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.
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