27th Annual MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge Ends Osky's 2013 Season

Oskaloosa, IA (Saturday, October 5, 2013) - What was suppose to be a two day show for the 27th Annual MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA turned out to be only a one day event, as mother nature rained out Friday nights events. But there was still some good money on the line for the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts to compete for.

After 17 heat races, and 4 B Mains, the 5 feature events were set to take to the track.

The first feature up on the night was the 10 lap Sport Compact feature, with Jim Garrett and Adam Gates drawing the front row for the event. Gates would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1. Gates looked like he would pull away from the field, until lap 4 when Merv Chandler, who started 6th, closed in on his back bumper. Chandler would try low and even high to get around Gates over the final 6 laps. But Gates would hold him off to pick up the $150 top prize. Chandler settled for 2nd, Kassidy Kirkpatrick came home in 3rd, Kevin Kirkpatrick was 4th, with John Whalen rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap SportMod feature, with Brett Lowry and Eric Flander leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Lowry grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Flander and Rodger Dresden and then held it until the first caution came out on the completion of the lap. Ryan Fullenkamp would spin down the front stretch and came to rest on the guardrail on the inside of the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lowry moved back out front, with Flander working to hold back Logan Anderson in the battle for 2nd. But Flander's run up front came to a halt on lap 3, when he clipped a tire in turn 4 and ended up rolling to bring out the red. He climbed from his car ok. Lowry once again jumped out front on the restart, with Jim Gillenwater grabbing the second spot and Carter VanDenBerg, who started 12th, taking over third. Curtis VanDerWal, who started 9th, jumped to the top of the track on the restart and quickly moved in to battle for the top 3. VanderWal wasn't happy with running 4th, as he grabbed the top spot on lap 11 and then started to pull away from the field until another caution waved on lap 19. Andrew Schroeder, who started 22nd and was running 10th, slowed to a stop down the backstretch to bring out the yellow. This would set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish. On the restart VanDerWal moved back out front and then held on for the final 2 laps to claim the $1,000 top prize. VanDenBerg settled for 2nd, Lowry held on for 3rd, Glenn Gladson Jr. came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Mitch Van Engen coming from 10th to take home a 5th place finish.

Todd Shute and Luke Wanninger drew the front row for the 20 lap Modified feature, with Wanninger grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Shute and Jeremy Mills. The battle up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Josh Truman spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wanninger jumped back out front, with Shute holding off Mills in the battle for 2nd. But just as the top 3 was pulling away, the final caution of the event came out on lap 3. This time debris in turn 3 brought the yellow light on. Wanninger once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Shute and Mills close behind. Shute would stay glued to Wanninger's back bumper over the next 12 laps, when he tried to work under Wanninger for the top spot on lap 15. But Wanninger was able to hold off Shute over the final 5 laps to pick up the $1,500 top prize. Shute settled for 2nd, Mills was 3rd, Cayden Carter was 4th, with Scott Dickey coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Jason See and Jacob Keiser making up the front row for the event. Keiser took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over See and Shannon Anderson. But Keiser would only lead that lap, as Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th, quickly used the bottom of the speedway to edge out Keiser at the line by inches on lap 2 to grab the top spot. Anderson would follow Griffiths into the second spot one lap later and then went to work on Griffiths for the top spot on lap 4. Griffiths was glued to the bottom of the speedway, which forced Anderson to use the middle of the track to get by. Those two would run laps 4-6 side-by-side, with Anderson grabbing the lead away on lap 7. Anderson then pulled away over the final 13 laps to take home the $1,000 top prize. Griffiths settled for 2nd, Eric Stanton came from 12th to finish in 3rd, Keiser held on for 5th, with Mike Hughes coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

The final feature up on the night was the 25 lap Stock Cars, with Brad Pinkerton and Derrick Agee leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Pinkerton jumped out front on lap 1 over Agee and Corey Stout and the held it until the first caution on lap 5. Cody Agee, who was running 5th, spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pinkerton moved back out front, with Derrick Agee and Stout close behind. But the action was slowed for the final time one lap later, lap 6, when Mike Johnston spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. Pinkerton once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Agee close behind in second. Agee stayed glued to Pinkerton's back bumper over the next 7 laps. Then coming off turn 2 on lap 14 Agee would get up beside Pinkerton, only to have Pinkerton pull ahead coming out of turn 4 to keep the top spot. Pinkerton then held off Agee over the final 11 laps to claim the $1,000 top prize. Agee settled for 2nd, Cayden Carter was 3rd, Damon Murty came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Doug Adamy, who made the pull over from Columbus, NE, started 16th and passed 11 cars to take home a 5th place finish.

Notes from Osky: 36 SportMods, 33 Stock Cars, 33 Hobby Stocks, 20 Modifieds, and 12 Sport Compacts, plus 11 Iowa Sportsman Series cars made up the 145 cars signed in on the night......Cody Cleghorn started the Sport Compact feature in 11th and passed 4 cars to finish in 7th....Trent Orwig came from 12th to finish in 9th....The Sport Compact feature went CAUTION FREE!......Bill Wears started the SportMod feature in 17th and passed 8 cars to finish in 9th....Brayton Carter passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Tyler Heckart came from 24th and passed 13 cars to take home 11th....AJ Johnson spun down the front stretch on lap 2 while running 8th, but did a 360 and kept going. He fell all the way back to 19th, but recovered over the final 18 laps to finish in 12th....Gatlin Leytham came from 19th to finish in 14th....Taylor Musselman came from 21st to take home 16th....Rodger Dresden was running 10th when he spun and did a 360 and kept going on the white flag lap to fall all the way to 17th....Jayson Wiggins started 23rd and finished 19th......Richie Gustin passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot in the Modified feature to come home in 7th....Casey Greubel came from 19th to finish in 12th....Ronn Lauritzen started 16th and finished 13th....Scott Hogan came from 18th to finish in 14th....Levi Layman finished 16th after starting in 20th....Dugan Thye lost a motor in hot laps and was forced to scratch from the nights activities......John Watson passed 12 cars from his 22nd place starting spot in the Hobby Stock feature to take home a 10th place finish....Andrew Hustead came from 20th to pass 9 cars en-route to an 11th place finish....Doug Sylvester came from 18th to finish in 13th....Adam Bonnett started 19th and finished in 14th....Brandon Cox finished 15th after starting in 21st....Tina Greubel came from 24th to finish in 20th....Derek Hodges had troubles after his heat race to force him to scratch from the rest of the night....Randy Byerly got upside down in turn 3 in his heat to force him to scratch for the remainder of the night......David Brandies passed 14 cars from his 21st starting spot to take home a 7th place finish....Kris Walker started 22nd and passed 10 cars to finish in 12th....Mike McClure came from 17th to finish in 13th....Scott Walker came out of retirement to drive Ryan Walker's #9w. He started the feature in 20th and finished in 14th.....Jeremiah Jones came from 24th to finish in 16th....Matt Deaton started 23rd and finished in 18th.

Coming up next for me will be the 2nd Annual Fall Extravaganza at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA on Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th. The Modifieds will be going for $1,500 to win and $200 to start, while the Stock Cars and SportMods will be gunning for a top prize of $1,500 to win and $150 to start. The Hobby Stocks will be going for a top prize of $1,000 to win and $150 to start, with the Sport Compacts running for $500 to win and $75 to start. Hope to see you all there!!!!

Quincy Checkers Go To Perry, DeLonjay, Savage, Dunker, and Becerra

Quincy, IL (Sunday, September 22, 2013) - Sunday was the second to the last race of the 2013 season at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL, which meant it was the only chance for drivers to earn valuable points before the season championships. At the end of the night Jason Perry (UMP Late Models), Steven DeLonjay (UMP Modifieds), Brandon Savage (IMCA Stock Cars), Tony Dunker (IMCA SportMods), and Austen Becerra (IMCA Sport Compacts) ended up in victory lane.

The first feature up on the night was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Troy Brierton and Jeremy Buss leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was dropped the caution light would come on, as Darin Lambert spun in turn 3 after contact from Jerry Jansen. On the restart Brandon Savage, who started 7th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 by inches over Brierton and Jake Powers. Just as Savage started to build up a lead over the battle for second, the final caution of the race appeared on lap 9. This time Powers, who was running 5th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Savage once again jumped out front on the restart, with Abe Huls, who started 8th, and Terry Houston, who started 6th, battling side-by-side for second. Savage would hold on over the final 6 laps to claim his third win of the season at the track. Huls won the battle for 2nd, Houston was 3rd, Beau Taylor came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Jansen recovering from the contact on the start to come back up to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Dave Wietholder and Steven DeLonjay making up the front row for the event. DeLonjay would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Wietholder and Shawn Deering. DeLonjay then had to work to hold back Wietholder, until the first caution appeared on lap 10. David Baldwin and Adam Birck, who were battling for the 7th spot, collided off turn 4 and spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart DeLonjay jumped back out front, with Wietholder continuing to put pressure on him for the top spot. Just as Wietholder slipped under DeLonjay for the lead coming out of turn 2 on lap 14, the caution would come out giving the lead back to DeLonjay. This time Spencer Havermale spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. Once again DeLonjay grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Wietholder over the final 12 laps to claim his 12th win of the season at the track. Wietholder settled for 2nd, Justin Reed was 3rd, Danny Lake was 4th, with Jake Griffin passing 8 cars from his 13th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

Mark Burgtorf and Denny Woodworth made up the front row for the 30 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Woodworth grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Burgtorf and Jason Perry. Woodworth, Burgtorf, and Perry started to pull away from the field, when Brandon Sheppard, who started 5th, moved up to make it a four car battle for the top spot on lap 10. Perry would use the bottom of the track to slip past Woodoworth for the top spot on lap 15, as Sheppard moved past Burgtorf to take over the third spot. But Sheppard's night would come to an end on lap 16, as he slowed to a stop down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jared Schlipman and Billy Genenbacher collided in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Perry jump back out front, with Burgtorf over taking Woodworth for the second spot. Perry then held off Burgtorf over the final 14 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Burgtorf was 2nd, Woodworth was 3rd, Schlipman recovered from the lap 16 spin for a 4th place finish, John Beck came from 9th to take home a 5th place finish.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Charles VanZandt and Bradley Holtmeyer leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But it was 3rd place starter Todd Reed who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over VanZandt and Bradley. Reed's lead was only good for 1 lap, as Jeff DeLonjay, who started 5th, slipped under him to grab the lead away on lap 2. Just as DeLonjay started to put some distance on the 2nd place battle, the first of 10 cautions waved on lap 5. Bob Cowman would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jon Lear spun his machine in turn 1 to bring the caution light back on. The following restart attempt saw Reed, who was running 2nd, spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. DeLonjay would grab the lead on the restart, but was slowed 1 lap later for another caution. This time Trevor Hagerbraumer, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 3 to bring the caution out. On the restart Nathan Anders spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. DeLonjay once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Tony Dunker, who started 7th, close behind in 2nd. DeLonjay then got sideways coming off turn 4 on lap 8, which allowed Dunker to go by on the top to grab the top spot. Then after the completion of the lap the caution would appear for a tire in turn 1. Dunker moved back out front on the restart, with Reed, who spun on lap 5, moving back up to take 2nd away from Holtmeyer. But once again the action was slowed on lap 11, as VanZandt spun in turn 1 to bring out the caution. Once again Dunker jumped out front on the restart, with Reed and Holtmeyer battling for 2nd. Just as Dunker was pulling away, the yellow light would come on on lap 17. This time Skipp Dunker spun in turn 4 to bring the caution out. On the restart Hagerbraumer, who came back from his spin on lap 6, got into Reed in turn 4 and spun him to bring the yellow light back on. This would bring the end to the time limit, which meant the next yellow or the checkered flag would end the event. Dunker moved back out front on the restart, with Tanner Klingele, who started 6th, taking over the 2nd spot. Chandler Owens blasted into turn 1 on lap 18 and spun Hagerbraumer to bring out the final caution and the checkered flag to end the event. Dunker claimed his 8th win in a row and 12th overall at the track this season. Klingele was 3rd, Reed recovered from his spin on lap 17 to come back to finish 3rd, Holtmeyer was 4th, with Cowman, who started 13th and spun on lap 5, coming back up to finish in 5th.

The final feature of the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Spencer Coats and Alex Baker leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Baker would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Coats and Austen Becerra, who started 7th. Baker then held the top spot until lap 3 when Brandon Lambert jumped to his outside to grab the lead away. Lambert then had to work to hold back Becerra, but wasn't able to as Becerra slipped under him to grab the lead on lap 6. Becerra then had to work to hold back Lambert over the final 6 laps, as Lambert try to get beside him. But Becerra was able to hold him back to claim his 6th win in a row at the track. Lambert settled for 2nd, Coats held on for 3rd, Kimberly Abbott came from 6th to finish in 4th, with Baker taking home a 5th place finish.

Notes from Quincy: Jake Powers recovered from his lap 9 spin in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish in 6th....Darin Lambert finished 7th after going to the back on the start from a spin......Russ Coultas started the Modified feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Dylan Hoover passed 7 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Kelly Bartz started 18th and finished 12th....Spencer Havermale recovered from his lap 13 spin to come back up to finish in 13th....Mile Veloz, who was driving the #242 usually piloted by Richie Boswell, started 14th and had worked his way up to 5th when he pulled off on lap 21 with troubles to end his night in 14th....Chris Spalding was running 10th when he pulled off on lap 10 with rear end troubles to end his night in 16th....Michael Fox dropped a drive shaft in hot laps to end his night......David Baldwin started the Late Model feature in 11th and finished 7th....Rickey Frankel started 7th and was up to 4th when he pulled off on lap 18 with troubles to end his night in 8th....Michael Long was running 4th, when he pulled off on lap 16 with left front troubles to end his night in 9th......Skipp Dunker recovered from his lap 17 spin to recover to finish 6th in the SportMod feature....Charlie VanZandt recovered from his lap 11 spin to come back to finish 8th....Jeff DeLonjay was running 2nd when he pulled off on lap 8 with troubles to end his night in 10th......Jarrett Dunker started the Sport Compact feature in 9th and finished 6th....Paul Nienhiser, the 16 year old Sprint Car driver, was selected to drive the Jacksonville Speedway's house 4 Cylinder on the night at Quincy Raceways. But after a slow performance, not on the drivers part, in the heat race they decided not to embarrass the youngster for the feature and loaded up the car....On a positive note the Sport Compact feature went 12 laps CAUTION FREE!!

Selvage Wins The Race; Hall Claims The Sprint Invaders Title

West Burlington, IA (Saturday, September 21, 2013) - The 2013 season for the Sprint Invaders came to a close on Saturday, September 21st at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA, as they held there Season Championship Night. Going into the nights action all Russ Hall had to do was take the green flag in the feature to secure his first title, or otherwise it would have been Dustin Selvage hoisting the championship trophy.

The first feature up on the night was the 20 lap Modified feature, with Chris Snyder and Bill Roberts Jr drawing the front row for the event. Roberts Jr. would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Josh Sherbon and Snyder. The top three cars started to pull away from the field, when the first of five cautions slowed them down on lap 6. Dugan Thye spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jeff Waterman, who was running 6th, spun off turns 1 and 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart had Darrow Lillie spin in turn 4 and collects the car of Skyler Stark to bring the caution back out. Once back to green Roberts Jr. jumped back out front over Sherbon, Steve Stewart and Mitch Morris, who started 12th. Roberts Jr. would work to hold back Stewart until a caution on lap 18 slowed the action. Levi Smith spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow out. On the restart Stewart drifted high in turn 2 and fell back from 2nd to 4th, but when Stark spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on Stewart was giving his spot back. The final restart saw Roberts Jr. moved back out front, as Tyler Glass, who started 10th, and Stewart battled side-by-side for the second spot. Roberts Jr. would lead the final 2 laps to pick up the win. Glass won the battle for 2nd, Stewart was 3rd, Snyder was 4th, with Morris coming home in 5th.

Shawn Baker and Ken Stogdell led the unusual small field in the 4 Cylinders to the green flag for there 12 lap feature, with Stogdell grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Wayne Noble, who started 7th. The first caution event of the event appeared on lap 1, as Jerrod Nichols spun into the wall in turn 3 after contact from Justin Chamberlan. On the restart Noble took over the top spot, with Adam Gates, who started 8th, glued to his back bumper. A final caution on lap 3 slowed the action up front, as Drake Fenton lost a right front wheel going down the back stretch to bring out the yellow. Gates would slip under Noble on the restart to grab the lead away and the cruised to an easy win. Brian Mehaffy was 2nd, Chamberlan recovered from his lap 1 involvement in the caution to come from the rear and finish 3rd, Stogdell held on for 4th, with Baker holding on for a 5th place finish.

The final feature of the night was the 30 lap Sprint Invaders, with CJ Houseman and Russ Hall leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Houseman took advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Hall and Dustin Selvage. Houseman looked to be in control until he started to enter lapped traffic on lap 6, which allowed Selvage and Hall to close in quickly. Houseman would drift high coming of turn 4 on lap 9, which allowed Selvage to edge him at the line for the lead. But disaster would strike Houseman going into turn 1, as he slipped over the backing and spun to a stop to bring out the yellow. At the same time Tim Moore rolled his machine in turn 4 to turn the yellow into a red flag condition. Moore would climb from his machine ok. Selvage would inherit the lead for the restart, with Hall working to hold back Jarrod Schneiderman in the battle for the runner up spot. Selvage was able to put some distance on the battle for second, until lap 14 when he entered lapped traffic. With Selvage having to use the bottom of the track to clear some lapped cars, Hall was able to get up beside Selvage a few times for the lead. But Selvage was able to hold on at the line each time to keep the top spot. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 23, as Jimmy Davies lost a left front tire in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Selvage jumped back out front and then held on over the final 7 laps to claim the win. Hall settled for 2nd but secured his first Sprint Invaders Title, Schneiderman was 3rd, Joe Beaver was 4th, with Paul Nienhiser coming from 15th to round out the top 5.

Notes from 34: 32 Sprint, 19 Modifieds and 9 4 Cylinders signed in on the night......Dennis LaVeine started the Modified feature in 11th and finished 7th....Dean McGee passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Jeff Waterman recovered from his lap 6 spin off turn 2 to come from 18th to 9th at the finish....Johnathan Huston started 15th and finished 10th....Ben Chapman came from 19th to finish in 12th....Dugan Thye recovered from his lap 6 spin to come back to finish 13th....Josh Sherbon was running 4th, when he pulled off with troubles on lap 17 to end his night in 16th......Wayne Noble had mechanical troubles on lap 6 of the 4 Cylinder and had to pull off while running 2nd. He was credited with a 6th place finish......Joey Moughan, who won the B Main, started the Sprint feature in 16th and then passed 10 cars to come home in 6th....Jon Agan was running 4th when he slipped over the track in turns 1 & 2 on lap 12 and fell back to 9th. He was only able to recover 2 spots to finish in 7th....Ryan Jamison was suppose to start the feature in 8th, but after loosing a drive shaft in the dash he was a scratch from the event....Daniel Bergquist, who finished 2nd in the B Main, was suppose to start the feature in 18th. But mechanical troubles forced him to scratch from the event....Patick Moore was giving the alternate spot for Jamison....Dave Getchell was giving the alternate spot for Bergquist.

Nienhiser Fends Off Moughan For Career First MOWA 410 Sprint Win

Quincy, IL (Sunday, September 1, 2013) - On Sunday, September 1st the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) 410 Sprint Cars made there first visit, after the first one scheduled back on Sunday, May 26th was rained out, of 2013 at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL. At the end of the night 16 year old Paul Nienhiser was standing in victory lane with his first career 410 Sprint Car win. Also in action on the night was the UMP Late Models, UMP Modifieds, and IMCA Sport Compacts.

The first feature up on the night was the 25 lap UMP Modifieds, with Dave Wietholder and Steven DeLonjay leading the field to the green flag. Wietholder would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1, with Rusty Griffaw edging out DeLonjay at the line for the second spot. But just after the completion of lap 1 the first caution of the event appeared, as Jeff Yates spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wietholder jumped back out front, with Griffaw holding back DeLonjay for the second spot. Wietholder was able to keep his car glued to the bottom of the speedway, as Griffaw tried to get under him over the next several laps. The lead trio of Wietholder, Griffaw and DeLonjay worked thru heavy lapped traffic, until the second caution of the race waved on lap 21. This time a tire was clipped and pushed out onto the track in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Once again Wietholder grabbed the lead on the restart, with Griffaw close behind in second. But the final caution 1 lap later, lap 22, would set up a 3 lap dash to the checkers. Dean Vickers, who was running 6th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Wietholder again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 3 laps to pick up the win. Griffaw settled for 2nd, DeLonjay was 3rd, Chris Spaulding was 4th, with Keith Pratt coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 30 lap MOWA Sprint Car feature, with 16 year old Paul Nienhiser and Joey Moughan making up the front row after their one - two finish in the dash. Nienhiser took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Moughan and Jimmy Hurley. But just after the completion of lap 1 the first and only caution of the event appeared, as Mark Tischer slowed down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Nienhiser jumped back out front, with Moughan close behind in second. Nienhiser would set a fast pace and was starting to pull away from second place running Moughan, that was until he came up on lapped cars on lap 10. With Nienhiser being slowed by the lapped traffic, Moughan was able to close back to his back bumper on lap 12. Nienhiser, who was committed to the top of the track, got caught behind a few lapped cars on lap 18, which allowed Moughan to slip under him to grab the top spot. But Nienhiser used the top of the track to power back Moughan on lap 19 to grab the lead back. Nienhiser then held off Moughan over the final 6 laps to claim his first career MOWA 410 Sprint Car win. Moughan settled for 2nd, A.J. Bruns was 3rd, Jerrod Hull, the two time and current MOWA points leader, finished in 4th, with Jim Moughan coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

Bobby Pierce and Brandon Sheppard led the field to the green in the 30 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Pierce edging out Sheppard at the line to grab the lead on lap 1. Sheppard would use the top of the track to grab the lead away from Pierce on lap 2. Pierce stayed glued to Sheppard's back bumper until they entered lapped traffic by the half way point, which allowed Sheppard to put some distance between himself and Pierce. Sheppard pulled away to lead the final 29 laps of caution free racing to pick up the win. Pierce settled for 2nd, Mark Burgtorf came from 7th to 3rd, Denny Woodworth was the last car on the lead lap in 4th, with Rickey Frankel coming home in 5th.

The final feature up on the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Alex Baker and Josh Childress making up the front row for the event. But it was fifth place starter Kimberly Abbott who edged out Skipp Dunker at the line by inches to grab the lead on lap 1. Abbott then held the top spot until lap 3, when Austen Becerra, who started 6th, slipped under her for the lead. Becerra then held on over the final 9 laps to claim his fourth win in a row at the track. Abbott settled for 2nd, Dunker was 3rd, Seith Woodruff came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Brandon Lambert holding on for 5th.

Notes from Quincy: Adam Birck started the UMP Modified feature in 8th and finished 6th....Jim Black came from 10th to take home 7th....Jeff Yates recovered from his lap 1 spin to come back up to finish in 10th......Brett Triplett started the MOWA Sprint feature in 14th and passed 5 cars to come home in 9th....Logan Faucon passed 7 cars from his 17th place starting spot to take home a 10th place finish....Mark Tischer, who started 16th, recovered from his lap 1 caution to come back to finish in 13th....The battle for the UMP Late Model National Championship once again featured the current top two drivers, Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce. With Sheppard coming out on top to give him a few more points over Pierce....Dustin Griffin started 10th and finished 6th....Ron Elbe came from 11th to finish in 8th....Dillan White made the pull over from Crofton, Kentucky, but was the first car to drop out of the feature......Scott Smith came from 10th in the IMCA Sport Compact feature to finish in 7th.

Lynch Claims Bloomfield Stock Car Cash

Bloomfield, IA (Saturday, August 31, 2013) - With all the local tracks within a short driving distance of me not racing this past Saturday night, I decided to make the trip west to the Bloomfield Speedway in Bloomfield, Iowa. Highlighting the nights action was race number five in the Stock Car Six Pack Shootout, with the Stock Cars going for a top prize of $1,000 to win. Also in action on the night was the 305 Sprints, SportMods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts.

The first feature up on the night was the 16 lap Hobby Stocks, with Dave Wilson and Doug Sylvester drawing the front row for the event. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Wilson got into the wall in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. The following restart saw Robert VanBuskirk spin in turn 1 with a flat to bring the yellow light back on. The third attempt of a start resulted in Ben Grove grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Sylvester and Nick Ulin, who started 9th. Ulin would slip under Grove and Sylvester on lap 8 to grab the top spot and then held it until the next caution on lap 10. Brian Schafer spun down the backstretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ulin jumped back out front, but now had Doug Gorden Jr., who started 10th, on his back bumper. Ulin would hold off Gorden Jr. over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Gorden Jr. settled for 2nd, Dane Blozovich came from 6th to finish in 3rd, Dustin Griffiths started 8th and finished in 4th, with Sylvester rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 14 lap Sport Compact feature, with Kevin Kirkpatrick and Tim Bevins leading the field to the drop of the green. Kirkpatrick would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Josh Barnes and Kassidy Kirkpatrick. The 14 lap race went caution free, with Kevin Kirkpatrick holding on to claim the win. Kassidy Kirkpatrick was 2nd, Bevins settled for 3rd, Kevin Garrett was 4th, with Barnes fading with troubles at the end to finish 5th.

Jamie Ball and Mike Mayberry led the field to the green in the 14 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Ball grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Mayberry and Steve Breazeale. Ball went on to lead all 14 laps, which went caution free, to pick up the easy win. Mayberry held on for 2nd, Breazeale settled for 3rd, Matt Stephenson was 4th, with Chase Wanner coming home in 5th.

The 18 lap SportMod feature took to the track next, with Mike Mundell and Austin Howes drawing the front row for the event. Howes would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Bobby Six and Jared Miller. Howes then held the top spot until lap 5, when Jason McDaniel, who started 5th, edged him at the line by inches to grab the lead. But Howes would come back on the top side of the track to take the lead back on lap 6. Howes, who was up top, and McDaniel, who was on the bottom, ran the next 4 laps side-by-side, with Howes leading each lap at the line. McDaniel was able to slip under Howes on lap 11 to grab the top spot. Disaster would strike Howes on lap 12 when he spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow and ended his run up front. On the restart McDaniel moved back out front, with Miller and Logan Anderson, who started 7th, battling for the second spot. McDaniel would pull away over the final 6 laps to cruise to the easy win. Anderson won the battle for 2nd, Miller was 3rd, Casey Lancaster came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Six holding on for 5th.

The final feature up on the night was the 18 lap Stock Cars, with Louis Lynch and Corey Strothman leading the field to the green. Lynch used his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Strothman and Tom Bowling Jr. The action up front was brought to a halt on lap 2, as Jeremy Pundt went hard into the wall in turn 2 to bring out the red. He would climb from his machine ok. On the restart Lynch jumped back out front, leaving Strothman and Bowling Jr. to battle for second. But just as the action up front was heating up, another caution came out on lap 4. This time Brad Egbert spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Lynch once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Strothman working to hold back Donovan Nunnikoven in the battle for 2nd. But just like the last time, once the action up front was getting good the caution would come out on lap 7. Riley Newton would spin his machine in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lynch moved back out front, leaving Strothman and Nunnikoven to battle for 2nd. While Lynch worked to hold back Strothman for the lead, the battle for 6th came to an halt on lap 12. Mike Harward and Tom Bowling Jr. collided going down the backstretch, with Bowling Jr. spinning into the turn 3 wall and Harward spinning in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Once again Lynch grabbed the lead on the restart, with Strothman now working to hold back Jerry Pilcher, who started 8th, in the battle for 2nd. Lynch would hold on over the final 6 laps to claim the win and the $1,000 top prize. Strothman won the battle for 2nd, Pilcher settled for 3rd, Jason Cook was 4th, with Nunnikoven holding on for 5th.

Notes from Bloomfield: Brian Schafer, who started 11th in the Hobby Stock feature, recovered from his lap 10 spin to come back up to finish in 7th....Ron Downing Jr. started 12th and finished 8th......Ben Peterson, Travis Tedrow, Keaton Gordon and Trent Orwig had troubles in the heat to force them to scratch from the Sport Compact feature......Austin Howes who was battling for the lead until his lap 12 spin in the SportMod feature, recovered to finish in 6th....Bradly Graham came from 10th to finish in 6th....Charles Weber started 12th and finished in 9th....Dakota Simmons was running 4th in the feature until he spun in turn 1 on lap 14, but he would get his car going to keep the field under green. He would fall all the way back to finish in 12th....Jim Walker had troubles in his heat to force him to scratch from the feature....Chris Larson signed in but his car never hit the track all night......Michael Jaennette passed 8 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home 6th in the Stock Car feature....Mike Harward recovered from the lap 12 spin to come back to finish in 7th....Cory Stout passed 12 cars from his 20th place starting spot to take home 8th....Brad Egbert, who started 15th, spun on lap 4 to bring out the caution. He would recover from that spin to come back up to finish in 11th.

I would like to thank Chris and Cindy Eggers and announcer Tony Paris for the great hospitality. The Bloomfield Speedway will close out there 2013 season on Saturday, September 28th and Sunday, September 29th. The 2nd Annual Bloomfield Border War Fall Challenge will take place on Saturday, September 28th. The Stock Car will be racing for $1,200 to win, with a fan having a chance at winning $50,000! Also in action on the night will be the SportMods, Mod Lites, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts. The the following night, Sunday, September 29th will be the Fall Brawl Demo Derby.

DeFrance, Mather, VanderBeek and VanDenBerg Among Winners at Osky

Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, August 21, 2013) - With the 2013 regular season about to come to a close, I decided to make the trip up to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA to take in one of there Wednesday night programs. Joining there regular five classes, the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and IMCA Sport Compacts on the night was the final appearance of the season for the IMCA Late Models.

The first feature, or as one of Positively Racing columnist Jeff Borg would say a exhibition race, up on the night was the 8 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. Trent Orwig and Bill Whalen Jr. made up the front row for the event, with Whalen Jr. jumping out front on lap 1. Merv Chandler followed Whalen Jr. in his tire tracks the entire 8 laps but was unable to make a pass for the lead, leaving Whalen Jr. to lead all 8 laps to pick up the win. Chandler settled for 2nd, with Orwig coming home in 3rd.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Travis Bunnell and Aaron Osweiler leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Osweiler took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Bunnell and Steve Allen. While Osweiler was working to hold back Bunnell and Allen, Mike Hughes, who started 9th, Danny Thrasher who started 6th, and Bill Bonnett, who started 7th, was working there way towards the front. Hughes used the bottom of the speedway to grab the lead on lap 8, but just after he crossed the line the red flag would come out to put a stop in the action. Bunnell got sideways off turn 4 and then tried to collect it, but ended up getting into the guardrail hard and collecting the car of Jason See. He would climb form his heavily damaged car ok. On the restart Hughes moved back out front, with Thrasher challenging him for the lead. But Hughes was able to hold him off over the final 7 laps to claim the win. Thrasher settled for 2nd, Bonnett was 3rd, Osweiler held on for 4th, with Justin Hook rounding out the top 5.

Logan Anderson and AJ Johnson made up the front row for the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Johnson grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Anderson. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 3, as Bill Livezey, who was running 3rd, slowed to a stop in turn 2 with the left rear end broken. Johnson would jump back out front on the restart, with Anderson working to hold back Brett Lowry, who started 9th. The second and final caution of the event appeared on lap 4, as Tony Johnson went for a spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again AJ Johnson jumped out front on the restart, with Anderson and Lowry still battling for the second spot. While Johnson, Anderson and Lowry battled up front, Carter VanDenBerg, who started 8th, was working the bottom of the speedway to get to the front. VanDenBerg would use that groove to edge out Johnson at the line by inches to grab the top spot on lap 8. VanDenBerg then pulled away over the final 8 laps to pick up the win. Johnson held on to finish in 2nd, Lowry was 3rd, Anderson settled for 4th, with Eric Flander coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Rich Vogt and Brad Pinkerton making up the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Corey Stout spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pinkerton grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Vogt and Kris Walker. While Pinkerton started to pull away from second, Zack VanderBeek, who started 10th, and Damon Murty, who started 9th, was working there way towards the front. Both VanderBeek and Murty would slip past Vogt on lap 8 to move into 2nd and 3rd. VanderBeek the went to work on chasing down Pinkerton for the lead. Going into turns 1 and 2 on the white flag lap, VanderBeek would jump to the bottom of the track to come out of turn 2 with the lead. VanderBeek then held off Pinkerton coming out of turn 4 to claim the win. Pinkerton settled for 2nd, Murty coasted across the line in 3rd with an expiring engine, Todd Reitzler came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Bill Osbar coming from 13th to round out the top 5.

Paul Glendenning and Darrel Defrance led the field to the green in the 20 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with DeFrance grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Nick Marolf and Todd Cooney. Glendenning's run of front was very brief, as he spun down the front stretch on the completion of lap 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart DeFrance jumped back out front, with Marolf working to hold back Cooney in the battle for second. Marolf tried several times over the next 12 laps to get past DeFrance for the top spot, with Defrance holding him off each lap. But the action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 13, as Spencer Diercks spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. DeFrance once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Cooney over taking Marolf for second. DeFrance would hold on over the final 7 laps to pick up the win. Cooney held off a last lap challenge from Marolf to finish in 2nd, Marolf settled for 3rd, Diercks recovered from his lap 13 spin to come back up to 4th, with Glendenning coming back to finish 5th after his lap 1 spin.

The final feature up on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Brandon Banks and Andrew Schroeder leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Schroeder would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Banks and Bill Davis Jr. The action up front was slowed on the completion of lap 1, as Jesse Sobbing slowed to a stop in turn 1 with a right front flat. On the restart Schroeder jumped back out front, with Tyler Groenendyk over taking Banks for second. But a second caution of the event on lap 2 would slow the action up front. This time Steve Pumphrey went for a spin in turn 1 after loosing an engine, with Jim Lynch slowing to a stop in turn 2 with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Groenendyk was able to slip past Schroeder to grab the lead on lap 3, with Colt Mather, who started 8th, following him into second. Groenendyk only held the top spot for 1 lap, as Mather slipped past him on lap 4 to take over the lead. Just after the completion of lap 4 the final caution of the event would appear, as Jacob Murray got sideways coming off turn 4 and collected the car of Bill Gibson to bring out the yellow. Mather once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Groenendyk working to hold back Cayden Carter in the battle for second. While Mather blasted away from the field, Sobbing, who stopped in turn 1 on lap 1 with a right front flat and had to restart 17th, was working his way back towards the front. He would move into 4th on lap 10, and then over took Carter for 3rd on lap 13. But Groenendyk was up to the challenge, as they battle for the second spot over the final 7 laps. Meanwhile Mather cruised to the win. Groenendyk won the battle for 2nd, Sobbing settled for 3rd, Carter was 4th, with Nick Deal coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Osky: Wednesday nights action brought some of the top drivers in the IMCA National Points to the Southern Iowa Speedway, as the season is winding down and the chance to earn points is getting very limited. Todd Cooney, who up until last weekend, leads the IMCA Late Model National points. While Nick Marolf sits 5th and Darrel DeFrance is 6th. One and two in the IMCA Modified National points showed up at the track, as William Gould made the pull up from Calera, OK to battle Jesse Sobbing, who is currently 2nd in his first full year in the Modified division. Damon Murty, who sits 4th in the IMCA Stock Car National points, looked to gain some points. As well as Jason Cook, who it tied for 10th. Carter VanDenBerg, who is 7th in the IMCA SportMod National points, got the chance to battle Brett Lowry, who is 8th in the nation. While Bill Whalen Jr., who is currently 2nd in the IMCA Sport Compact National points, and Merv Chandler, who is currently 6th, looked to earn some points......Dustin Griffiths came from the rear after having to pit on lap 8 when he caught the tail end of the Travis Bunnell spin off turn 4, to come back up to finish in 6th....Bobby Greene started 12th and finished 7th......Tony Johnson recovered from his lap 4 spin in the SportMod feature to come back up to finish in 7th....Cory Van Zante finished 8th after starting in 11th....Curtis VanDerWal, who started 10th, had worked his way into 2nd on lap 11, when he spun  in 1 and 2 on that same lap. But he stayed on the gas and kept the car going only to fall back to finish in 10th......Nathan Wood came from 11th in the Stock Car feature to finish in 8th....Donnie Pearson passed 6 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Corey Stout recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 10th....Jason Cook, who picked up a heat race win, was suppose to start the feature in 8th. But after finding a broken valve, he elected to start at the tail and made 1 lap to finish in 14th....Donovan Nunnikhoven was suppose to start 6th, but was a scratch from the event......Jeremy Grady made hard contact into the 1 and 2 guardrail in the Late Model heat, and was forced to scratch from the feature with to much damage......Jeff Joldersma started the Modified feature in 9th and finished in 6th....Dakota Hayden passed 7 cars from his 14th place starting spot to finish in 7th....William Gould came from 12th to finish in 8th....Casey Greubel passed 7 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Brandon Banks, was running 6th, when he pulled off on lap 9 with troubles to end his night in 12th....Andrew Schroeder, who was running 3rd, slowed on the lap 4 restart with troubles to end his night in 13th.

Pestka and Jackson Earn First Victory's of 2013 at Independence

Independence, IA (Saturday, August 17, 2013) - With the 2013 regular points season about to come to a close, I decided to make what could possibly be my last trip of 2013 up to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA. One hundred six cars in 6 classes signed in on the night for one of there final chances to pick up a win or to inch closer to securing a track championship.

The first feature up on the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with A.J. Witten and Jim Hoth leading the field to the green flag. Witten would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Adam Gates, who started 4th, and Merv Chandler, who started 7th. Chandler jumped to the top of the track to take over the top spot from Witten on lap 3, leaving Witten to fend off Gates in the battle for second. The three car battle up front took a turn for the worst for Gates on lap 5, as a lapped car was exiting off turn 3 didn't see Gates to his outside. Gates would end up into the guardrail off turn 3 to bring out the one and only caution. On the restart Chandler moved back out front, with Witten trying to stay glued to his back bumper. But Chandler would pull away over the final 7 laps to claim his third win of the season at the track. Witten held on for 2nd, Travis Ross was 3rd, Hoth settled for 4th, with Mike Tedesco rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Brian Hilbert and Dave Schulze on the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would appear, as Steve Wimer went over the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the following restart a 8 car pile up, involving Brandon Davis, Kip Siems, Danny Dvorak, Brennen Chipp, Alex Zwanziger, Lucas Lundry, Scott Thomas and Matt McCahen, in turn 2 would bring the yellow light back on. A third attempt of an original restart resulted in Hilbert grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Schulze and Shane Ebaugh. But the third caution of the event that came out on lap 3 slowed the action, as Synjun Bauer slowed to a stop down the front stretch. Hilbert once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Schulze working to hold back Jim Buhlman, who started 7th, in the battle for second. As the those three drivers battled for the top spot, Joel Rust, who started 12th, was working the top of the track to join the battle. Rust used that groove to take over the top spot on lap 8 and then started to pull away from the field, when the final caution of the event came out on lap 10. This time debris down the front stretch brought the yellow light on. On the restart Rust moved back out front and then pulled away over the final 5 laps to claim his second win in three appearances of the season at the track. Buhlman won the battle for 2nd, Schulze held on for 3rd, Rod McDonald was 4th, with Lucas Lundry, who started 13th, recovering from the 8 car pile up on the start to come back up to finish in 5th.

Dru Kueker and Leah Wroten led the field to the green flag in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Wroten grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Kueker and Jim Ball, who started 5th. Wroten then held the top spot until lap 4, when Ball slipped under her to take over the lead. The first caution of the race would appear on lap 5, as debris down the front stretch slowed the action. On the restart Kueker and Jeremiah Wilson spun down the backstretch to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Ball jump the restart to bring the caution back out, he was docked 2 spots for the next restart. This would put Wroten and Quinton Miller on the front row for the next restart. Miller jumped out front on lap 6 and then pulled away over the final 9 laps to claim his second win in a row and third overall at the track. Benji Irvine came from 12th to finish in 2nd, Ball settled for 3rd, Wroten held on for 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing in 5th after starting in 8th.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Jeff Kriz and Keith Pittman on the front row. Kriz would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Mike Burbridge and Pittman. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, as Adam Johnson, battling for 5th, went off the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Vern Jackson, who started 5th, jumped to the top of the track to grab the top spot away from Kriz on lap 6. Jackson then started to pull away from the battle for second, when the second caution of the event appeared on lap 10. This time Kaleb Bentley, who was making his 2013 debut in the class, spun out in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Jackson moved back out front on the restart, with Tyler Droste, who started 10th, working to hold back Patrick Flannagan, who started 7th, in the battle for second. Just as Jackson started to put some distance between his self and the battle for second, the caution would come out on lap 14. Steve Stultz would spin his machine in turn 4 on lap 14 to slow the action. On the restart Jackson moved back out front, with Droste close behind in second. Droste would try to work under Jackson over the next 3 laps, when another caution came out to slow the action. Josh Barta went for a spin in turn 4 on lap 17 to bring the yellow out. Once again Jackson jumped out front, with Droste glued to his back bumper. But another caution on lap 18 would slow the battle down. Once again Barta spun in turn 4, his second solo to end his night, to bring the yellow light on. Jackson again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Droste looking under him for the top spot. But Jackson would hold him off as they took the white flag. The yellow and checkers were thrown on the field as they came around to grab the checkers, as Flannagan, who was running 4th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Jackson was credited with his first win of the season at the track. Droste settled for 2nd, Ronn Lauritzen came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Mark Schulte finished 4th after starting in 8th, with Troy Cordes passing 14 cars from his 19th place starting spot to take home a 5th place finish.

Phil Holtz and Jason Hocken led the field to the green in the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Hocken grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Tim Helle and Jesse Brown. The battle up front was changed on lap 5, as Helle spun Jarod Weepie out coming out of turn 4 while battling for 3rd to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Hocken moved back out front, but now had Sean Johnson, who started 8th, and Justin Temeyer, who started 9th, close behind. But just as the action was heating up, the second caution appeared on lap 6. This time Steve Meyer, who started 10th and was running 6th, went over the track and Norman Chesmore spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Hocken once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Temeyer over taking Johnson for 2nd. A caution on lap 10, for Jerome Jacoby's spin in turn 3, would slow the battle up front. Once again Hocken moved back out front on the restart, with Temeyer glued to his back bumper. Temeyer would look under Hocken coming off turn 4 on lap 15, with Hocken leading that lap by inches. Just as that lap was scored complete, Russell Damme would spin in turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the event. Hocken again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Temeyer over the final 3 laps to claim his second win of the season at the track. Temeyer settled for 2nd, Brown over took Johnson on the final restart to finish in 3rd, Johnson was 4th, with Weepie recovering from the lap 5 spin to come back up to take home 5th.

The 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature was the final event up on the evening, with Curran Beckler and Luke Pestka on the front row. Pestka would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Rick Dralle and Drew Johnson. Just as Pestka started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the event appeared on lap 10. Travis Smock would slow to a stop off turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pestka moved back out front, with Dralle and Beckler battling for the second spot. But the action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 12. Greg Kastli, who started 8th and had worked his way to 3rd, slowed down the backstretch which caused Jon Passick, Curt Martin, Tyler Bruening and Russell Hesse to pile up. Once again Pestka jumped out front on the restart, with Dralle working to hold back Darren Ackerman, who started 9th, in the battle for second. Pestka had built up a straight away lead over second, before Ackerman slipped into second on lap 15. Ackerman was closing in on Pestka at a quick pace, but would run out of laps as Pestka held on to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Ackerman settled for 2nd, Dralle was 3rd, Rory Metcalf was 4th, with Beckler rounding out the top 5.

Notes from Independence: 26 SportMods, 22 Modifieds, 19 Late Models, 17 Stock Cars, 15 Hobby Stocks and 7 Sport Compacts made up the 106 cars......Matt McCahen, who started 15th, was caught up in the 8 car pile up on the start of the SportMod feature. He would come from the rear to come back up to finish in 9th....Brennen Chipp was also caught up in the 8 car pile up, and came from the rear to finish in 10th....Jonathan Williams came from 16th to finish in 11th....Kyle Bentley passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to take home a 12th place finish....Ryan Maitland came from 18th to finish in 13th....Dave Fangman finished 14th after starting in 17th....Alex Zwanziger came from the rear after being involved in the 8 car pile up to finish in 15th....Joe Harken started 25th and passed 8 cars to finish in 17th......Shawn Kuennen started the Hobby Stock feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to finish in 6th....Dru Kueker recovered from the lap 5 spin to come back up to finish in 9th....Chris Luloff started 9th and was up to 5th when he pitted under the lap 5 caution with a left rear flat. He would restart in 14th, but was forced out late with mechanical issues to end his night in 11th....Vince Buchholz was suppose to start in 4th, but mechanical issues after the heat forced him to scratch from the feature......Justin O'Brien came from 11th in the Modified feature to finish in 6th....Ed Thomas came from 13th to finish in 9th....Keith Pittman finished 10th despite have a broken left front end late in the race....Tim McBride finished 11th after starting in 15th....Steve Stultz, who started 20th, spun on lap 4 to bring out the caution. He would come from the rear to finish in 12th....Timm Jensen started 21st and passed 8 cars to finish in 13th....Kaleb Bentley, who started 22nd, spun in turn 4 on lap 10 to bring out the caution. He came from the rear to finish in 14th....Patrick Flannagan was credited with 16th after spinning in turn 2 on the last lap while running in 4th....Mike Burbridge was running 3rd when he pulled off under the lap 5 caution with troubles and was credited with 20th......K.C. Ansel came from 14th in the Stock Car feature to finish in 7th....Kevin Rose passed 8 cars from his 16th place starting spot to take home 8th....Norman Chesmore recovered from his lap 6 spin to come back up to finish in 9th....Steve Meyer also recovered from the lap 6 caution to come back up to 10th....John Emerson was collected up in the first caution on lap 5, which caused to much damaged to continue. He was credited with 14th....Bryce Carey and Bob Ahrendsen both scratched from the feature......Greg Kastli, who started the Late Model feature in 8th and was up to 3rd, slowed down the back stretch on lap 12. He would recover over the final 13 laps to come back up to 7th....Tyler Bruening, who was also caught up on the lap 12 crash, came from the rear to finish in 9th....Joel Brasch came from 14th to finish in 10th....Wayne Hesse came from 18th to finish in 12th....Leon Thomsen started 17th and finished in 13th....Dirk Hamilton came from 19th to finish in 14th.

Pierce Dominates ALMS Visit at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, August 11, 2013) - The American Late Model Series (ALMS) made a stop at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL on Sunday night, putting an end to there three day swing. When the action was complete at the end of the night Bobby Pierce was standing in victory lane, after a dominating performance in the 40 lap feature.

The first feature up on the night was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jim Powell and Troy Brierton on the front row. But it was fourth place starter Darin Lambert who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Terry Houston, who started 7th, and Jerry Jansen. Just as the action up front started to heat up the first caution appeared on lap 3. Powell would spin his machine in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Houston slipped under Lambert to take over the top spot on lap 4, with Abe Huls, who started 9th, following him into second. But after the completion of the lap, another caution was waved. This time Brierton would spin in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. Houston jumped out front on the restart, with Huls close to his back bumper. Huls, who was using the top of the track, would edge out Houston at the line on lap 7 to grab the top spot. But Houston would come back on the bottom the following lap, lap 8, to take the lead back. A lead he would hold until lap 10, when Brandon Savage slipped under him to take the lead. The final caution of the event would appear on lap 11, when Jeremy Buss spun in turn 4. Savage moved back out on the restart and then held on for the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Houston held on for 2nd, Huls was 3rd, Lambert was 4th, with Jake Powers coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Dave Wietholder and Shawn Deering leading the field to the green flag. Wietholder would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Steven DeLonjay and Deering. Wietholder would defend off DeLonjay's challenges until they started entering lapped traffic around the half way point of the event. DeLonjay slipped under Wietholder on lap 15 to take over the top spot and then started to pull away from the field. But his pace would be slowed on lap 18, when he entered into some heavy lapped traffic. Wietholder was able to pull up to DeLonjay's back bumper. But DeLonjay would hold on over the final 7 laps to claim his 10 win of the season at the track. Wietholder settled for 2nd, Deering was 3rd, Chris Spalding was 4th, with Justin Reed rounding out the top 5.

Bobby Pierce and Brandon Sheppard led the field to the green in the 40 lap ALMS Late Model feature, with Pierce grabbing the lead on lap 1. Pierce and Sheppard set a fast pace up front, until the first and only caution of the event appeared on lap 9. Jared Schlipman went for a spin in turn 4, after contact from Brandon Thirlby, to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pierce jumped back out front, with Sheppard close behind in second. Sheppard, who was running the top of the track, tried to stay close to Pierce, who was using the bottom of the speedway. But when he drifted to high in turns 3 & 4 on lap 21 and almost went off the track, that was all Pierce needed to pull away to claim the win and the $2,000 check. Sheppard was 2nd, Jason Perry was 3rd, Denny Woodworth was 4th, with Rickey Frankel finishing in 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Cody Henderson and Jon Lear making up the front row, after Taylor Lear elected to start on the tail. Third place starter Nathan Anders grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Chandler Owens, who started 6th, and Henderson. Anders then held the lead until lap 2, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Tanner Klingele, who started 8th, inherited the lead for the restart, with Owens and Tony Dunker, who started 9th, battling it out for second. The three way battle came to a stop on lap 8, as Anders spun in turn 2 after contact from Jon Lear to bring out the yellow. On the restart Owens got together with Dunker coming off turn 4, with Dunker spinning to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Rob Bowen come to a stop in turn 2 to bring the caution back out. Klingele moved out front on the next attempt of a restart, with Bradley Holtmeyer, who started 11th, close behind in second. While Klingele pulled away from the field, Dunker was working his way back to the front. Dunker made the pass into 2nd on lap 11 and then went to work onto cutting into Klingele's straightaway lead. The help that Dunker was looking for came on lap 15, when Bob Cowman spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out. Klingele once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dunker now glued to his back bumper. But another caution on lap 16 slowed the action, as Charles VanZandt, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 and collected the car of Owens. On the restart Dunker would slip under Klingele to take over the top spot on lap 17, only to be slowed for the final time after the completion of that lap. This time Henderson spun off turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the event. Dunker jumped out front on the restart and then held on over the final 3 laps to pick up his eighth win of the season at the track. Klingele settled for 2nd, Holtmeyer was 3rd, Trevor Hagerbaumer came from 7th to finish in 4th, with VanZandt recovering from his lap 16 spin to come back up to finish in 5th.

The final feature up on the night was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Jeffery DeLonjay and Brandon Lambert leading the field to the green. Lambert would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Austen Becerra, who started 8th, and Laine VanZandt. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 2, as DeLonjay lost a right front tire in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Becerra slipped under Lambert to take over the top spot on lap 3. Becerra then had to work to hold back VanZandt, as VanZandt used the middle of the track to get up beside Becerra with 2 laps to go. But Becerra was able to slid up in front of him each lap coming off turn 4 to hold on for the win. VanZandt settled for 2nd, Kimberly Abbott was 3rd, Skipp Dunker was 4th, with Alex Baker coming home in 5th.

Notes from Quincy: Adam Scott turned his Hobby Stock into a Stock Car and would start the feature in 10th. He then passed 3 cars to bring home a 7th place finish in his first night out......The 25 lap UMP Modified feature, which has a history of producing numerous cautions, went the distance CAUTION FREE!!!!....Keith Pratt made his 2013 debut behind the wheel of a Modified. He would start the feature in 8th and finished in 6th....Tony Patterson passed 7 cars from his 17th place starting spot to take home a 10th place finish....Terry Gallaher also passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in 12th....Troy Grotz had troubles after his heat race and was forced to scratch from the feature......Kevin Weaver came from 15th in the 40 lap ALMS Late Model feature to finish in 7th....Ron Elbe started 11th and finished in 8th....Brandon Thirlby, who made the long pull down from Traverse City, Michigan, started 14th and was involved in the lap 9 caution. He would come from the rear to take home a 12th place finish....Billy Genenbacher came from 16th to finish in 13th......Cody Henderson recovered from his lap 17 spin in the SportMod feature to come back up to finish in 6th....Bob Cowman, who started 10th, recovered from his lap 15 spin to come back up to finish in 7th....Taylor Lear was battling for the 4th spot, when he spun off turn 4 coming to the checkered and was credited with 9th......The battle for the IMCA Sport Compact track title stayed close between the top 3 in points. Austen Becerra (441) would gain 2 points on the leader Kimberly Abbott (443), who gained 1 point over third place Dunker (440), with only 6 points nights left in the 2013 season.

Kay Extends His Win Streak to Five In a Row at Davenport Speedway

Davenport, IA (Friday, August 9, 2013) - After having a night off from the track I work at on Friday nights I decided to make the trip north to the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA to take in some racing action. The track returned to action after two weeks off for the Mississippi Valley Fair, and in action on the night was the IMCA Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMods, Street Stocks and the 4 Stocks racing for a top prize of $2,000.

The first feature up on the night was the 15 lap Street Stocks, with Nick Claussen and Donnie Louck making up the front row after Keith Jackson was late to the line up and had to start in the back. Just as the green flag was waved the caution would appear, as Rob Nylin slowed to a stop down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Claussen took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Louck and Jeremy Marquette, who started 7th. Claussen then held the top spot until lap 6 when he pulled off with troubles, which handed the lead over to Marquette. Marquette then started to pull away from the field when the second caution of the event came out on lap 9. This time Gerald Ward, who was running 4th, pulled into the infield with flames under the hood. Perry Gellerstedt, who started 5th, jumped to the outside of Marquette on the restart to grab the top spot away on lap 10. Gellerstedt then held off Marquette over the final 5 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Marquette settled for 2nd, Louck was 3rd, Joe Bonney came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Kevin Dickey coming from 14th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Kevin Goben and Terry Rentfro on the front row. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Bob Dominacki, who started 6th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mitch Morris came from 4th to grab the lead on lap 1 over Goben and Matt Werner, who started 7th. Morris then started to pull away from the battle for second, when another caution came out on lap 8. This time Todd Dykema spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Morris again jumped out front on the restart, with Doug Crampton over taking Goben for second. The yellow light would come back on 1 lap later, lap 9, as Rob Dominacki spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Morris moved back out front, with Crampton working to hold back Goben. Once again Morris started to pull away from the battle for second, when another caution appeared on lap 14. Rob Dominacki would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow, which was his second solo caution to end his night. Morris grabbed the lead on the restart, with Goben edging out Crampton for the second spot. Coming to take the white flag Bob Dominacki, who came from the rear after his spin on the start, would get into the back of Goben while battling for third. Goben would end up spinning to bring out the caution. Since the leader had taken the white flag the yellow and checkered was thrown, giving Morris his third win of the season at the track. Crampton was 2nd, Joe Beal, who started 10th, was credited with 3rd, Rentfro was 4th, with Tony VonDresky coming from 12th to finish in 5th.

LeRoy Brenner and Joe Ross led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Ross grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Brenner and Marty Diercks. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, as Rob Toland, who was running 2nd, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ross moved back out front, with Mike Zemo Jr., who started 7th, over taking Brenner for the second spot. Zemo Jr. would jump to the top of the track to over take Ross for the top spot on lap 7 and then held it until the second caution of the event. Ryan Claeys would spin off the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Zemo Jr. moved out front on the restart, with Nate Beuseling, who started 9th, over taking Ross for second. Beuseling would work the bottom of the track to over take Zemo Jr. for the lead on lap 11 and then held it until the third caution of the event appeared on lap 13. Claeys spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the yellow, which was his second solo caution to end his night. Justin Kay, who started 10th, jumped to the top of the track on the restart to over take Beuseling on the restart for the lead. Kay then started to pull away from the field, when the fourth caution of the event came out on lap 22. This time Todd Malmstrom came to a stop down the back stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Zemo Jr. over taking Beuseling for the second spot. But just as the race got going, the final caution of the event appeared on lap 23. Matt Ryan would go for a spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Kay once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then led the final 2 laps to claim his fifth win in a row at the track. Zemo Jr. was 2nd, Beuseling was 3rd, Spencer Diercks was 4th, with Mike Murphy Jr. coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Kevin Schroeder and Doug Burkhead leading the field to the green flag. Burkhead would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Ricky Kay and Schroeder. The first and only caution of the event would appear after the completion of lap 1, as Brandon Jewell spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Burkhead jumped back out front, with Kay working to hold back Bryce Garnhart in the battle for second. Burkhead would pull away from the field over the final 14 laps to claim his second win of the season at the track. Garnhart would finish 2nd, Schroeder was 3rd, #6 sorry didn't hear the name was 4th, with Kay rounding out the top 5 after running in second and going over the track in turns 1 and 2 late in the race.

The final feature up on the night was the 50 lap 4 Stocks, with $2,000 going to the winner. Lance Butson and Steve Miedke drew the front row for the event. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Mike Morrow spun in turn 2 after contact from Aaron Hitt. On the restart third place starter Andy Wagner would grab the lead on lap 1 over Miedke and Jacob Ellithorpe, who started 7th. Wagner then held the top spot until lap 3, when Ellithorpe slipped under him to edge out the lead at the line by inches. The action up front was slowed for the second time, as Jon Scott spun into the front stretch wall on lap 5 to bring out the yellow. Ellithorpe grabbed the lead on the restart, with Wagner working to hold back Brandon Dahl in the battle for second. The third caution of the event would come out on lap 13, as Lucas Short came to a stop down the backstretch to bring out the yellow. Once again Ellithorpe jumped out front on the restart, with Wagner working to hold back Brad Chandler, who started 11th. But just as the action up front was heating up, then fourth caution appeared on lap 15. This time Kile Vohringer slowed to a stop down the backstretch, after loosing an engine, to bring out the yellow. Ellithorpe moved back out front on the restart, with Wagner and Chandler going back to the battle for second. The three drivers, Ellithorpe, Wagner, and Chandler went three wide for the top spot on lap 18, with Wagner grabbing the lead at the line. Chandler would work under Wagner the following lap, lap 19, to grab the top spot. Those three drivers would start to pull away from the field, when the final caution of the event appeared on lap 29. Morrow would slow to a stop in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. Chandler grabbed the lead on the restart, with Ellithorpe working on him for the top spot. Ellithorpe found the opening he needed, as Chandler opened the bottom, to allow Ellithorpe to lead lap 44. But Chandler would slip back under Ellithorpe on lap 45 to grab the lead back. Coming to the wave of the green flag, two laps to go, Ellithorpe once again slipped under Chandler to take the top spot back. But Chandler would slip back under Ellithorpe coming to the white flag and then held him off to pick up the win and the $2,000 check. But after post race tech Chandler's car failed the compression rule and he was disqualified. This would give Ellithorpe the win and the $2,000 top prize. Brandon Dahl was moved up to 2nd, Jay Orr came from 17th and was moved up to 3rd, Hitt recovering from the contact on the start to come back up to get moved up to 4th, with with Miedke getting moved to 5th after crossing the line in 6th.

Notes from Davenport: 40 4 Stocks signed in on the night in hopes of taking home the $2,000 top prize. Four 10 car heats were ran, with the top 3 redrawing for the feature. Then two B Mains were ran, with the top 4 from each earning a spot into the 50 lap A Main....Jake Ellithorpe, Adam Gates and Justin Schroeder started heat race 1 in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. They would cross the line at the finish in that same order....Andy Wagner came from 4th to win heat 2 over Lance Butson and Jon Scott, who started 9th....Steve Miedke won the 3rd heat race over Nathan Hall and Merv Chandler, who started 8th....Heat race number 4 saw Brandon Dahl grab the win, while Rob Harding Jr. crossed the line in 2nd but was disqualified in tech. This would move Brad Chandler, who started 7th, up to 2nd and Kile Vohringer into 3rd after starting in 10th....Brandon Klein came from 6th to take the win in B Main number 1. While Aaron Hitt was 2nd, Jay Orr, who came down from Milwaukee, WI, finished 3rd, with Andy Loy coming from 14th to take the final transfer spot in 4th....Mike Morrow took the win in B Main number 2, with Gage Neal coming home in 2nd, Joe Zrostlik came from 8th to finish in 3rd, with Lucas Short holding off Rob Harding Jr., who started 14th, to claim the final transfer spot in 4th......Cary Brown, who was suppose to start the Street Stock feature in 6th, was sent to the back for being late to the line up. He would recover to take home a 6th place finish....Randy Lamar came from 13th to finish in 7th......Craig Crawford started 11th and finished in 6th....Jake Bowman came from 13th to finish in 8th....Jarrod Struss passed 6 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 11th....Dean McGee was suppose to start the Modified feature in 3rd, but motor troubles after crossing the line in his heat race forced him to scratch from the event......Rob Toland recovered from his lap 5 spin, while running 2nd in the Late Model feature, to finish in 6th....Andy Nezworksi had troubles in his heat and was going to be a scratch for the feature. But Stephan Kammerer, who was scheduled to start 5th, gave up his ride to Nezworksi to drive in the feature, as Nezworski was 2nd in points going into the night. Nezworksi would start 14th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Todd Malmstrom drove the #90 Gustaf Engine & Machine Late Model on the night. He would start 8th in the feature, but brought out a caution on lap 22. He then recovered from that to come back up to finish in 8th....Chuck Hanna was a scratch from his heat race and started 15th in the feature. He would pass 6 cars to finish in 9th......Joe Zrostlik started the 4 Stock feature in 18th and was up to 8th, when he went over the track in turns 1 and 2 on lap 10. He would come back onto the track without bringing out the caution just in front of the leaders. A caution on lap 13 would allow him to come around to start at the tail of the field. He then drove up to take home a 6th place finish....Andy Wagner, who was battling for the lead early, had problems on the white flag lap which dropped him to a 9th place finish...Adam Gates fell from 8th to 20th on the drop of the green flag and had worked his way back up to 5th by the half way point. But troubles late would force him to fall out with an 10th place finish....Andy Loy came from 19th to finish in 11th....Brandon Klein was running 4th when he had motor troubles on the lap 15 caution to end his night in 14th.