34 Raceway Crowns Six Track Champions

West Burlington, IA (Saturday, August 30, 2014) - Despite several inches of rain on Thursday and Friday the crew at 34 Raceway wasn't giving up any hopes of getting the season championship night in on Saturday. As they arrived at the track early in the morning to get things dried out in time to go racing. There hard work paid off with 99 race teams signing in to compete on the final points night of the 2014 season. When the final checkered flag fell on the night Donnie Steward (305 Sprints), Jeff Waterman (IMCA Modifieds), John Oliver Jr. (IMCA Stock Cars), Bobby Anders (IMCA SportMods), Daniel Keltner (Mod Lites), and Austen Becerra (4 Cylinders) were crowned track champions.

The first feature up on the night was the 12 lap Mod Lites with Daniel Keltner and Devon Rouse, who was moved to the outside of the front row when Justin Buchholz had to scratch from the feature after rolling in the heat race, on the front row. Keltner would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Rouse and Jimmy Halcomb, who started 6th. Keltner then pulled away from the field in a caution free race to pick up the win and the track championship. Rouse was 2nd, Halcomb was 3rd, Collin Ball was 4th, with Chase Flatt coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 12 lap 4 Cylinder feature with Austen Becerra and Kimberly Abbott leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Becerra took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Larry Miller, who started 5th, and Daytona Fenton. Miller would stay glued to Becerra's back bumper until they started to enter lapped traffic on lap 6. Which allowed Becerra to pull away in a caution free race to claim his 8th win at the track and 35th overall on the season, and also claiming his second track championship on the season. Miller settled for 2nd, Fenton was 3rd, Rachall Reger was 4th, with Ron Kibbe finishing 5th after starting in 8th.

Bobby Anders and Sean Wyett led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Anders grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Wyett and Joey Gower. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, as debris down the front stretch brought out the yellow. On the restart Creston Williams, Brandon Dale, Austin Howes, Rob Wilsey, Randy LaPorte and Ethan Allen all piled up in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Tony Dunker, who started 9th and was going for 3rd, spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. On the next restart Anders moved back out front, with Gower and Adam Shelman close behind. Gower would work the bottom of the track in turn 1 and 2 on lap 6 to grab the top spot away from Anders on lap 7. One lap later, lap 8, Michael Goodwin spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Gower jumped back out front on the restart, with Anders and Brett Timmerman battling for second. Timmerman's run up front came to an end on lap 10, when he got into the back of Shelman in turn 3 while battling for 3rd and caused Shelman to spin to bring out the yellow. On the restart Gower moved back out front, with Anders working to hold off Dunker, who recovered from his spin on lap 5. Coming to the white flag Dunker would clear Anders for second and then closed in on Gower's back bumper going into turns 1 and 2. Gower and Dunker both went into turn 3 high, with Dunker cutting low coming out of turn 4 to pull even with Gower. Gower was able to edge out Dunker at the line by inches to pick up his 3rd win of the season at the track. Dunker was 2nd, Anders third place finish was good enough to clinch his second consecutive track championship at the track, Dakota Simmons started 8th and finished 4th, with Wilsey passing 10 cars from his 15th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with John Oliver Jr. and Shane Watts making up the front row for the event. Watts would use his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Oliver Jr. and Dane Fenton. Oliver Jr. slipped under Watts in turn 1 and 2 on lap 2 to come around to lead lap 3. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 6, as debris down the front stretch brought out the yellow. On the restart Oliver Jr. moved back out front, with Watts and Fenton close behind. One lap later, lap 7, Tom Bowling Jr., who started 6th and was running 4th, slowed to a stop in turn 4 with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. Oliver Jr. once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Watts and Fenton battling for second. Just as the top three were racing two wide for the top spot, the final caution of the race appeared on lap 13. This time Les Blakley slowed down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Oliver Jr. jumped back out front and then held on over the final 7 laps to claim his 2nd win of the season at the track and also picked up the track championship. Fenton was 2nd, Jake Wenig was 3rd, Bowling Jr. recovered from his flat tire on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 4th, with John Brockway coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Mitch Morris and Jeff Waterman entered the night separated by 3 points in the chase for the IMCA Modified track title, with Bill Roberts Jr. only 5 points back. As a result Morris and Waterman would lead the field to the green in the 20 lap feature. But just as the green was waved the yellow light would come on, as Chadwick Giberson and Lonnie Heap spun down the backstretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Waterman jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Morris and Roberts Jr. Morris' run up front and a shot at a second consecutive track title came to an end on lap 3, as he slowed with rear end troubles in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Waterman jumped back out front on the restart, with Tyler Glass over taking Roberts Jr. for second. One lap later, lap 4, Darrow Lillie got into the back of Blake Woodruff and caused his to spin in turn 2 and collect Larry McConnell to bring out the yellow. Once again Waterman moved back out front on the restart, with Glass and Dennis LaVeine battling for 2nd. Just as Waterman started to pull away from the field, the final caution of the race appeared on lap 9. As Woodruff would slow to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Waterman jumped back out front and then pulled away over the final 11 laps to claim his 4th win of the season at the track and also earned his second track championship of the season. Glass settled for 2nd, LaVeine was 3rd, Dugan Thye had a career best finish of 4th, with Dustin Smith passing 9 cars from his 14th place starting spot to edge out 5th at the line.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 20 lap 305 Sprints, which was also the closest points battle of the night. Going into the night Donnie Steward and Jayson Ditsworth were tied atop the points standings, with Daniel Bergquist only 3 points behind. After Steward won his heat race, Ditsworth was 2nd in his, and Bergquist 3rd, the points had Steward leading Ditsworth by 1 point and Bergquist by 5 going into the feature event. Steward and Ditsworth led the field to the green in the feature. But just as the green was waved the red light would come on, as Ditsworth got upside down in turn 1 to bring out the red. He climbed from his car okay, but done for the night and the hopes of a track title over. On the restart Steward moved out front to lead lap 1 over Justin Newberry and Bergquist. Steward set a fast pace out front, as he started to enter lapped traffic on lap 5. This would allow Newberry and Dustin Clark, who started 13th, to close in on Steward. The action up front was slowed for the second time on lap 11, when Bergquist lost an engine in turn 4 to end his night and his hopes of a track title. Steward once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Clark all over the back of Newberry for second. Clark would over take Newberry for the runner up spot on lap 14 and then went to work on Steward for the top spot. On lap 16 Clark was looking high in turn 1 to get around Steward and ended up drifting high in 2, which almost made him slip off the track. But he would recover to stay in second, even though he lost some ground to Steward. Clark wouldn't give up though as he continued to work the high side of the track. Coming off turn 4 Clark was able to clear Steward for the top spot, as Steward got caught behind a lapped car, to grab the lead on lap 17. Just after the completion of lap 17 the final caution of the race appeared, as Laney Feight slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Clark moved back out front and then held on over the final 3 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Steward finished second and picked up the track championship, Newberry was 3rd, John Schulz started 9th and finished 4th, with Andy Huston coming home in 5th.

Notes from 34: Jared Halcomb started the Mod Lite feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Greg Rossell had engine troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Billy Stanford started the 4 Cylinder feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Brandon Reu passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Barry Taft came from 12th to finish in 8th....Dustin Ravelin, who had troubles in hot laps and had to scratch from the heat race, started 18th and finished 13th......Nathan Bringer made his first appearance of the season at the track and started the SportMod feature in 17th. He would pass 11 cars to come home in 6th....Creston Williams recovered from the pile up on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 7th....Brett Timmerman recovered from his involvement in the lap 10 caution to come back up to finish in 8th....Adam Shelman also recovered from the lap 10 caution to come back up to finish in 9th....James Chesmore started 13th and finished 10th....Ethan Allen recovered from the pile up on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 11th....Michael Goodwin recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 12th....Randy LaPorte recovered from the pile up on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 13th....Sean Wyett, who was running 3rd, pulled off on the lap 5 restart with troubles to end his night in 14th......Les Blakley, who started the Stock Car feature in 12th, recovered from the caution on lap 13 to come back up to finish in 7th....Shane Watts, who was running 2nd on the lap 13 caution, had something break on the left front. He was able to hold on over the final 7 laps to finish 8th in the feature....Jeremy Pundt started 15th and passed 6 cars to come home in 9th....Michael McClure, who started 14th and was up to 8th, pitted under the lap 6 caution with a right rear flat. He would recover to come back up to finish in 10th....Ray Raker, who was running 5th, pulled off on lap 15 with troubles to end his night in 13th......Lonnie Heap started the Modified feature in 13th and then recovered from the spin on the start to come back up to finish 6th....Larry McConnell also recovered from his involvement in the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish 7th....Brian Woodruff started 15th and finished in 8th, in his first start of the season in a Modified....Chadwick Giberson recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 9th....Dustan Fenton was running 4th until he pulled off with troubles on lap 7 to end his night in 12th....Bill Roberts Jr. was running 4th when he pulled off with troubles to end his night in 13th......Pat Moore started the 305 Sprint feature in 20th and then passed 12 cars to come home in 8th....Blaine Jamison was behind the 51J and started 16th. He would pass 4 cars to finish in 12th....Jeff Wilke started 22nd and passed 9 cars to come home in 13th.

Burgtorf and Lynn Pick Up Their First Wins of the Season at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, August 24, 2014) - Even though the temperatures outside were 95+ degrees, with heat indexes over 100, Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois put on another Sunday night of racing. At the end of the night two drivers, Mark Burgtorf (UMP Late Models) and Brian Lynn (UMP Modifieds) earned their first wins of the season at the track. While Brandon Savage (IMCA Stock Cars), Joey Gower (IMCA SportMods) and Kimberly Abbott (IMCA Sport Compacts) visited victory lane for repeat wins.

The first feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Troy Brierton and Jerry Jansen leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But just as the green was waved the caution light would come on, as Abe Huls and Jake Powers spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Brandon Savage, who started 4th, used the very top of the track to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jansen and Huls, who started 5th. The action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 4, when Nathan Hayes spun in turn 4 and collected Powers to bring out the yellow. Savage once again jumped out front on the restart, with Huls glued to his back bumper. Huls tried to look under Savage over the next several laps, even pulling up alongside of Savage a few times. Only to have Savage use the momentum off the top of the track to edge him at the line every lap. Coming to the white flag Huls went low in turn 1 and exited turn 2 side-by-side with Savage. The two would enter turn 3 side-by-side, with Huls trying to slid up in front of Savage. But Savage again used the momentum off the top to edge Huls at the line by inches to pick up his third win in a row and fifth overall at the track this season. Huls settled for 2nd, Terry Houston was 3rd, Jansen was 4th, with Brierton rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 30 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Gordy Gundaker and Mark Burgtorf, who was behind the wheel of Rick Frankel's number 33F Late Model, making up the front row for the event. Burgtorf would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Gundaker and Justin Reed. The fast pace set by Burgtorf allowed him to pull out to a straight-away lead by the half way point, in which he started to lap cars. Without a caution there was no stopping Burgtorf on this night, as he cruised to his first win of the season at the track. Gundaker held on for 2nd, Denny Woodworth was 3rd, Jason Perry was 4th, with Sheffield, Illinois' Rich Bell passing 6 cars from his 11th place starting spot to come home 5th (the final car on the lead lap).

Alex Costigan and Spencer Coats made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. But just as the green flag was waved the red light would come on, as Bryce Baker and Adam Scott shot off the track in turn four and went through the protective fence to bring out the red. Both drivers climbed from their cars okay, with Scott going to the hot pits to have his car looked at before rejoining the field for the restart. On the restart Coats moved out front on lap 1 over Kimberly Abbott, who started 8th and Seith Woodruff, who started 9th. Abbot jumped to the top of the track off turn 4 on lap 3 to take over the top spot from Coats, leaving Coats to battle Woodruff for the runner up spot. The action up front was slowed for the second time on lap 10, when Austin McClean got into the guardrail off turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Abbott jumped back out front, with Coats holding off Woodruff for second. Coats run up front would come to an end on lap 11, as he slowed to a stop in turn 2 with a right front flat to bring out the third caution of the race. Abbott once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Woodruff and Rachall Reger, who started 11th, close behind. Despite a few challenges from Woodruff over the final 4 laps Abbott was able to hold on to claim her third win of the season at the track. Woodruff settled for 2nd, Reger was 3rd, Scott recovered from the red on the start to come back up to finish 4th, with Darin Weisinger Jr. coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Brian Lynn and Steven DeLonjay leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Lynn took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over DeLonjay and Michael Long. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Dylan Hoover spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lynn moved back out front, with Long over taking DeLonjay for the runner up spot. Three laps later, lap 8, Hoover spun in turn 1 to bring out his second solo caution and ending his night. Lynn once again jumped out front on the restart, with Long and DeLonjay close behind. While Lynn worked to hold off Long, DeLonjay's car started to show sparks under the rear end on lap 14. Those sparks finally ended DeLonjay's run up front, third to be exact, on lap 17 when he blew a tire and had flames under the rear end to bring out the caution. On the restart Lynn moved back out front, with Long and Kenny Wallace following. Lynn, who was working the top of the track, worked to hold off Long, who tried the bottom, over the next 3 laps. Long would go into turn 3 on lap 20 on the bottom and then slid up in front of Lynn for the top spot, only to have Lynn do a cross over move out of turn 4 to keep the lead. Lynn then held on over the final 5 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Long settled for 2nd, Wallace was 3rd, Shawn Deering passed 7 cars from his 11th place starting spot to come home in 4th, with Rusty Griffaw rounding out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 18 lap IMCA SportMods, with Adam Birck, driving Charles VanZandt's #80v, and Charles VanZandt, behind the wheel of the 21v, on the front row. Birck would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Joey Gower, who started 7th, and Brandon Lennox, who started 5th. Birck then held the top spot until lap 3, when Gower slid under him to take over the lead. While Gower and Birck paced the field out front, Bobby Anders, who started 9th, Tony Dunker, who started 10th, and Tanner Klingele, who started 8th, were working there way towards the front. But the 18 lap race went caution free, which allowed Gower to claim his fourth win of the season at the track. Birck held on for 2nd, Dunker took 3rd on the last lap, Anders was 4th, with Klingele 5th.

Notes from Quincy: Richard VanderMaiden started the Sport Compact feature in 12th and finished in 7th....Casey Lambert, who was running 3rd, pulled off the track on the lap 10 restart with a right front flat to end his night in 9th....Austen Becerra broke on the parade lap and pulled into the infield to end his night in 13th......Randy Lines, who made the pull over from Marion, Indiana, was running 7th in the Modified feature when he slipped off the track in turn 3 on lap 11 and fell clear back to 11th. He would recover to come home in 7th....Spencer Havermale came from 12th to finish in 9th....Kale Foster rolled in turn 3 during his heat race and was a scratch from the feature......Todd Reed passed 7 cars from his 13th place starting spot in the SportMod feature to come up to finish in 6th....Bradley Holtmeyer came from 12th to finish in 7th....Mike Goodwin made his first start of his career and came home in 12th.

Kay, Crampton, Garnhart, Louck, and Dahl Crowned Champions at the Davenport Speedway

Davenport, IA (Friday, August 22, 2014) - It's hard to believe that the 2014 season has come to that time of the year to crown track champions. That was the case Friday night at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa, as it was season championship night despite an morning shower. When the final checkers fell on the night Justin Kay (IMCA Late Models), Doug Crampton (IMCA Modifieds), Bryce Garnhart (IMCA SportMods), Donnie Louck (Street Stocks), and Brandon Dahl (4 Stocks) were crowned the 2014 Champions at the track.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap 4 Stocks, with Jake Benischek and Andy Loy leading the field to the green flag. Jake Benischek was able to grab the lead on lap 1 over Loy and Zach Dahl. Loy would use the very top of the track to get around Jake Benischek on lap 2, with Dahl following him into second one lap later, lap 3. Dahl then tried to work under Loy over the final 9 laps, but Loy was able to hold him off in a caution free race to claim his third win of the season at the track. Zach Dahl settled for 2nd, Jake Benischek was 3rd, Luke Benischek was 4th, with Brandon Dahl coming home in 5th after starting 11th. Brandon Dahl, who was the points leader going into the night, would elect to start at the back of the feature. If he was able to come through the field and win he would have gotten double the prize money. But Brandon was only able to climb his way up to 5th in a caution free race to secure his first track championship at the track.

Up next was the 15 lap Street Stock feature, with Donnie Louck and Cord Williams, who was moved to the outside of the front row when Cary Brown had engine troubles in his heat race that forced him to borrow Bryan Ritter's #76 for the feature and had to go to the tail of the field, made up the front row. Louck would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Anderson and Nick Claussen. Just as Louck started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 3. Williams would slow in turn 4 with a left rear flat to bring out the yellow. On the restart Louck jumped back out front, with Anderson and Claussen battling for the runner up spot. Three laps later, lap 6, Gerald Ward spun in turn 2 to bring out the second caution of the race. Louck once again grabbed the lead on the restart, only to be slowed one lap later, lap 7, for another caution. This time Claussen, who was running 6th, and Perry Gellerstedt, who was running 7th, spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Louck moved back out front, but now had Kevin Dickey, who started 5th, and Keith Blum, who started 15th, close behind. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 9, when Randy Lamar, who was running 7th, got into Ward, who was running 6th, and spun him in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Louck would move back out front on the restart and then held on over the final 6 laps to pick up his third win of the season and first track championship at the track. Dickey was 2nd, Blum was 3rd, Gellerstedt recovered from his involvement in the caution on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 4th, with Brown coming from the rear in the 76 car to come home in 5th.

Bryce Garnhart and Joe Grant made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Garnhart grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Grant and Jake Morris. The action was slowed for the first and only time on lap 2, when Brandon Jewell and Randy Farrell spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Garnhart jumped back out front over Grant and Morris. While Garnhart started to pull away from the field, Jayson Wiggins, who started 10th, was working his way towards the front. Wiggins was able to get himself into third on lap 7 and then went to battling Morris for second. But in the meantime Garnhart pulled away from the field to claim his third win in a row and sixth overall at the track, that led to his second consecutive track championship at the track. Wiggins was able to clear Morris on the final lap to claim 2nd, Morris was 3rd, Jacob Beal was 4th, with Jared Miller coming from 9th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Doug Crampton and Mitch Morris leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Morris took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Crampton and Chris Zogg. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first caution would appear, as Jake Waterman, Brian Stock and Tyler Smith collided in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Morris jumped back out front, with Crampton and Bob Dominacki, who started 6th, close behind. After the completion of lap 2 the yellow light would come back on, as Stock spun in turn 2 and collects Smith to bring out the yellow. On the restart Smith would come to a stop in turn 1 to bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Morris move back out front, with Crampton and Dominacki battling for second. Another lap in the books, lap 3, produced another caution, as Chris James spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Morris once again jumped out into the lead on the restart, only to be slowed one lap later, lap 4, with another caution. This time Rob Henry, who was running 10th, spun in turn 1 from contact from Craig Crawford, who was running 11th, to bring out the yellow. Debris in turn 4 on the restart brought the yellow light back on. The following restart had Morris grab the lead, with Dominacki working to hold back Joe Beal, who started 7th, in the battle for second. Beal would over take Dominacki on lap 9 for second and then went to work on Morris for the lead. When the final caution of the race appeared on lap 13. Rob Dominacki, who started 16th and had worked his way up to 8th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Morris jumped back out front, with Beal and Bob Dominacki close behind. Morris then held on over the final 7 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Beal settled for 2nd, Dominacki was 3rd, Rich Smith came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Tony VonDresky coming home in 5th. Crampton's seventh place finish was good enough to claim his third track title at the track.

The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Nate Bueseling, behind the wheel of the #58 usually piloted by Ray Guss Jr., and Todd Malmstrom making up the front row for the event. Bueseling would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Malmstrom and Mike Zemo Jr. The battle up front started to heat up on lap 7, when Mike Murphy Jr., who started 5th, slipped past Malmstrom to move into second. Murphy Jr. then tried to work under Bueseling for the lead over the next 3 laps, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 10. Stephan Kammerer, who was running 7th, slipped over the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Bueseling jumped back out front, with Murphy Jr. and Brunson Behning close behind. Behning used a great move to go from third to first on lap 12, with Murphy Jr. following him into second. Murphy Jr., tried to work under Behning over the next 6 laps, when he finally edged out Behning at the line by inches to lead lap 19. Murphy Jr. then held on over the final 6 laps to claim his third win of the season at the track. Behning settled for 2nd, Bueseling was 3rd, Malmstrom was 4th, with Matt Ryan finishing 5th. Justin Kay, who had already locked up his second consecutive track title at the track, took the challenge to go to the rear for double the money if he came back to win. But when something broke in the drive train on lap 2, that would end Kay's hope of a big payday.

Notes from Davenport: Brandon Setser drove the 14M 4 Stock that was usually piloted by Allen Morris. He would start the feature in 8th and finished in 6th......Randy Lamar recovered from his involvement in the lap 9 caution to come back up to finish 6th in the Street Stock feature....Rick Schriner, was running 7th, when he pitted under the lap 6 caution with over heating. He would recover to come back up to finish in 7th....Nick Claussen recovered from the lap 7 caution to come back up to finish in 8th....Gerald Ward also recovered from the lap 6 and 9 cautions to come back up to finish in 9th....Mike Anderson would finish in 10th after pitting on the lap 7 caution with a right rear flat, while running 5th....Steve Cox started 17th and finished 11th....Brian Ritter gave up his ride in the feature to Cary Brown....While Brian Wiseman had troubles have his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Brandon Jewell, who started 11th in the SportMod feature, recovered from his involvement in the lap 2 caution to come back up to finish in 7th....Jacob Arp had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Milo Veloz Jr.passed 7 cars from his 13th place starting spot in the Modified feature to come up to finish in 6th....Kevin Blum started 12th and finished in 8th....Scott Powell passed 8 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Chris Zogg, who was running 5th on lap 4 ran laps 5 through 13 with a left front flat, he would pit to change on the tire under the caution on lap 13. He then recovered to finish in 10th....Bruce Fosdyck Sr. started 19th and passed 7 cars to finish in 12th....Rob Henry recovered from the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish in 13th....Craig Crawford also recovered from the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish in 14th......Stephan Kammerer recovered from his spin on lap 10 of the Late Model feature to come back up to finish in 7th....Kyle Neels started 13th and finished in 10th in his first visit of the year at the track.

Garnhart Doubles Up at Davenport

Davenport, IA (Friday, August 15, 2014) - Friday night at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA it was another weekly points night, as the regular points season begins to come to an end. An extra added bonus to the five weekly feature events in the IMCA Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SpotMods, Street Stocks and 4 Stocks, was the make-up IMCA SpotMod feature from last week.

The first event to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod make-up feature, with Gary Rentfro and Jake Morris leading the field to the green flag. Morris would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jacob Beal and Bryce Garnhart, who started 8th. Garnhart, who was running the bottom of the track, slipped under Morris on lap 3 to take over the top spot. The only thing to slow Garnhart down was the first and only caution of the race on lap 13, as Angie Feller stopped in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Garnhart moved back out front and held on over the final two laps to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Beal was 2nd, Henry Carson started 6th and finished in 3rd, Joe Grant was 4th, with Morris holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 12 lap 4 Stock feature, with Richard Dearborn and Sean Fersch leading the field to green. But it was sixth place starter Andy Loy who quickly moved to the front to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jake Benischek, who started 7th, and Fersch. Just as lap 1 was scored complete the first caution would appear, as Steve Boyle spun in turn 3 from contact from Fersch and Dearborn to bring out the yellow. On the restart Loy jumped back out front over Luke Benischek, who started 6th, and Brandon Dahl, who started 9th. Loy looked to be heading to the win, until disaster struck him on lap 6. The caution was thrown when Loy's car started to leak fuel, which caused him to be sent to the pits. On the restart Zach Dahl, who started 11th, jumped to the outside of Brandon Dahl to edge him out at the line by inches to take the top spot. Zach then held off Brandon over the final 5 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Brandon Dahl settled for 2nd, Tristin Clark started 10th and finished in 3rd, Luke Benischek was 4th, with Jake Benischek rounding out the top 5.

Steve Cox and Bryan Ritter made up the front row for the 15 lap Street Stock feature, with Ritter taking advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Anderson and Randy Lamar. Anderson, who was running the bottom of the track, slipped under Ritter to grab the lead away on lap 2. But Lamar, who was up top, used the momentum to edge out Anderson at the line to lead lap 3. The action up front was slowed for the first time after the completion of lap 3, when Jacob Whittington spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lamar moved back out front, but now had Kevin Dickey, who started 6th, and Cary Brown, who started 9th, glued to his back bumper. The second caution flag of the event on lap 5 would slow the action up front, as Mark Anderson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dickey, who was running 3rd, slipped over the track in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Lamar jump back out front, with Mike Anderson over taking Brown for the runner up spot. Anderson would slip under Lamar on lap 7 to grab the top spot away and then held it until the fourth caution appeared on lap 8. Nick Claussen, who started 7th and was running 4th, Donnie Louck, who started 10th and was running 6th, Dickey, who recovered from he slip over the tack in turn 1 on lap 5 was running 7th, and Brian Wiseman all collided in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Anderson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Lamar and Brown battling for the second spot. Brown would use the low side of the track off turn 4 to slip under Anderson and Lamar to take over the top spot. Brown then held on over the final 3 laps to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Anderson settled for 2nd, Lamar was 3rd, Rick Schriner was 4th, with Claussen recovering from the lap 8 crash to come back up to come home in 5th.

The regular 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature was up next, with Jared Miller and David Norton on the front row for the event. Miller would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jake Morris and Norton. Miller then looked to be heading for an easy win, until the first and only caution of the event appeared on lap 6 to bring the field back to his back bumper. Gary Rentfro spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Bryce Garnhart, who started 9th, used the bottom of the track to slip under Miller for the top spot. Garnhart then held off Miller over the final 8 laps to pick up his second win on the night and fifth of the season at the track. Miller settled for 2nd, Doug Burkhead came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Morris was 4th, with Henry Carson coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Rob Dominacki and Rich Smith led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would appear, as Milo Veloz Jr. spun in turn 1 from contact from Matt Werner to bring out the yellow. On the restart Smith jumped out front on lap 1 over Dominacki and Brian Bushong. Just after lap 1 was scored complete another caution appeared, as Bruce Fosdyck Sr., spun in turn 2 and collected Dustin Smith and Werner to bring out the yellow. Rich Smith grabbed the lead on the restart, with Bushong close behind in second. Bushong, who was running the top of the track, would edge out Smith at the line to lead lap 5. Smith wouldn't give up his shot at the lead, as he used the bottom of the track to take the top spot back on lap 9. But Bushong used the momentum off the top of the track in turn 4 to grab the lead back on lap 13. While those two battled up front for the lead, Doug Crampton, who started 11th, was working his way towards the front. Crampton, who used the bottom off turn 4, slipped past Bushong to take over the top spot on lap 14. The action up front was slowed for the third and final time on lap 18 to set up a 2 lap dash to the win. This time Rob Henry, who was running 7th, stopped in turn 3 with front end troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Crampton jumped back out front, with Tony VonDresky, who started 6th, over taking Bushong for second. Crampton would hold on for the final 2 laps to pick up second win of the season at the track. VonDresky settled for 2nd, Bushong was 3rd, Joe Beal came from 9th to finish in 5th, with Bob Dominacki coming home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with LeRoy Brenner and Chuck Hanna making up the front row. Hanna would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Shaune Lewis and Brenner. Just as Hanna started to pull away, the first caution would come out on lap 2. Trevor Muilenburg spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hanna moved back out front, with Brunson Behning, who started 6th, over taking Lewis for the second spot. Behning, who was running the bottom of the track, slipped under Hanna on lap 4 to take over the top spot. Behning then had to work to hold off Ray Guss Jr., who started 7th, over the next 3 laps. Guss Jr., who was running the top of the track, would edge out Behning at the line to grab the lead on lap 9. But before the lap was scored complete, Muilenburg would spin in turn 2 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night. This would also give the lead back to Behning for the restart. On the restart Behning went to the top of the track to grab the lead over Guss Jr. and Joe Zrostlik. While Behning worked to hold back Guss Jr. for the lead, Mike Murphy Jr., who started 9th, and Justin Kay, who started 10th, were working their way towards the front. Behning started to enter lapped traffic on lap 21, which allowed Guss Jr., Murphy and Kay to close in on him for the lead. But Behning was able to hold them off over the final 4 laps to claim his first career Late Model feature win. Kay used a great move on the bottom on the final lap to go from 4th to 2nd, Guss Jr. was 3rd, Murphy was 4th, with Zrostlik holding on for 5th.

Notes from Davenport: Andre LaPorte started the make-up SportMod feature in 11th and finished in 7th....Ron Cook came from 14th to finish in 9th....Dustin Crear, Tony Dunker, and Jacob Arp were unable to return for the make-up race......Sean Fersch recovered from his involvement in the lap 1 yellow to come back up to finish in 6th in the 4 Stock feature......Donnie Louck recovered from the lap 8 yellow to come back up to finish 6th in the Street Stock feature....Kevin Schloemer started 11th and finished in 8th....Jacob Whittington recovered from his lap 3 spin to come back up to finish in 10th....Cord Williams, was running 6th, when he slowed on the final lap to end his night in 11th....Gerald Ward had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Jason Wiggins had transmission troubles in the make-up feature that forced him to scratch from the regular night of SportMod racing......Mitch Morris started the Modified feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Scott Powell passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Steve Johnson passed 8 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Chris Zogg started 13th and finished 10th....Craig Crawford passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 11th....Todd Dykema came from 16th to finish in 12th....Matt Werner recovered from the lap 1 caution to come back up to finish 14th....Greg Wilson came from 21st to finish in 15th....T.J. Patz had motor troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the event......Spencer Diercks started the Late Model feature in 11th and finished 7th....Matt Ryan passed 6 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Todd Malmstrom started 14th and finished in 10th....Mike Zemo Jr. came from 16th to finish in 11th.

Sheppard Rockets to First Win of the Season at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, August 10, 2014) - Despite several inches of rain Saturday, the crew at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL were able to get the grounds ready for another Sunday night of weekly racing. At the end of the night Brandon Sheppard (UMP Late Models) scored his first win of the season at the track, while Michael Long (UMP Modifieds), Brandon Savage (IMCA Stock Cars), Tony Dunker (IMCA SportMods), and Austen Becerra (IMCA Sport Compacts) claimed multiple wins on the season.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Nathan Hayes and Terry Houston making up the front row for the event. Houston would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Hayes and Brandon Savage, who started 4th. While Houston worked the bottom of the track, Savage would work the top to try and get around Houston over the next 9 laps. Savage was able to clear Houston for the top spot on lap 10, with Abe Huls, who started 5th, following into second. Savage, who worked the top of the track, now had to work to hold off Huls, who looked under him several times over the next 15 laps. But despite Savage having a left rear tire going down, he would hold off Huls in a caution free race to claim his second win in a row and fourth overall at the track this season. Huls settled for 2nd, Houston was 3rd, Beau Taylor came home in 4th, with Hayes rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 30 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Denny Woodworth and Justin Reed leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Woodworth took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Reed and Jason Perry. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Reed, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Brandon Sheppard jumped to the top of the track to grab the lead away from Woodworth. Sheppard then started to pull away from the field, when the second and final caution of the race appeared on lap 24. Brian Diveley, who started 8th and was running 5th, went over the track in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Perry, who was running 4th, slipped high in turn 4 and got into the front stretch wall to end his night. On the restart Sheppard moved back out front, with Bobby Pierce, who started 5th, close behind in second. Pierce tried to keep up the same pace that Sheppard was setting. But there was no catching Sheppard on this night, as he went on to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Pierce was 2nd, Woodworth held on for 3rd, Clint Kirkham was 4th, with Reed recovering from his lap 5 spin to come back up to finish in 5th.

Austin McClean and Spencer Coats led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, with McClean grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert, who started 6th, and Coats. McClean then held the lead until lap 2, when Lambert slipped past him to grab the top spot away. Lambert then had to work to hold off Austen Becerra, who started 8th, over the next 9 laps. But Becerra would grab the lead away from Lambert on lap 11 and then went on to lead the final 4 laps of a caution free race to claim his 10th win at the track and 32nd overall on the season. Lambert settled for 2nd, Sieth Woodruff came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Kimberly Abbott started last after going home to get a back up car after a crash in the heat race. She would pass 7 cars to come home in 4th, with Casey Lambert rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Craig Spegal and Michael Long on the front row for the event. Long would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Spegal and Steven DeLonjay. While Long set a fast pace out front, Spegal and DeLonjay had a great side-by-side battle going for second, with Keith Pratt and Jared Schlipman racing side-by-side for fourth. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 6, when Kale Foster spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long jumped back out front, with Spegal and DeLonjay going back to their battle for second. Long once again started to pull away from the field, when the second and final caution appeared on lap 13. Foster would spin in turn 4 to bring out his second solo caution of the race to end his night. Long again grabbed the lead on the restart and then pulled away over the final 12 laps to claim his 4th win of the season at the track. DeLonjay won the battle for 2nd, Spegal was 3rd, Schlipman won the battle for 4th, with Pratt coming home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA SportMods. When Laine VanZandt, who was suppose to start on the pole, elected to go to the rear, that would move Adam Birck and Bob Cowman to the front row. Birck would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lennox and Trevor Hagerbaumer. The action was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Cody Henderson lost an engine down the front stretch and dropped some debris to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox moved out front, with Jim Gillenwater, who started 6th, and Tanner Klingele, who started 8th, following close behind. The three car battle out front was slowed for the second time on lap 8, as Hagerbaumer got sideways in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Lennox once again jumped out front on the restart, with Gillenwater and Klingele going back to their battle for second. Todd Reed spun in turn 2 on lap 15 to slow the action up front for the final time. On the restart Tony Dunker, who started 9th and was running 4th, went thru the middle of Gillenwater and Klingele going into turn 1 and then jumped to the top of the track coming out of turn 2 to grab the lead away from Lennox. Dunker then went on to lead the final 2 laps to claim his 4th win of the season at the track. Gillenwater over took Lennox late to finish in 2nd, Lennox crossed the line in 3rd but was disqualified for not having an IMCA sticker on one of his wheels. This would move Klingele to 3rd, Bradley Holtmeyer passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to move up to 4th, with Bobby Anders coming from 11th to move up to a 5th place finish.

Notes from Quincy: Evan Fink started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished in 6th....Billy Genenbacher came from 11th to finish in 7th......Bryce Baker was involved in a wreck in his Sport Compact heat and wasn't able to make repairs for the feature......David Wietholder, who had a injury, missed his first race in over a decade at that track to end his 270th consecutive feature start streak......Patrick Phillips started the SportMod feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Nathan Bringer passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home home in 8th....Todd Reed, who started 16th and spun on lap 15, recovered to come back up to finish in 9th....Laine VanZandt came from the rear to finish in 10th....Jared Wiemelt started 14th and finished in 11th.

Pippert Tops Stock Car Saturday Showcase at the Independence Motor Speedway

Independence, IA (Saturday, August 9, 2014) - Saturday night I made the trip north to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA. All five weekly classes, IMCA Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks, were in action, with the highlight being a Stock Car Saturday Showcase.

The first feature up on the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Lucas Lundry and Dakoda Sellers leading the field to green. Lundry took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Sellers and Matt McCahen. The action was slowed on lap 4 when Colby Heishman spun in turn 4 to bring out the first yellow of the event. On the restart Lundry jumped back out front, with Sellers working to hold back Jenae Gustin, who started 8th, for the runner up spot. While the battle for second was heating up Lundry started to pull away, until the second caution appeared on lap 8. This time Jim Buhlman spun in turn 4 and collected Brian Hilbert to bring out the yellow. Lundry once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Gustin over taking Seller for the second spot. Lundry, who was working the top of the track, and Gustin, who was working the bottom, ran lap 12 side-by-side, with Gustin slipping out front on lap 13. Gustin then went on to lead the final 2 laps to pick up her seventh win of the season at the track. Lundry settled for 2nd, Alex Zwanziger came from 12th to finish in 3rd, Sellers was 4th, with Danny Dvorak rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car Saturday Showcase feature, with $500 awaiting the winner. Roger Ciesielski and Kevin Rose made up the front row, with Rose grabbing the lead on the drop of the green flag over Ciesielski and Jason Hocken. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, when Justin Hanson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Rose jumped back out front, with Ciesielski and Scott Pippert, who started 8th, close behind. Two laps later, lap 6, Jerome Jacoby spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Rose once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Pippert over taking Ciesielski for the runner up spot. Pippert, who was working the bottom of the track, slipped under Rose to edge him out at the line on lap 11 to grab the top spot. But Rose didn't give up as the two ran laps 12 thru 15 side-by-side, until the final caution appeared on lap 15 to slow the battle down. This time Mitchell Evens went over the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pippert moved back out front, with Rose close behind in second. Coming to the white flag Rose, who went to the bottom of the track, edged out Pippert at the line by inches to grab the lead. Then coming off turn 4 Pippert used the momentum off the top of the track to edge Rose at the line to claim his first Stock Car feature win at the track and took home the $500 top prize. Rose settled for 2nd, Ciesielski was 3rd, Jesse Brown was 4th, with Damon Murty coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

Brennen Chipp and Tom Hanson led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Chipp grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Kaleb Bentley and Hanson. Chipp then held the top spot until lap 5, when Vern Jackson, who started 7th, slipped by up top to take over the lead. Jackson then started to pull away from the field, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 14. J.D. Auringer, who started 10th and was going for 6th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ronn Lauritzen, who started 8th, and Troy Cordes, who started 12th, both slipped under Jackson to move up to first and second on lap 15. Lauritzen, who was working the bottom of the track, then worked to hold off Cordes, who ran the top of the track, over the next 4 laps. Cordes would use the momentum off the top of the track to grab the lead and the win away from Lauritzen on lap 20. It would mark Cordes' second straight win and fourth of the season at the track. Lauritzen was 2nd, Jackson was 3rd, Tyler Droste came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Bentley coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Brett Vanous and Randy Byerly making up the front row. Vanous would take advantage of the his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jamie Whitaker, who started 5th, and Byerly. Byerly jumped to the top of the track on lap 2 to grab the lead away from Vanous, who did a complete 360 spin and kept going. Justin Wacha, who used the bottom of the track, and Byerly, who was up top, ran lap 4 side-by-side, before Byerly edged back out front on lap 5. Wacha would come back on the bottom to grab the lead back on lap 6, only to loose it back to Byerly on lap 7. The two car battle up front turned into a three car battle on lap 8, as Brian Happel, who started 6th, slipped under both to cross the line three wide. Wacha was scored the leader on lap 9, with Happel glued to his back bumper. Happel used the top of the track to take the top spot away from Wacha on lap 13. The battle up front came to a stop on lap 14, when Greg Sweerin spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow and setting up a two lap overtime dash to the finish. On the restart Happel moved back out front, but now had Benji Irvine, who started 10th, close behind in second. Coming out of turn 4 to the checkered flag Irvine got into Happel and got him sideways, which allowed Irvine to cross the line in first. But he was disqualified for questionable driving, which gave Happel his first win of the season at the track. Whitaker was moved up to 2nd, Jeremiah Wilson came from 9th to move up to 3rd, Wacha, who was battling for the lead until the lap 14 caution, had to pit for a flat right rear tire. He would recover to come back up to finish in 4th, with Nick Welch coming from 12th to be credited with 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Rory Metclaf and Drew Johnson leading the field to green. Metcalf would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Sean Johnson and Drew Johnson. Sean Johnson's run up front came to an end on lap 2 when he spun in turn 4, as a result of the sheet metal rubbing on the left rear tire and cutting it down, to bring out the yellow. On the restart Metclaf jumped back out front, with Drew Johnson working to hold back John Emerson, who started 7th, in the battle for second. Emerson, who was glued to the bottom of the track, slipped under Metclaf on lap 8 to take over the top spot. Two laps later, lap 10, the action was slowed for the second and final time, as Greg Kastli, who was running 6th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Emerson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Jon Passick trying to stay close to Emerson's back bumper. But Emerson would pull away over the final 15 laps to pick up his third win of his Late Model rookie season at the track. Passick settled for 2nd, Dean Wagner came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Brian Hunter passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Darren Ackerman coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Indy: Tony Dunker, who is sitting 9th in the IMCA Northern SportMod National Points, made the long pull up from Quincy, Illinois to compete. He started the feature in 10th and would cross the line in 7th....Colby Heishman recovered from his lap 4 spin to come back up to finish in 8th....Jim Buhlman also recovered from a spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 9th....Sean Vogt started 14th and finished in 11th....Steve Wimer came from 15th to finish in 12th....Jared VanDeest, who started 16th and was running 9th, had a left front flat tire under the lap 8 caution to end his night in 14th....Kevin Hurst, who was running 5th, pulled off with troubles on the lap 4 caution to end his night in 16th......Norman Chesmore, was running 4th going into turn 3 on the last lap of the Stock Car feature, when Jarod Weepie got into him. Which caused him to spin in turn 4 and collect Tony Schimmels, who was running 6th, Tim Helle, who was running 7th, and Justin Hanson, who was running 8th. Chesmore was credited with 7th, Schimmels was credited with 8th, Helle was credited with 9th, and Hanson credited with 10th....Justin Temeyer, who started 11th and was running 4th, exited the track on the lap 6 caution with a left front flat tire to end his night in 13th....Weepie was disqualified for questionable driving and was scored in 14th....Matt Brown and Russell Damme Jr. had troubles after their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature....Rick Milks had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Josh Sherbon started the Modified feature in 16th and passed 10 cars to come home in 10th....Scott Hogan came from 11th to finish in 7th....J.D. Auringer recovered from his lap 14 spin to come back up to finish in 9th....Ed Thomas came from 14th to finish in 10th....Jeff Kriz started 15th and finished in 12th....Jason Morehouse came from 17th to finish in 13th....Terry Johnson started 18th and finished in 14th....Todd Jensen came from 20th to finish in 15th....Tim McBride started 19th and finsihed in 16th....Brennen Chipp, who was running 8th, pulled off under the lap 14 caution to end his night in 19th....Justin Buehler had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from the feature....J.J. Scott signed in but never hit the race track all night......Matt Burmeister finished the Hobby Stock feature in 6th after starting in 11th....Greg Sweerin, who started 14th and spun on lap 14, recovered to come back up to finish in 7th.

I would like to thank Ryan Clark and the entire crew for the great hospitality all season long! Even with a full moon shining they were able to run a fast and efficient program, as heat races started at 6:25 pm and where completed by 7:15 pm, with the final checkered flag waving at 8:58 pm. Which really helped, since I had a three hour drive home to look forward to.

Zach Dahl Inherited the 4 Stock Nationals Big Payday at the Davenport Speedway

Davenport, IA (Friday, August 8, 2014) - After taking two weeks off for the Mississippi Valley Fair, the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa got back to there weekly Friday night racing. The highlight of the night was the 4 Stock Nationals, as the 4 Cylinders raced a 50 lap feature for $2,000 to win. Also in action on the night was the IMCA Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMods, and Street Stocks.

The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Street Stocks, with Dwayne Smith Jr. and Randy Lamar leading the field to the green flag. Lamar would use his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Smith Jr. and Rick Schriner. While Lamar paced the field out front, several cars behind him were racing side-by-side for positions. As a result of the close racing, Nick Claussen went for a spin in turn 2 on lap 4 from contact with Cord Williams, while battling for the third spot, to bring out the first and only caution of the event. On the restart Lamar jumped back out front, with Smith Jr. and Schriner battling for the runner up spot. Once again Lamar paced the field out front, while Steve Jackson, who started 10th, was working his way to the front. Jackson would over take Smith Jr. on lap 12 to move into the second spot and then went to work on chasing down Lamar for the lead. But Lamar was able to hold off Jackson's last lap charge to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Jackson settled for 2nd, Kevin Dickey was 3rd, Schriner was 4th, with Cary Brown coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Stephan Kammerer and LeRoy Brenner making up the front row for the event. Kammerer took advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brenner and Joe Zrostlik. Kammerer then held the top spot until lap 3, when Zrostlik slipped past for the lead. But disaster would strike Zrostlik in turn 2 of lap 3, when he spun in front of the field to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kammerer jumped back out front, with Matt Ryan, who started 5th, over taking Brenner for the second spot. Kammerer, who was running the top of the track, then had to work to hold off Ryan, who worked the bottom, over the next 11 laps. But Ryan was able to slip past Kammerer on lap 16 for the lead, with Mike Murphy Jr., who started 10th, moving in to make it a three car battle up front. Murphy Jr. would slip under Ryan on lap 23 to take over the top spot. The action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 23, when Kammerer, who was running 4th, slipped over the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Murphy Jr. moved back out front, with Ryan working to hold back Justin Kay, who started 9th, for the runner up spot. Murphy Jr. would lead the final 3 laps to claim his second win of the season at the track. Ryan held on for 2nd, Kay was 3rd, Nate Bueseling came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Brunson Behning coming home in 5th.

Shawn Pappas and Zach Dahl drew the front row for the 50 lap 4 Stock Nationals feature, with Zach Dahl jumping out front on lap 1 over Gage Neal and Andy Loy, who started 7th. Joe Zrostlik, who started 10th, moved into the runner up spot on lap 3 and then went to work on Zach Dahl for the top spot. Dahl, who was running the bottom, was over taken by Zrostlik, who was up top, on lap 8. Zrostlik was setting a fast pace out front, as he started to enter into lapped traffic on lap 13. But the first caution of the event slowed him down on lap 18, as Austen Becerra, who started 16th and had worked his way to 9th, slowed down the back stretch with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Zrostlik jumped back out front, with Zach Dahl working to hold back Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Jay Orr, who started 12th, for second. Orr would slip past Zach Dahl on lap 21 and then went to work on Zrostlik for the top spot. On lap 23 Orr was able to edge out Zrostlik at the line to take over the lead. One lap later, lap 24, Zrostlik would exit the track in turn 1 with troubles to end his night. While Orr paced the field out front, the battle for second was heating up between Zach Dahl, Brandon Dahl, Neal and Loy. Orr started to enter lapped traffic on lap 34, which allowed Zach Dahl to close on him. But the action was slowed for the second and final time on lap 27, as Dustin Forbes, who was running 9th, stopped in turn 1 with troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart Orr moved back out front and then held off Zach Dahl to cross the finish line in first. But after post race inspection, Orr was disqualified for illegal engine compression. Which gave the win and the $2,000 top prize to Zach Dahl. Brandon Dahl was moved to 2nd, Loy was moved up to 3rd, Aaron Hitt, who started 14th, was moved up to the 4th spot, with Josh Barnes, who started 20th as an alternate when John Whalen scratched from the feature, moving up to complete the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Todd Dykema and Scott Powell leading the field to the green flag. Dykema would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Powell and Rob Henry. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Bob Dominacki spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dykema moved back out front, with Milo Veloz Jr., close behind in second. Veloz Jr. would slip under Dykema on lap 4 to take over the top spot and then started to pull away from the field. But the second caution of the race appeared on lap 9 to slow Veloz Jr. down and bring the field back to his back bumper. Brian Stock spun in turn 4 to bring out the the yellow. Veloz Jr. jumped back out front on the restart, with Mitch Morris, who started 9th, Chris Zogg, who started 10th, and Matt Werner, who started 7th, all battling for the second spot. Zogg, who was running the top of the track, use the momentum to edge out Veloz Jr. for the top spot on lap 13. Two laps later, lap 15, Rob Dominacki would spin in turn 2 to bring out the third and final caution of the event. On the restart Zogg moved back out front, with Veloz Jr. working to hold back Morris for the runner up spot. Zogg would pull away over the final 5 laps to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Morris won the battle for 2nd, Veloz Jr. was 3rd, Kelly Meyer started 12th and finished 4th, with Joe Beal passing 15 cars from his 20th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

The final feature set to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods. But with a 10:30 pm curfew in effect, that race had to be postponed until the following week.

Notes from Davenport: 34 4 Stocks, 23 Modifieds, 17 Late Models, 17 Street Stocks, and 15 SportMods made up the 106 cars signed in on the night....Four 4 Stock heat races were ran, with the top 3 from each going into the 50 lap A Main. The remainder went into one of the two Semi's, in which the top 4 out of those races making up the 20 car field.......Chad Coyne passed 9 cars from his 16th place starting spot in the Street Stock feature, to come home in 7th....Cord Williams recovered from his involvement in the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish in 8th....Nick Claussen also recovered from the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish in 10th....Steve Gustaf Sr. came from 15th to finish in 12th....Donnie Louck, who started 9th and had worked his way to 5th, slipped over the track in turn 1 on lap 13. He would drive his car straight to the pits without bringing out the caution to end his night in 14th....Brian Wiseman had troubles after hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Mike Zemo Jr. started the Late Model feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to finish in 6th....Spencer Diercks drove the #4D usually piloted by Marty Diercks, and started the feature in 12th. He would pass 5 cars to come home in 7th....Chuck Hanna came from 15th to finish in 9th....Duane Christensen finished 10th after starting in 14th....Todd Malmstrom, who was running 7th, pulled off on lap 19 with engine troubles to end his night in 12th....Ray Guss Jr., who started 16th and had worked his way to 10th by lap 3, had to be pushed to the pits under the caution when the car died to end his night in 15th......Cody Brundage started the 4 Stock feature in 17th and passed 10 cars to finish in 7th....Michael Grossman also passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Allen Morris came from 19th to finish in 9th....Gage Neal, who was battling up front, pulled off on lap 49 with troubles to end his night in 10th....Luke Benischek, Jacob Ellithorpe, Brandt Cole, Richard Dearborn, Cory Sheetz, Rob Nylin, Rob Harding Jr., Sean Fersch, William Michel, Drew Wise, and Andrew Fitzgerald were among the 13 drivers who didn't make it out of the Semi's......Craig Crawford started the Modified feature in 15th and finished in 12th....Dustin Smith made his Davenport debut in the Modified class. He would started the feature in 23rd and passed 10 cars to come home in 13th....Greg Wilson came from 18th to finish in 15th....Rich Smith, Jake Waterman and Tyler Smith all had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature.

Chad Krogmeier Earns His First Career Stock Car Feature Win at 34 Raceway

West Burlington, IA (Saturday, August 2, 2014) - Finally a Saturday night with bright sunny skies that treated the 100 competitors who signed in at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. At the end of the night there was three new winners and three repeat winners standing in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap 4 Cylinders, with Shawn Baker and Jeffery DeLonjay leading the field to the green flag. DeLonjay took advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Daytona Fenton and Baker. Just after lap 1 was scored complete the first caution of the event appeared, as a tire was clipped in turn 4 and moved out onto the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dustin Ravelin, who was running 4th after staring in 8th, spun in turn 2 and collected Roy Norton to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Fenton slipped past DeLonjay to grab the lead on lap 2, followed by Austen Becerra, who started eleventh, and Brandon Lambert, who started thirteenth. Fenton then had to work to hold off Becerra and Lambert over the next 3 laps, when the third and final caution of the event came out on lap 5. This time Blake Anderson came to a stop in turn 3 from contact from Ron Kibbe, as the two were battling for the fifth spot, to bring out the yellow. Fenton once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Becerra and Lambert close behind. Becerra tried to work around the top of Fenton over the next 2 laps, before he was able to make the pass on lap 9 to take over the top spot. Becerra then pulled away over the final 3 laps to claim his 7th win at the track and 29th overall on the season. Fenton held on for 2nd, Lambert was 3rd, Larry Miller came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Rachael Reger coming from 15th to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 12 lap Mod Lite feature, with Michael Dominguez and Jimmy Halcomb making up the front row for the event. Halcomb would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Collin Ball and Dominguez. But his lead only last for 1 lap, as Daniel Keltner, who started 6th, used the top of the track to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Just after the lap was scored complete the first and only caution of the race appeared, as Jared Halcomb spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Keltner jumped back out front, but now had Greg Rossell, who was driving Jimmy Halcomb's #8 machine, close behind after restarting in 5th. Rossell stayed close to Keltner over the final 9 laps, but Keltner was able to hold him off on the final lap to pick up his 6th win of the season at the track. Rossell settled for 2nd, Ball was 3rd, Justin Buchholz was 4th, with Devon Rouse rounding out the top 5.

Randy Wachter and Chad Krogmeier led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Krogmeier grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Dane Fenton and Ray Raker, who started 6th. With Krogmeier out front the battle for second thru seventh was a tight one, as Fenton, Raker, Jake Wenig, who started 5th, John Oliver Jr., who started 8th, Tom Bowling Jr., who started 9th, and Shane Watts, who started 7th, swapped those spot several times over the entire 20 laps. But Krogmeier stayed out front in a caution free race to claim his first career Stock Car feature win. Fenton held on for 2nd, Wenig was 3rd, Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Bowling Jr. coming home in 5th.

The 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature was next to take to the track, with David Cloke and Creston Williams making up the front row. Cloke took advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Williams and Kyle Hill. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, as Andre' LaPorte spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hill used the bottom of the track to grab the top spot away from Cloke on lap 3. Hill then had to work to hold off Dakota Simmons, Bobby Anders, who started 8th, and Tony Olson, who started 9th, over the next 9 laps. The battle up front was slowed for the second time on lap 12, as Ethan Allen came to stop in the exit of the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Williams, who was running 5th, and Joey Gower, who was running 7th, tangled down the front stretch to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Hill jump back out front, with Simmons and Olson close behind. But disaster would strike Olson on lap 14, as Scott VanBuskirk got into him in turn 2 and caused him to spin to bring out the yellow. This would also set up a one lap dash to the finish. On the restart Hill moved back out front, with Anders close behind. Going into turn 3 Anders drove it hard under Hill and slid up in front of him. But Hill used a cross over move to slip under Anders off turn 4 to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Anders settled for 2nd, Simmons was 3rd, Sean Wyett came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Gower recovering from his wreck on lap 12 to come back up to finish in 5th.

Chase Wanner and Jacob Glasgow led the field to green in the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature. But Glasgow would spin in turn 4 on the drop of the green and collected Johnny Huddleston and Heath Bundy to bring out the caution. As a result of Glasgow's spin and Dillan Roth, who was suppose to start 4th, and Dustin Clark, who was suppose to start 6th, scratching from the feature this would move eighth place starter Donnie Steward to the outside of the front row for the restart. Steward took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Wanner and Jayson Ditsworth, who started 10th. The action up front was slowed on lap 2, when Andy Peterson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Steward moved back out front, with Ditsworth working to hold back Jarrod Schneiderman, who started 12th, in the battle for second. Steward started to enter lapped traffic on lap 8, which allowed Ditsworth and Schneiderman to close in on his back bumper. Distworth tried to use the lapped cars to slid up in front of Steward in turn 3 on lap 13, but Steward used a cross over move coming out of turn 4 to keep the top spot. Three laps later, lap 16, Schneiderman tried to slid under Ditsworth in turn 2 and slid up into the lapped car of Andy Krieger. Which resulted in Schneiderman rolling in turn 2 to bring out the red. He would climb from the car okay. Once again Steward moved out front on the restart, with Ditsworth close behind. Steward would go on to lead the final 4 laps to pick up his second win in a row and third overall at the track. Ditsworth was 2nd, Daniel Bergquist came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Ryan Jamison started 11th and finished in 4th, with Andy Huston passing 8 cars from his 13th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Dugan Thye and Dennis LaVeine on the front row. LaVeine would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Tyler Glass and Dean McGee. The action was slowed on lap 2, when Darrow Lillie spun in turn 3 and collected Chadwick Giberson to bring out the yellow. On the restart LaVeine moved back out front, with Glass and McGee battling for second. But one lap later, lap 3, another caution slowed the action, as Larry McConnell spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. LaVeine jumped back out front on the restart, with Bill Roberts Jr., who started 6th, moving into second. Two laps later, lap 5, Troy Greiner came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Roberts Jr. used the bottom of the track to take the top spot from LaVeine on lap 6. While Roberts Jr. worked to hold back LaVeine, McGee, Jeff Waterman, who started 7th, and Glass were battling for the third spot. Until a lapped car got sideways coming off turn 4 on lap 12 and clipped the back of McGee's car. Which sent McGee spinning into the wall down the front stretch and collecting Glass to bring out the yellow. Roberts Jr. jumped back out front on the restart and then held on over the final 8 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. LaVeine settled for 2nd, Waterman was 3rd, Tyler Cale came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Brandon Banks coming from 11th to finish in 5th.

Notes from 34: 22 305 Sprints, 21 4 Cylinders, 19 Modifieds, 15 SportMods, 12 Mod Lites and 11 Stock Cars made up the 100 cars signed in on the night......Kimberly Abbott started the 4 Cylinder feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Brian Mehaffy passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Ron Kibbe recovered from his involvement in the lap 5 caution to come back up to finish in 8th....Barry Taft came from 12th to finish in 8th....Rebecca Reger made her debut and started in 21st. She passed 6 cars to come home in 15th....Daniel Campbell had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Gary Snyder came from 10th in the Mod Lite feature to come home in 6th....Jimmy Terstriep, from Tucson, Arizona was visiting relatives in the area, finished 9th....Wyatt Wilkerson made his debut and finished in 10th......Adam Shelman passed 6 cars from his 12th place starting spot in the SportMod feature to come home in 5th....Creston Williams recovered from his involvement in the lap 12 caution to come back up to finish in 7th....Andre' LaPorte recovered from his spin on lap 2 to come back up to finish in 8th....Jonny Williams, Tom Lathrop and Brett Timmerman all had troubles in there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Dave Getchell passed 11 cars from his 20th place starting spot in the 305 Sprint feature to come home in 9th....Janelle Schneiderman came from 18th to finish in 11th....Dillan Roth and Dustin Clark had troubles in staging, and Kyle Peterson had troubles in the heat race that forced them to scratch from the feature....Mitch Morris started the Modified feature in 8th and finished in 6th....Chris Zogg came from 10th to finish in 7th....Tyler Glass recovered from the lap 12 crash to come back up to finish in 8th....Mike Weikert Jr. started 12th and finished in 9th....Blake Woodruff came from 13th to finish in 11th....Dustin Smith made his debut in the Modified class, after moving up from the SportMods. He started in 17th and finished in 13th.