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.

Lanigan Repeats World of Outlaws Visit at Independence

Independence, IA (Monday, August 5, 2013) - Despite the 2 inches of rain that fell on the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA on Monday morning, the World of Outlaw Late Models and Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds went off as planned. The hard work all afternoon by the Independence track crew paid off, with 32 Late Models and 31 Modifieds signing in for competition in front of a awesome crowd.

The Late Models were then separated into two groups, Group A and Group B, for time trials to set the line ups for the four 10 lap heats. Shane Clanton would set fast time in Group A with a time of 13.907, while Chad Simpson was fast time in Group B and the overall quick time with a time of 13.865. Following time trials the cars in Group A would be lined up in heats 1 & 2, with Group B in heats 3 & 4. The top four cars in each of the four heats went on to qualify for the 50 lap A Main, with the top two in each heat earning the right to redraw for the first four rows of that A Main.

Late Model heat race number 1 saw Shane Clanton and Darrell Lanigan on the front row, with Clanton jumping out front on the drop of the green flag. Clanton would pull away to lead all 10 laps in a caution free race. Lanigan settled for 2nd, Brandon Sheppard was 3rd, with Josh Richards coming from 7th to take the final transfer spot into the A Main. The rest of the heat finish was Chub Frank, Morgan Bagley, Tim McCreadie, and Matt Furman.

Heat race 2 had Jason Feger and Chris Simpson on the front row, with Feger grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Simpson. The action was slowed for the first and only time on lap 2, as Joel Callahan went over turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Feger moved back out front, with Simpson close behind in second. Feger held off Simpson on the final lap to claim the win. Simpson was 2nd, Bub McCool was 3rd, with Clint Smith coming home in the final transfer spot. Dale McDowell, Eric Wells, Rick Wendling, and Callahan rounded out the finish.

Chad Simpson and Curt Martin made up the front row for heat race number 3, with Simpson grabbing the lead on lap 1. Simpson would cruise to an easy win in the caution free event. Don O'Neal would come home in 2nd, Tim Fuller was 3rd, with Martin holding off Clay Fisher to get the final transfer spot. Fisher, Jason Rauen, Tyler Bruening, and Jay Johnson rounded out the remainder of the heat.

The final heat race, number 4, saw Greg Satterlee and Bobby Pierce on the front row. Satterlee would grab the lead on lap 1 over Pierce and then held it until lap 5, when the first caution of the event appeared. Kyle Bronson, who was running 3rd, spun to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Satterlee jumped back out front, with Pierce working to hold back Rick Eckert in the battle for 2nd. But the action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 7. This time Dan Stone, who was running 4th, slowed with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. Once again Satterlee moved out front on the restart and then held on over the final 3 laps to claim the win. Pierce held on for 2nd, Eckert was 3rd, with Bronson recovering from his lap 5 spin to come back to take the final transfer spot into the A Main. Rounding out the rest of heat 4 was Charlie McKenna, Mike Fryer, Stone, and Dillon Wood.

Up next on the night was the four 8 lap Modified heats, with the top 3 qualifying for the 30 lap A Main. Those 12 cars would then redraw for the first 6 rows of the feature event.

Troy Cordes and Jimmy Gustin drew the front row for heat race 1, with Gustin grabbing the lead on the drop of the green. But Gustin would only hold the top spot until lap 3, when Darin Duffy, who started 4th, slipped under him for the lead. Duffy then pulled away to pick up the win. Gustin settled for 2nd, with Cordes holding off a charging Mark Schulte, who started 7th, to claim the final transfer spot. Schulte, Mark Elliott, Zach Less, Jerry King, and Jason Snyder rounded out the finish of heat 1.

Up next was heat race number 2, with Tyler Droste and Brett Ladehoff making up the front row. Droste jumped out front on lap 1 over Ronn Lauritzen and then held on until lap 5, when the first and only caution of the event appeared. Debris down the backstretch from a blown tire on Ladehoff's machine would bring out the yellow. On the restart Droste moved back out front, with Lauritzen close behind in second. The battle for third, the final transfer spot, heated up on the restart. Mike Van Genderen and Richie Gustin Jr., who started 6th, were putting on a great side-by-side battle over the final 5 laps. All the while Droste pulled away to win the heat. Lauritzen settled for 2nd, with Van Genderen edging out the final transfer spot in 3rd. Gustin Jr., Joe Docekal, Ed Thomas, Vern Jackson, and Ladehoff finished out heat race.

Josh Barta and Justin O'Brien led the field to the drop of the green flag in heat race number 3, with O'Brien grabbing the lead on lap 1 over J.D. Auringer. O'Brien would lead all 8 laps in a caution free race to pick up the win. Auringer was 2nd, with Scott Hogan coming from 5th to take the final transfer spot. Kelly Shryock, Jake Bowman, Chris Snyder, and Barta round out the finish of the heat.

Heat race number 4 had Jeff Waterman and Albert Wolfgram on the front row. Waterman took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Matt Gansen, who started 4th. While Waterman pulled away, the battle for second heated up coming to the white flag. Shawn Ryan was working the top of the track and went into turn 3 on the high side of Gansen. But Ryan ran out of room and slide off turn 4 and fell back to 6th. Meanwhile Waterman went on to claim the win. Gansen was 2nd, with Mike Burbridge coming from 6th to earn the final transfer spot. Leon Wilson, Steve Stultz, Ryan, Wolfgram and Jerry Dedrick, who was a scratch, finished out hear 4.

Up next was the first of two 12 lap Late Model B Mains, with the top 3 in each moving on into the 50 lap A Main. Leading the field to the green was Chub Frank and Dale McDowell, with McDowell grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Frank. McDowell then went on to lead all 12 laps in a caution free event to claim the win. Frank held on for 2nd, with Morgan Bagley claiming the third and final transfer spot. Eric Wells, Matt Furman, Rick Wendling, Joel Callahan and Tim McCreadie was the remainder of the finish.

The second 12 lap Late Model B Main had Clay Fisher and Charlie McKenna on the front row., with Fisher jumping out front on lap 1. While Fisher continued to lead Dillon Wood, who started 8th, was working his way towards the front. His run was slowed on lap 10, when the first and only caution of the event appeared. Dan Stone, who started 6th and was running 2nd, went off turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Fisher moved back out front, with Wood close behind in second. Fisher would hold off Wood on the final lap to pick up the win. Tyler Bruening won the last two lap battle with McKenna, who spun in turn 4 coming to the checkered while battling for the final transfer spot, to finish in 3rd. Mike Fryer, Jay Johnson, McKenna, Stone and Jason Rauen completed the finish of B Main 2.

Up next was the two 10 lap Modified B Mains, with the top 5 in each moving on into the A Main. Mark Schulte and Kelly Shryock led the field to the green in the first Modified B Main, with Shryock grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Schulte. Shryock then went on to lead all 10 laps of the caution free event to pick up the win. Schulte was 2nd, Jake Bowman was 3rd, Mark Elliott held on to 4th after almost spinning on lap 3 while going for 2nd, with Jerry King coming from 7th to round out the top 5. Zach Less, Chris Snyder, Jerry Dedrick, Josh Barta, and Jason Snyder was the remaining finish of B Main number 1.

Richie Gustin Jr. and Leon Wilson made up the front row for the second 12 lap Modified B Main, with Gustin Jr. grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Joe Docekal. Gustin Jr. then held off several challenges from Docekal in the 12 lap caution free event to claim the win. Docekal settled for 2nd, Steve Stultz was 3rd, Ed Thomas was 4th, with Vern Jackson edging out Wilson at the line on the final lap to claim the 5th and final transfer spot. Wilson, Brett Ladenhoff, Albert Wolfgram, and Shawn Ryan, who was running 5th when he pulled off on lap 4 with a right rear flat, rounded out the finish of B Main number 2.

Now that all the qualifying events were in the books, it was now time for the two feature events. The 50 lap Late Model feature was the first to take to the track, with Chad Simpson and Don O'Neal drawing the front row for the event. Simpson would take advantage of his front row start to gab the lead on lap 1 over O'Neal and Greg Satterlee. But just as the action got started the first caution of the event appeared after the completion of lap 1. Curt Martin would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Simpson jumped back out front, with O'Neal and Satterlee close behind in 2nd and 3rd. Just as the action was staring to get going, another caution on lap 4 slowed the field. This time Clay Fisher went off the top of turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Simpson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, but now had Shane Clanton close behind in second. O'Neal's run up front came to a halt on lap 7, as he slowed to a stop down the backstretch on lap 7 to bring the caution light on. Once again Simpson moved out front on the restart, with Clanton, and Darrell Lanigan, who started 7th, battling for the second spot. Clanton would use the bottom of the speedway to slip under Simpson on lap 14 to take over the top spot. Then one lap later, lap 15, Lanigan used the same groove to slip into the second spot. Just as the action up front was heating up another caution slowed the action on lap 20. This time Chris Simpson went over the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Clanton jumped back out front, with Lanigan and Chad Simpson battling for the second spot. But once again just as the action for the lead started to heat up, another caution appeared on lap 22. Josh Richards, who started 13th and had worked his way up to 7th, got together with Bub McCool while going for 6th and ended up spinning his machine in turn 1 to bring out the yellow.

While the first half of the 50 lap feature was caution plagued, the final half of the event was only slowed two times. The restart on lap 22 saw Clanton grab the lead over Lanigan and Simpson. Clanton, who was running the top of the track, would work the next 15 laps to hold back Lanigan, who was using the bottom of the track. But Lanigan would slip under Clanton coming to lap 37 to grab the top spot away. Then after the completion of the lap, Richards would slow to a stop in turn 3 with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lanigan moved back out front, with Simpson over taking Clanton for the second spot. Simpson would use the same groove as Clanton, the top side, to put pressure on Lanigan for the top spot over the next 6 laps. But the final caution of the event on lap 43 would slow Simpson's momentum. This time Chub Frank went off turn 3 on alp 43 to bring out the yellow. Lanigan would grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Clanton over the final 7 laps to pick up his second win in three visits at the Independence Motor Speedway, along with the $10,000 check to go with it. Clanton settled for 2nd, Simpson had a career best finish with the Outlaws in 3rd, Satterlee was 4th, with O'Neal charging from the back of the pack after slowing to a stop on lap 7 to round out the top 5.

Justin O'Brien and Troy Cordes drew the front row for the 30 lap Modified feature, with O'Brien leading lap 1 on the bottom by inches over Cordes. But Cordes would come back on the top side to grab the lead away on lap 2, leaving O'Brien to fend off Mike Van Genderen, who started 6th, for the second spot. Just as Cordes started to stretch out his lead over the battle for second, the first caution of the event appeared on lap 7. Mike Burbridge got into the back of Schulte going into turn 3, which caused Schulte to go for a spin and bring out the yellow. On the restart Cordes moved back out front, with Van Genderen and Darin Duffy, who started 9th, close behind. But just as the action up front started to heat up, the second caution of the event came out on lap 8. This time Mark Elliott, who started 19th and was going for 9th, went off the track in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Cordes once again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Duffy over taking Van Genderen for second. One lap later the final caution of the event came out on lap 9, as Scott Hogan spun to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Cordes jumped back out front, with Duffy, Van Genderen and Ronn Lauritzen, who started 10th, all close behind. Cordes, who was working the top of the track, worked the next 12 laps to hold back Duffy, who was working the bottom. But Duffy would use his line to slip under Cordes on lap 23 to grab the top spot away. While Duffy pulled away from the battle for second, Cordes, Van Genderen and Lauritzen would battle the final 5 laps two and even three wide for that spot. In the meantime Duffy pulled away to claim the win and the $1,000 top prize. Cordes held on to edge out a 2nd place finish, Van Genderen finished a close 3rd, Lauritzen was 4th, with Tyler Droste coming home in 5th.

Notes from Independence: The 32 Late Models signed in on the night representing the states of Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, and Arkansas. While the 31 Modifieds came from the states of Iowa, Illinois, and Arizona.......Dale McDowell started the 50 lap Late Model feature in 17th and passed 11 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Tim Fuller came from 11th to finish in 8th....Chub Frank passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in 12th....Eric Wells, who was awarded a series provisional, started 24th and passed 11 cars en route to a 13th place finish....Curt Martin recovered from his lap 1 spin to come back up to finish in 14th....Tyler Bruening came from 22nd to finish in 16th......Kelly Shryock started the 30 lap Modified feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to finish in 6th....Joe Docekal came from 16th  to finish in 10th.... Mark Schulte started in 15th an placed 12th....Steve Stultz drove from Peoria, Arizona and started 18th in the feature. He would pass 5 cars to take home a 13th place finish....Jerry King drove Tyler Droste's back up car from a 21st starting spot to a 14th place finish....Vern Jackson came from 22nd to finish in 15th....J.D. Auringer was running 7th when he pulled out with troubles on lap 16 to end his night in 17th....Zach Less was awarded a series provisional, but motor troubles would force him to scratch from the event.

I would like to thank fellow Positively Racing blogger Ryan Clark, In Staging, and the entire staff at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA on the great hospitality each and every time I make a visit to the track. Their hard work after the early morning rains paid off with some great racing action all night long!