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.
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