedway was the 16 lap SportMods, with Kelly Buckallew and Michael Guthrie leading the field to the drop of the green. But Guthrie and Ryan Fullenkamp would get together in turn 1 on the start to bring out the first yellow. On the complete restart Brandon Dale, who started 3rd, grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Jason McDaniel, who started 6th. After the completion of the lap Guthrie spun his machine in turn 3 to bring out the caution. McDaniel would jump to the top of the track on the restart to take over the top spot. Just as McDaniel started to pull away another caution appeared on the speedway to bring the field back to his back bumper. Tyler Heckart would spin in turn 3 and collected the cars of Brandon McElwee and John Anderson to bring the yellow out. On the restart McDaniel grabbed the lead back, but now had Mike Shelton following him close behind in 2nd. McDaniel worked to hold back Shelton, when another caution slowed the field down on lap 8. This time Fullenkamp spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Once again McDaniel moved out front on the restart, with Shelton still following him in 2nd. The field was slowed for the final time on lap 10, as Fullenkamp spun in turn 2 to bring out his second solo caution of the event to end his night. McDaniel again jumped out front on the restart, with Shelton and Carter VanDenBerg battling it out for 2nd. Shelton would slip under McDaniel coming off turn 4 to grab the lead on lap 14, with McDaniel coming back on the top to grab the top spot back on lap 15. McDaniel then held on over the final lap to claim the win. Shelton settled for 2nd, VanDenBerg was 3rd, Brett Lowry came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Dale rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 12 lap Sport Compact feature, with Steve Williams Jr. and Cameron Dunlavy on the front row. But it was ninth place starter Kevin Kirkpatrick who quickly moved up to take the lead on lap 1. Kirkpatrick would pull away over the 12 lap caution free race to pick up the win. Kassidy Kirkpatrick came from 10th to finish in 2nd, Tim Bevins started 8th and came home in 3rd, Jim Garrett was 4th, with Williams Jr. holding on for 5th.

Tyler McClure and Greg Harsch led the field to the drop of the green in the 17 lap Stock Car feature, with McClure grabbing the lead on lap 1. McClure only led 1 lap, as Louis Lynch jumped to his outside to take over the top spot on lap 2. Lynch then started to pull away from the battle in second, when the first and only caution of the event came out on lap 8. Riley Newton would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lynch jumped back out front, with Gary Harward and Mike Harward battling it out for 2nd. Mike Harward tried several attempts to get under Lynch over the next 6 laps, but Lynch would hold back Harward. But Lynch would push in turns 3 and 4 on the final lap to allow Harward to get up beside him coming off turn 4. Lynch would pull ahead of Harward at the line by half a car length to claim the win. Mike Harward settled for 2nd, Todd Reitzler came from 10th to finish in 3rd, Gary Harward was 4th, with Derek Kirkland coming home in 5th.

Next up was the 15 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Scott Shull and Doug Gorden Jr. making up the front row. Shull would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Donovan Nunnikoven and Gorden Jr. Shull then held the top spot until lap 4 when he pulled off on the backstretch with troubles. Nunnikoven would inherit the lead as a result of Shull's troubles and then held it until lap 8. Dustin Griffiths, who started 6th, inherited the lead on lap 8 when Nunnikoven slowed with a right rear flat. Rocky Fosdyck came from 9th to take away the top spot from Griffiths on lap 10, but disaster would strike him on lap 12. Fosdyck pulled off with a right rear flat to give the lead back to Griffiths, with Danny Thrasher, who started 8th, close behind in 2nd. Coming out of turn 4 for the checkered Thrasher was able to get under Griffiths to pick up the win. Griffiths settled for 2nd, Tim Pettibone was 3rd, Gorden Jr. came home in 4th, with Tim Dawson rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 17 lap Modifieds, with Tyler VandeKamp and Jeff Gerhardt drawing the front row for the event. VandeKamp would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. But he would only lead 1 lap, as Tyler Cale jumped to his outside to take over the top spot on lap 2. On the completion of the lap 2 Toby VandeKamp would spin in turn 4 to bring out the first of two cautions. On the restart Cale moved back out front, with Tyler VandeKamp and Cayden Carter battling for second. Cale started to pull away from the field when the second and final caution of the event came out on lap 9. Hugh Eddy spun his machine in turn 3 and collected the cars of Jeremy Townsend and Steve Pumphrey to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Cale jumped back out front, but now had Josh Foster, who started 7th, close behind in 2nd. Cale, who worked the bottom of the speedway, and Foster, who was up top, had a great battle going for the top spot when Foster slowed on lap 13. Cale then pulled away to claim the win and the $500 top prize. Brandon Savage came from 6th to finish in 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Tyler VandeKamp held on for 4th, with Shane Weller coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Bloomfield....Patrick Profeta made his debut for the 2012 season and started the SportMod feature in 10th. He would pass 4 cars to take home 6th......Cameron Dunlavy had a right front flat on the drop of the green in the Sport Compact feature and pulled off after lap 1 to end his night in 10th after starting on the front row......Riley Newton recovered from his lap 8 spin to come back to take home a 7th place finish in the Stock Car feature....Sam McClure came from 12th to finish in 8th....Jim Redmann had right front troubles after 2 laps to end his night in 11th....Colt Mather made his debut in the Stock Cars and had troubles in the heat to scratch from the feature......Dale Porter started the Hobby Stock feature in 14th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Brian Schafer came from 11th to finish in 8th....Eric Glass finished 9th after starting in 12th....Nick Ulin was suppose to start 10th in the feature, but had troubles after the heat to force him to scratch from the feature......Toby VandeKamp, who started 12th in the Modified feature, spun in turn 4 on lap 2 to bring out the first caution. He would recover to take home a 7th place finish....Josh Foster limped his machine around the track over the final 4 laps to take home 8th. Foster, who started 7th and had worked his way to 2nd by lap 10, slowed with 4 laps to go with a broken axle....Beau Taylor who went head on into the turn 3 wall in his heat, scratched from the feature. It was reported that the brake pedal broke off going down the backstretch, which caused him to have no brakes going into turn 3.....Jeff Eddy had troubles in hot laps and scratched for the night.

I would like to thank Chris and Cindy Eggers for the great night of racing, plus Jen Turner for asking me to fill in for her. For all the lastest news, schedule, etc.. about the Bloomfield Speedway check out there website at http://www.racedirtbloomfield.com/.