West Burlington, IA (Saturday, April 26, 2014) - Despite the dark clouds and lighting building to the south of 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa they were able to get there full program in, with 100 cars signed in for competition. Donnie Steward (305 Sprints), Brandon Rothzen (IMCA Modifieds), Tom Bowling Jr. (IMCA Stock Cars), Sean Wyett (IMCA SportMods), Jimmy Halcomb (Mod Lites), and Patrick "Skipp" Dunker (4 Cylinders) scored feature wins in there respective classes.
The first feature up on the night was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Sean Wyett and Blake Woodruff drawing the front row for the event. Wyett would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Adam Shelman, who started 5th, and Brett Timmerman, who started 8th. Just as Wyett started to put some distance between himself and the runner up spot, the first caution appeared on lap 5. Scott Williams would spin his machine in turn 4 to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Jonny Williams, Dakota Simmons and Andre' LaPorte collided in turn 2 to bring the caution back out. The following restart had Wyett jump back out front, with Timmerman working to hold back Tony Dunker for the second spot. Wyett was able to lead all 15 laps to pick up the win. Dunker would finish in 2nd, Jeff DeLonjay came from 11th to finish in 3rd, Shelman held on for 4th, with Dustin Crear rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 12 lap Mod Lite feature, with Daniel Keltner and Jimmy Halcomb drawing the front row for the event. Keltner used his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Halcomb and Michael Dominquez. The action up front was slowed on lap 4, when Jake Halcomb spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jimmy Halcomb jumped to the outside of Keltner to grab the lead away, with Justin Buchholz coming from 5th to challenge Keltner for second. The three car battle for the top spot would be slowed one lap later, as Graham Fate spun down the backstretch on lap 5 to bring out the yellow. Jimmy Halcomb moved back out front on the restart and then held off a last lap challenge from Keltner to claim the win. Keltner settled for 2nd, Buchholz was 3rd, Jake Halcomb recovered from his lap 4 spin to come back up to finish 4th, with Collin Ball coming home in 5th.
Dane Fenton and Mark Bowman led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Fenton grabbing the lead on lap 1 over John Brockway and Bowman. Just as the action up front was getting hot, the first caution of the event appeared on lap 3. Jake Wenig, who started 7th and had worked his way to 3rd, spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Robert Thompson spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Fenton move back out front, with Jim Lynch and Tom Bowling Jr., who started 8th, battling close behind. Fenton held off all challenges until lap 11, when John Oliver Jr., who started 10th, used the middle of the track in turn 3 to go from third to grab the top spot. The top five of Oliver Jr., Fenton, Lynch, Bowling Jr., and Ray Raker, who started 9th, where putting on a show for the crowd and were pulling away from the rest of the field. When the final caution of the event slowed the action on lap 17. Wening, worked his way back to 9th after his lap 3 spin, spun in turn 4 and collected the car of Erik Knutsen, who started 17th and had worked his way to 10th, to bring out the yellow. Oliver Jr. jumped back out front on the restart, with Bowling Jr. and Lynch close behind. As the top three took the white flag, Bowling Jr. slid under Oliver Jr. in turn 2 to grab the top spot down the backstretch. Oliver Jr. then tried to use that same move in turns 3 and 4, as the two made contact coming off turn 4 to race to the checkered flag. Bowling Jr. would cross the line sideways across Oliver Jr.'s nose to score the win. Oliver Jr. was 2nd, Lynch was 3rd, Raker was 4th, with Fenton rounding out the top 5.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Dugan Thye and Tyler Glass leading the field to the green. Glass took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dustan Fenton and Thye. As Glass pulled away from the field and looked to be heading to the win, the first caution came out on lap 8 to bring the field back to his back bumper. Thye would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Disaster would strike Glass on the restart, as he slid off turns 1 and 2 and came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Brandon Rothzen, who started 7th, inherited the lead for the restart, with Dennis LaVeine close behind in second. Rothzen held off LaVeine over the final 12 laps to pick up his second win of the weekend, as he scored a win Friday night at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, Iowa. LaVeine settled for 2nd, Mitch Morris came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Jerrod Fuller started 10th and finished in 4th, with Fenton holding on for 5th.
Shane Quam and Donnie Steward drew the front row for the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, with Steward grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Quam and Shawn Whiting. Steward then worked to hold back Quam and John Schulz over the next 8 laps, when the first caution came out to slow the action. Jacob Glasgow and Chase Wanner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Steward jumped back out front, with Schulz over taking Quam for the runner up spot. Steward held the top spot until lap 12, when Schulz slid under him to take the lead. Schulz looked to be heading to his second win in a row, until disaster struck him on lap 15. Heavy smoke poured out from under his machine down the front stretch, as he came to a stop off turn 2, to bring out the caution and ending his night. Steward inherited the lead for the restart and held it until the final caution appeared one lap later, on lap 16. Justin Newberry, who started 8th and was running 5th, did a complete 360 in turn 2 and collected Dustin Whiting, who started 16th and was running 6th, to bring out the yellow. Once again Steward moved out front on the restart and then held on over the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Jayson Ditsworth came from 12th to finish in 2nd, Quam held on for 3rd, Nick Guernsey started 13th and finished in 4th, with Newberry recovering from his lap 16 spin to come back up to finish 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 12 lap 4 Cylinders, with Dustin Ravelin and Shawn Baker leading the field to the green. On the first attempt of a green flag, Ravelin jumped the start to bring out the yellow. But Baker, Rachael Reger, Brian Mehaffy, Billy Stanford, and Austen Becerra piled up in turn 2 to bring out the red flag. The second attempt of a start saw Ravelin jump the start to bring the yellow back on, which sent Ravelin to the back and moved Jerrod Nichols to the pole for the third restart. On the third original start Daytona Fenton would roll several times in turn four to bring the red flag out. Fenton climbed from his car okay! Nichols and William Michel, who had started 8th, now led the field to the green. But it was 11th place starter Wayne Noble who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Nichols and Michel. Noble would hold the top spot until lap 10, when Patrick "Skipp" Dunker, who started 12th, used the top of the track to get past Noble for the lead. Dunker then led the final 2 laps to pick up his first win of the season. Noble was 2nd, Michel was 3rd, Nichols was 4th, with Chuck Fullenkamp coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Notes from 34: 22 4 Cylinders, 21 305 Sprints, 18 SportMods, 17 Stock Cars, 12 Modifieds, and 10 Mod Lites made up the 100 cars signed in for the night......Brett Timmerman, who was running 3rd, slipped over turns 1 and 2 on lap 13 of the SportMod feature and fell back to 6th where he finished....Bobby Anders came from 15th to pass 8 cars to take home a 7th place finish....Bradley Holtmeyer started 16th and finished in 10th....Dakota Simmons recovered from the lap 5 spin to come back up to finish in 11th....Andre' LaPorte also recovered from the lap 5 spin to come back up to 13th....Colton Bowman started 18th and finished 14th......Randy Wachter started the Stock Car feature in 14th and passed 5 cars to take home a 9th place finish....Derek Schwandt had troubles in his heat to force him to scratch from the feature......Bill Roberts started the Modified feature in 8th and finished 6th....Tyler Glass recovered from his lap 8 spin to come back to finish 7th....Dugan Thye also recovered from his lap 8 spin to come back up to 8th....Larry McConnell started 12th and finished 10th......Andy Huston came from 19th in the 305 Sprint feature and passed 13 cars to finish in 6th....Dave Getchell came from 14th to finish in 7th....Dillan Roth passed 13 cars from his 21st starting spot to finish in 8th....Andy Krieger started 15th and took home a 9th place finish....Dustin Whiting recovered from being involved in the lap 16 caution to come back up to finish in 10th....Kyle Peterson had troubles in his heat to force him to scratch from the feature......Jacob Brown started the 4 Cylinder feature in 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Jeff DeLonjay came from 13th to finish in 7th....Bryerson Tharp started 18th and passed 10 cars to finish in 8th....Larry Miller passed 13 cars from his 22nd starting spot to take home a 9th place finish....Dustin Ravelin recovered from his two false starts on the start of the feature to come from the rear to finish in 10th....Roy Norton passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 11th....Kevin Mortimer started 16th and finished in 13th....Tyler Dimmitt came from 19th to finish in 14th....Duane Dixon started 21st and came up to finish in 17th.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Unzicker Prevails in ALMS Stop at Quincy Raceways
Quincy, IL (Sunday, April 20, 2014) - A beautiful Easter Sunday helped to put a end to my three day weekend of racing, as I made the trip south to the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL. The American Late Model Series (ALMS) made a stop at the track, as well as weekly points openers in the UMP Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Sport Compacts.
The first feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Abe Huls and Jerry Jansen drawing the front row for the event. Huls would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jim Lynch. Huls and Lynch then pulled away from the field, leaving Jansen, Brandon Savage, Jake Powers and Nathan Hayes to battle for the third spot. Lynch tried the low side of one and two to get around Huls over the final 5 laps, but Huls would hold him off to pick up the win. Lynch settled for 2nd, Jansen won the battle for 3rd, Powers was 4th, with Savage coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 40 lap ALMS Late Model feature, with Jason Perry and Ryan Unzicker leading the field to the green flag. Unzicker jumped out front on lap 1 over Perry and Bobby Pierce, and then held it until the first and only caution of the event appeared on lap 8. Jamie Wilson slipped over the track in turns three and four to bring out the yellow. On the restart Unzicker moved back out front, but now had Pierce glued to his back bumper. Unzicker, who was using the middle to top of the track, and Pierce, who was on the bottom, ran laps 13, 14 and 15 side-by-side with Unzicker holding the top spot at the line each lap. But Pierce wouldn't give up as he got up beside Unzicker for laps 25 and 26, before finally grabbing the lead on lap 27. Pierce started to pull away from the field until he crossed the line on lap 32, when he made the left turn into the infield without power. This would hand the lead over to Unzicker, who led the final 8 laps to claim the win and the $2,000 top prize. Kevin Weaver came from 6th to finish in 2nd, Jason Riggs was 3rd, Denny Woodworth started 7th and finished 4th, with Mark Burgtorf coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Trevor Hagerbaumer and Joey Gower drew the front row for the 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Gower grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Bradley Holtmeyer and Tony Dunker, who started 5th. Gower then held the top spot until lap 4 when the first caution of the event appeared, as Brandon Lennox got into the wall down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker slipped under Gower to grab the lead, leaving Gower to work to hold back Bobby Anders, who started 7th. Gower, who was using the top of the track, was able to get up beside Dunker on lap 6 and just as he took over the lead on lap 7 the caution would come out giving the lead back to Dunker. Jon Lear would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Dunker once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Gower close behind. One lap later, on lap 7, the yellow light would come back on. This time Anders, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 and collected fourth place runner Holtmeyer to bring the caution light back on. On the restart Jeff DeLonjay would spin in turn 4 to bring the yellow back out. The following restart saw Gower jump up top of Dunker to take the lead away. Gower then pulled away over the final 11 laps to pick up the win. Dunker was 2nd, Anders recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 3rd, Aaron Brocksieck, as past Stock Car track champion, returned to finish his first SportMod feature in 4th after starting in 6th, with Charles VanZandt coming from 14th to round out the top 5.
Michael Long and Jacob Poel led the field to the green in the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Long grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Poel and David Wietholder. The first of four cautions would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Shawn Deering, Nick O'Dell and Dylan Hoover collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long jumped back out front, with Wietholder over taking Poel for the runner up spot. Just as the top three cars started battling for the top spot, the second caution of the event appeared on lap 9. This time Hoover and Steve Grotz tangle in turn 2 to bring the yellow out. Long once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held it until lap 11, when Poel used the top of the track to over take him for the lead. Poel then had to work to hold back Long, even through lapped traffic, when they were slowed for the third time on lap 20. The lapped car of Spencer Havermale would spin in turn 4 and collect third place runner Wietholder to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Poel moved back out front, with Long close behind. The action up front was slowed for the fourth and final time on lap 23, as Jared Schlipman spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Poel grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Long over the final 2 laps to claim the win. Long was 2nd, Steven DeLonjay was 3rd, Robbie Reed was 4th, with Shane Lewis rounding out the top 5.
The final feature up on the night was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Austen Becerra and Kimberly Abbott drawing the front row for the event. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Bryce Baker spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Becerra jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Abbott and Patrick "Skipp" Dunker. Dunker who was challenging Becerra for the top spot suddenly slowed on lap 10 and fell back to 5th before getting going again. This would allow Becerra to pull away to pick up the win. Abbott was 2nd, Mike Hornung Jr. was 3rd, Dunker was able to finish in 4th, with Baker recovering from his opening lap spin to come back to finish in 5th.
Notes from Quincy: The Stock Car feature went 18 laps caution FREE!......Trace Westling started the ALMS Late Model feature in 12th and finished in 8th....Bobby Pierce, who was going for his third win on the weekend and sixth in a row, pulled off while leading with motor troubles to end his night in 9th....Michael Long started 13th and finished 10th....Jason Perry, who was running 5th on lap 17, pulled off with mechanical troubles to end his night in 12th....Jim Moon pulled into the pits after the Late Model heats were completed, which put him 14th for the feature. He made a few laps and pulled off to finish 13th......Trent Grotz came from 9th in the SportMod feature to finish in 6th....Todd Reed passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to take home 8th....Laine VanZandt made the move up from the Sport Compacts to the SportMods. He started 13th and brought home a 9th place finish....Jacob Poel made the long pull down from Spring Lake, Michigan pay off, as he took the UMP Modified feature win....Steve Grotz recovered from his involvement in the lap 9 caution to come back to finish in 7th....Jared Schlipman was 8th after his spin with two laps to go....Wietholder was credited with 9th after running 3rd and getting collected by a lap car on lap 20.
The first feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Abe Huls and Jerry Jansen drawing the front row for the event. Huls would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jim Lynch. Huls and Lynch then pulled away from the field, leaving Jansen, Brandon Savage, Jake Powers and Nathan Hayes to battle for the third spot. Lynch tried the low side of one and two to get around Huls over the final 5 laps, but Huls would hold him off to pick up the win. Lynch settled for 2nd, Jansen won the battle for 3rd, Powers was 4th, with Savage coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 40 lap ALMS Late Model feature, with Jason Perry and Ryan Unzicker leading the field to the green flag. Unzicker jumped out front on lap 1 over Perry and Bobby Pierce, and then held it until the first and only caution of the event appeared on lap 8. Jamie Wilson slipped over the track in turns three and four to bring out the yellow. On the restart Unzicker moved back out front, but now had Pierce glued to his back bumper. Unzicker, who was using the middle to top of the track, and Pierce, who was on the bottom, ran laps 13, 14 and 15 side-by-side with Unzicker holding the top spot at the line each lap. But Pierce wouldn't give up as he got up beside Unzicker for laps 25 and 26, before finally grabbing the lead on lap 27. Pierce started to pull away from the field until he crossed the line on lap 32, when he made the left turn into the infield without power. This would hand the lead over to Unzicker, who led the final 8 laps to claim the win and the $2,000 top prize. Kevin Weaver came from 6th to finish in 2nd, Jason Riggs was 3rd, Denny Woodworth started 7th and finished 4th, with Mark Burgtorf coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Trevor Hagerbaumer and Joey Gower drew the front row for the 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Gower grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Bradley Holtmeyer and Tony Dunker, who started 5th. Gower then held the top spot until lap 4 when the first caution of the event appeared, as Brandon Lennox got into the wall down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker slipped under Gower to grab the lead, leaving Gower to work to hold back Bobby Anders, who started 7th. Gower, who was using the top of the track, was able to get up beside Dunker on lap 6 and just as he took over the lead on lap 7 the caution would come out giving the lead back to Dunker. Jon Lear would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Dunker once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Gower close behind. One lap later, on lap 7, the yellow light would come back on. This time Anders, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 and collected fourth place runner Holtmeyer to bring the caution light back on. On the restart Jeff DeLonjay would spin in turn 4 to bring the yellow back out. The following restart saw Gower jump up top of Dunker to take the lead away. Gower then pulled away over the final 11 laps to pick up the win. Dunker was 2nd, Anders recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 3rd, Aaron Brocksieck, as past Stock Car track champion, returned to finish his first SportMod feature in 4th after starting in 6th, with Charles VanZandt coming from 14th to round out the top 5.
Michael Long and Jacob Poel led the field to the green in the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Long grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Poel and David Wietholder. The first of four cautions would come out after the completion of lap 1, as Shawn Deering, Nick O'Dell and Dylan Hoover collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long jumped back out front, with Wietholder over taking Poel for the runner up spot. Just as the top three cars started battling for the top spot, the second caution of the event appeared on lap 9. This time Hoover and Steve Grotz tangle in turn 2 to bring the yellow out. Long once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then held it until lap 11, when Poel used the top of the track to over take him for the lead. Poel then had to work to hold back Long, even through lapped traffic, when they were slowed for the third time on lap 20. The lapped car of Spencer Havermale would spin in turn 4 and collect third place runner Wietholder to bring the yellow light on. On the restart Poel moved back out front, with Long close behind. The action up front was slowed for the fourth and final time on lap 23, as Jared Schlipman spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Poel grabbed the lead on the restart and then held off Long over the final 2 laps to claim the win. Long was 2nd, Steven DeLonjay was 3rd, Robbie Reed was 4th, with Shane Lewis rounding out the top 5.
The final feature up on the night was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Austen Becerra and Kimberly Abbott drawing the front row for the event. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Bryce Baker spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Becerra jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Abbott and Patrick "Skipp" Dunker. Dunker who was challenging Becerra for the top spot suddenly slowed on lap 10 and fell back to 5th before getting going again. This would allow Becerra to pull away to pick up the win. Abbott was 2nd, Mike Hornung Jr. was 3rd, Dunker was able to finish in 4th, with Baker recovering from his opening lap spin to come back to finish in 5th.
Notes from Quincy: The Stock Car feature went 18 laps caution FREE!......Trace Westling started the ALMS Late Model feature in 12th and finished in 8th....Bobby Pierce, who was going for his third win on the weekend and sixth in a row, pulled off while leading with motor troubles to end his night in 9th....Michael Long started 13th and finished 10th....Jason Perry, who was running 5th on lap 17, pulled off with mechanical troubles to end his night in 12th....Jim Moon pulled into the pits after the Late Model heats were completed, which put him 14th for the feature. He made a few laps and pulled off to finish 13th......Trent Grotz came from 9th in the SportMod feature to finish in 6th....Todd Reed passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to take home 8th....Laine VanZandt made the move up from the Sport Compacts to the SportMods. He started 13th and brought home a 9th place finish....Jacob Poel made the long pull down from Spring Lake, Michigan pay off, as he took the UMP Modified feature win....Steve Grotz recovered from his involvement in the lap 9 caution to come back to finish in 7th....Jared Schlipman was 8th after his spin with two laps to go....Wietholder was credited with 9th after running 3rd and getting collected by a lap car on lap 20.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Pierce Dominates "Slocum 50" at 34 Raceway
West Burlington, IA (Saturday, April 19, 2014) - Saturday night's "Slocum 50" at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa is an event everybody looks forward to putting on there calendar when the schedule of events comes out each year for the past 6 years. This event honors Brent Slocum, who was taking after a pit accident back in 2005 at 34 Raceway. Thanks to his many friends, family and great sponsors his memory is carried on with this annual event. The 2014 edition of the "Slocum 50" boosted the biggest payout in the 6 year anniversary, with the winner taking home a check for $10,555, and it also marked the first time featuring the open Late Model type rules.
The first feature up on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jake Wenig and Jim Redmann drawing the front row for the event. Wenig would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Redmann. Wenig then held off Redmann until the first caution of the event appeared on lap 7, as Mark Bowman spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jim Lynch would spin in turn 2 and collect Dane Fenton to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Redmann edge out Jason Cook, who started 8th, at the line by inches to grab the lead on lap 8. But Cook, who was using the bottom of the track, managed to edge out Redmann at the line by inches to lead lap 9. Just as the battle up front was heating up with two and even three wide racing for the top 5 spots, Blaine Dopler would spin in turn 2 on lap 10 to slow the action down. Cook jumped back out front on the restart, only to be slowed one lap later. As Dopler spun in turn 2 on lap 11 to bring the caution out. Once again Cook moved out front on the restart and held on over the final 9 laps to pick up the win. Redmann was 2nd, John Oliver Jr. was 3rd, Ray Raker was 4th, with Tom Bowling Jr. coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Justin Newberry drew the pole for the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, but when he slowed to a stop in turn 3 on the parade lap and was pushed to the pits, this moved Cody Wehrle to the pole next to Matt Krieger. Wehrle jumped out into the lead on the drop of the green flag over Krieger and Jayson Ditsworth. Wehrle, who was using the bottom of the track, and Krieger, who was up top, had a battle going for the lead until disaster struck them both on lap 7. Krieger was able to squeeze under Wehrle going into turn three, but with both bumping wheels, Wehrle would get sideways and had Krieger go over his left front. Krieger would end up upside down in turn 4 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car dejected but okay. While Wehrle did a complete 360 and kept going. But 34 Raceway rules state if a driver does a complete 360, weather they keep going or not, a caution is thrown and the driver sent to the back for being part of the caution. Dave Getchell, who started 7th, inherited the lead on the restart and looked to be heading for the win until lap 14 when he entered lapped traffic. Getchell used caution to get around the lapped cars, which allowed Ditsworth to power by on the top to grab the lead on lap 16. Ditsworth's lead only lasted for one lap, as John Schulz, who started 8th, edged him at the line on the bottom by inches to lead lap 17. After the completion of lap 17, Dustin Clark spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow and slow the action up front. On the restart Schulz moved back out front and then led the final 3 laps to claim the win. Ditsworth was 2nd, Donnie Steward came from 6th to 3rd, Dustin Whiting passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Daniel Bergquist coming from 10th to finish in 5th.
The final feature on the night was the Corn Belt Clash / MARS Dirtcar Series / American Late Model Series (ALMS) 50 lap "Slocum 50" Late Model feature. By virtue of there first and second place finish in the dash Jason Utter and Brian Shirley led the field of 24 strong to the drop of the green flag. Utter jumped out front on lap 1 over Bobby Pierce and Shirley and then held it until lap 4. Pierce used the bottom of the track to slip past Utter on lap 4 to grab the top spot, leaving Utter to battle Brandon Sheppard and Shirley for the second spot. While Pierce set a fast pace and was pulling away from the battle for second, Utter and Shirley were racing side-by-side for the runner up spot. That was until lap 13 when Shirley squeezed Utter down going into turn 1, which caused Utter to clip a tire and spin to bring out the first caution. On the restart Pierce moved back out front, but now had Jason Feger on his back bumper. Pierce once again started to stretch his advantage over second, until lap 27 when he started to enter heavy lapped traffic. The combination of lapped traffic and Pierce jumping the cushion in turn 3 and scrapping the wall, allowed Feger to close in on his back bumper. But the final caution of the event on lap 32 for Shirley who jumped the cushion in turn 3 while running 5th and came to a stop in the wall, gave Pierce an open track in front of him for the restart. On that restart Pierce grabbed the lead and never was challenged over the final 18 laps to claim the "Slocum 50" win and the $10,555 top prize to go with it. Feger settled for 2nd, Sheppard recovered from jumping the cushion in turn 3 on lap 8 and falling back to 6th to finish in 3rd, Brian Birkhofer started 10th and finished 4th, with Jimmy Mars coming home in 5th.
Notes from 34: Forty-six Late Models from eight states including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Arkansas and Texas signed in in hopes of claiming the $10,555 top prize or even the $500 guarantee to just make the 24 car starting field for the "Slocum 50". Those 46 cars drew a number and were then divided into 5 heat race groups, in which they were timed with those drivers in there groups. The times would then be used to set their starting spots for the heat races, with the top 3 in each of those heats moving into the A Main. The remainder would run one of two B Mains, with the top 3 out of those moving into the A Main. The final 3 spots were determined by one provisional for the MARS Dirtcar Deries, one for the Corn Belt Clash and one by the ALMS....Heat one saw Utter pull away to claim the easy win. While Will Vaught came from 7th to finish in 2nd, and Kevin Weaver coming home in 3rd....Heat two had Brandon Sheppard holding off Jimmy Mars to claim the win. With Shannon Babb finishing 3rd.....Heat three was claimed by Jason Feger, with AJ Diemel coming from 4th to finish 2nd, and Frank Heckenast Jr holding on for 3rd....Heat four was won by Bobby Pierce over Rodney Sanders and Jesse Stovall....Heat five was one of the best ones, as Brian Shirley and Brian Birkhofer raced side-by-side for the lead much of the race. Shirley was able to hold back Birkhofer to claim the win, with Tony Jackson Jr. coming home in 3rd....The first B Main was claimed by Chris Simpson, with Terry Phillips coming from 4th to finish in 2nd, and Spencer Diercks finishing 3rd....B Main number two saw Ryan Gustin hold off Ryan Unzicker to pick up the win, with Lance Matthees holding off Mark Burgtorf, who started 7th, to claim the final transfer spot....Utter used his pole draw in the dash to pick up the win over Shirley to claim the pole row for the "Slocum 50"....Gustin passed 11 cars from his 17th place staring spot in the feature to take home a 6th place finish....Unzicker came from 22nd to pass 12 cars and finished 7th to earn the hard charger award....Stovall started 14th and came home in 8th....Jackson Jr. finished 9th after starting in 15th....Rodney Sanders was running sixth on lap 42, when he jumped the cushion in turn 3 and fell back to finish in 11th....Jason Riggs took the ALMS provisional and started 24th. He would pass 11 cars to come home in 13th......Abe Huls, who started 15th in the Stock Car feature, was running 5th when he had a flat tire on the lap 11 caution. He went to the pits and got it changed to start in the back for the restart. He would recover to bring home 6th and won the hard charger award....Jim Lynch, who started 12th, recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 8th....Shane Watts started 14th and passed 5 cars to finish in 9th....Chad Krogmeier came from 16th to finish in 10th......Andy Huston started the 305 Sprint feature in 11th and passed 5 cars to finish in 6th....Nick Guernsey came from 18th to finish in 9th....Andy Krieger moved up from the IMCA Modified class to the 305 Sprints and started 17th in the feature. He passed 7 cars to bring home a 10th place finish....Chase Wanner had troubles in his heat and had to start 20th for the feature. He would pass 7 cars to come home in 13th.
I would like to thank Amy and Jeff Laue and the entire staff at 34 Raceway for allowing me to be a part of the 6th Annual "Slocum 50". Tonight will end my three day weekend of racing, as I head south to the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL for the ALMS Late Models.
The first feature up on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jake Wenig and Jim Redmann drawing the front row for the event. Wenig would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Redmann. Wenig then held off Redmann until the first caution of the event appeared on lap 7, as Mark Bowman spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jim Lynch would spin in turn 2 and collect Dane Fenton to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Redmann edge out Jason Cook, who started 8th, at the line by inches to grab the lead on lap 8. But Cook, who was using the bottom of the track, managed to edge out Redmann at the line by inches to lead lap 9. Just as the battle up front was heating up with two and even three wide racing for the top 5 spots, Blaine Dopler would spin in turn 2 on lap 10 to slow the action down. Cook jumped back out front on the restart, only to be slowed one lap later. As Dopler spun in turn 2 on lap 11 to bring the caution out. Once again Cook moved out front on the restart and held on over the final 9 laps to pick up the win. Redmann was 2nd, John Oliver Jr. was 3rd, Ray Raker was 4th, with Tom Bowling Jr. coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Justin Newberry drew the pole for the 20 lap 305 Sprint feature, but when he slowed to a stop in turn 3 on the parade lap and was pushed to the pits, this moved Cody Wehrle to the pole next to Matt Krieger. Wehrle jumped out into the lead on the drop of the green flag over Krieger and Jayson Ditsworth. Wehrle, who was using the bottom of the track, and Krieger, who was up top, had a battle going for the lead until disaster struck them both on lap 7. Krieger was able to squeeze under Wehrle going into turn three, but with both bumping wheels, Wehrle would get sideways and had Krieger go over his left front. Krieger would end up upside down in turn 4 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car dejected but okay. While Wehrle did a complete 360 and kept going. But 34 Raceway rules state if a driver does a complete 360, weather they keep going or not, a caution is thrown and the driver sent to the back for being part of the caution. Dave Getchell, who started 7th, inherited the lead on the restart and looked to be heading for the win until lap 14 when he entered lapped traffic. Getchell used caution to get around the lapped cars, which allowed Ditsworth to power by on the top to grab the lead on lap 16. Ditsworth's lead only lasted for one lap, as John Schulz, who started 8th, edged him at the line on the bottom by inches to lead lap 17. After the completion of lap 17, Dustin Clark spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow and slow the action up front. On the restart Schulz moved back out front and then led the final 3 laps to claim the win. Ditsworth was 2nd, Donnie Steward came from 6th to 3rd, Dustin Whiting passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to finish in 4th, with Daniel Bergquist coming from 10th to finish in 5th.
The final feature on the night was the Corn Belt Clash / MARS Dirtcar Series / American Late Model Series (ALMS) 50 lap "Slocum 50" Late Model feature. By virtue of there first and second place finish in the dash Jason Utter and Brian Shirley led the field of 24 strong to the drop of the green flag. Utter jumped out front on lap 1 over Bobby Pierce and Shirley and then held it until lap 4. Pierce used the bottom of the track to slip past Utter on lap 4 to grab the top spot, leaving Utter to battle Brandon Sheppard and Shirley for the second spot. While Pierce set a fast pace and was pulling away from the battle for second, Utter and Shirley were racing side-by-side for the runner up spot. That was until lap 13 when Shirley squeezed Utter down going into turn 1, which caused Utter to clip a tire and spin to bring out the first caution. On the restart Pierce moved back out front, but now had Jason Feger on his back bumper. Pierce once again started to stretch his advantage over second, until lap 27 when he started to enter heavy lapped traffic. The combination of lapped traffic and Pierce jumping the cushion in turn 3 and scrapping the wall, allowed Feger to close in on his back bumper. But the final caution of the event on lap 32 for Shirley who jumped the cushion in turn 3 while running 5th and came to a stop in the wall, gave Pierce an open track in front of him for the restart. On that restart Pierce grabbed the lead and never was challenged over the final 18 laps to claim the "Slocum 50" win and the $10,555 top prize to go with it. Feger settled for 2nd, Sheppard recovered from jumping the cushion in turn 3 on lap 8 and falling back to 6th to finish in 3rd, Brian Birkhofer started 10th and finished 4th, with Jimmy Mars coming home in 5th.
Notes from 34: Forty-six Late Models from eight states including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Arkansas and Texas signed in in hopes of claiming the $10,555 top prize or even the $500 guarantee to just make the 24 car starting field for the "Slocum 50". Those 46 cars drew a number and were then divided into 5 heat race groups, in which they were timed with those drivers in there groups. The times would then be used to set their starting spots for the heat races, with the top 3 in each of those heats moving into the A Main. The remainder would run one of two B Mains, with the top 3 out of those moving into the A Main. The final 3 spots were determined by one provisional for the MARS Dirtcar Deries, one for the Corn Belt Clash and one by the ALMS....Heat one saw Utter pull away to claim the easy win. While Will Vaught came from 7th to finish in 2nd, and Kevin Weaver coming home in 3rd....Heat two had Brandon Sheppard holding off Jimmy Mars to claim the win. With Shannon Babb finishing 3rd.....Heat three was claimed by Jason Feger, with AJ Diemel coming from 4th to finish 2nd, and Frank Heckenast Jr holding on for 3rd....Heat four was won by Bobby Pierce over Rodney Sanders and Jesse Stovall....Heat five was one of the best ones, as Brian Shirley and Brian Birkhofer raced side-by-side for the lead much of the race. Shirley was able to hold back Birkhofer to claim the win, with Tony Jackson Jr. coming home in 3rd....The first B Main was claimed by Chris Simpson, with Terry Phillips coming from 4th to finish in 2nd, and Spencer Diercks finishing 3rd....B Main number two saw Ryan Gustin hold off Ryan Unzicker to pick up the win, with Lance Matthees holding off Mark Burgtorf, who started 7th, to claim the final transfer spot....Utter used his pole draw in the dash to pick up the win over Shirley to claim the pole row for the "Slocum 50"....Gustin passed 11 cars from his 17th place staring spot in the feature to take home a 6th place finish....Unzicker came from 22nd to pass 12 cars and finished 7th to earn the hard charger award....Stovall started 14th and came home in 8th....Jackson Jr. finished 9th after starting in 15th....Rodney Sanders was running sixth on lap 42, when he jumped the cushion in turn 3 and fell back to finish in 11th....Jason Riggs took the ALMS provisional and started 24th. He would pass 11 cars to come home in 13th......Abe Huls, who started 15th in the Stock Car feature, was running 5th when he had a flat tire on the lap 11 caution. He went to the pits and got it changed to start in the back for the restart. He would recover to bring home 6th and won the hard charger award....Jim Lynch, who started 12th, recovered from his lap 7 spin to come back to finish in 8th....Shane Watts started 14th and passed 5 cars to finish in 9th....Chad Krogmeier came from 16th to finish in 10th......Andy Huston started the 305 Sprint feature in 11th and passed 5 cars to finish in 6th....Nick Guernsey came from 18th to finish in 9th....Andy Krieger moved up from the IMCA Modified class to the 305 Sprints and started 17th in the feature. He passed 7 cars to bring home a 10th place finish....Chase Wanner had troubles in his heat and had to start 20th for the feature. He would pass 7 cars to come home in 13th.
I would like to thank Amy and Jeff Laue and the entire staff at 34 Raceway for allowing me to be a part of the 6th Annual "Slocum 50". Tonight will end my three day weekend of racing, as I head south to the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL for the ALMS Late Models.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Feger Tops Stellar Field at the Davenport Speedway
Davenport, IA (Friday, April 18, 2014) - Mother nature once again provided some great weather to take in the Corn Belt Clash / MARS Dirtcar Series co-sanctioned event at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa on Friday night. In action on the night was the Open Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, and DTR Street Stocks, with Jason Feger (Late Models), Jason Bahrs (IMCA Modifieds), and Donnie Louck (DTR Street Stocks) ending there nights in victory lane.
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap DTR Street Stocks, with Steve Jackson and Cary Brown drawing the front row. But just before the green flag was set to be waved over the field, sixth place starter Jeremy Gustaf slowed to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jackson would edge out Louck at the line to grab the lead on lap 1. But Louck worked the bottom of the speedway to slip past Jackson on lap 2 to over take him for the top spot. Louck, who was working the bottom, then worked to try to hold back Jackson, who was working the top, over the next 7 laps. Jackson got a run coming out of turn four on lap 10, but slapped the wall and dropped the driveshaft down the front stretch to bring out the caution. Louck once again moved out front for the restart, with Brown now working the top side to try and get the lead. Brown was able to get up beside Louck in turn 2 on lap 12, but Louck was able to hold him off down the backstretch to keep the lead. Louck then held off Brown over the final 3 laps to claim the win. Brown settled for 2nd, Chad Coyne was 3rd, Cord Williams came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Jackson credited with 5th.
Dan Hahn and Brandon Durbin led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Durbin taking advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. Durbin then started to pull away from the field, while Jason Bahrs, who started 8th, and Bob Dominacki, who started 9th, were trying to work there way towards the front. Bahrs cleared Kenny Kostenbader for the second spot on lap 9, but was a full straightaway behind Durbin for the top spot. But it only took Bahrs 4 laps to run down Durbin, as on lap 13 he was on Durbin's back bumper. While Durbin and Bahrs went at it for the lead, Kostenbader, Kelly Meyer, Dominacki, and Eric Barnes had a four car battle going for the third spot. Coming to the wave of the green flag, signifying 2 laps to go, Bahrs jumped to the top side of Durbin coming out of turn 4 to cross the line side-by-side. Bahrs used the preferred line, the high side, to clear Durbin coming out of turn two and then held him off over the final lap to pick up the win. Durbin was 2nd, Dominacki won the battle for 3rd, Kostenbader was 4th, with Meyer coming home in 5th.
After four Late Model heats, two B Mains and a dash the twenty-four car field was set to take to the 1/2 mile for there 40 lap feature. Jimmy Mars and Jesse Stovall led the field to the drop of the green flag, thanks to there one and two place finish in the dash. Mars jumped out front on lap 1 over Brian Birkhofer, Stovall and Jason Feger. With Mars working the top of the track and Birkhofer the bottom, this allowed Feger to use the top side to clear Birkhofer for the second spot on lap 6 and then went to work on Mars for the lead. Feger's switched up his groove on lap 7, as he ducked down low in turn 3 to slip past Mars coming out of turn 4 on lap 8 to take over the top spot. Three laps latter, lap 11, Feger entered some heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Mars, Birkhofer and Stovall to close to his back bumper on lap 13. Just as the action up front was starting to heat up, Stovall, who was battling for 5th, slowed to a stop down the backstretch with his radiator packed with dirt and causing the motor to get hot to bring out the first caution of the race.
On the restart Feger jumped back out front, with Birkhofer, Mars and Chad Simpson, who started 10th, close behind. Feger used the top side of the track to rocket out to a lead, before entering lapped traffic on lap 30. This would allow Birkhofer to close in on him for the lead. But the second and final caution of the event would appear on lap 32, as Birkhofer tried to go three wide thru the middle of Justin Asplin and Denny Eckrich, who were lapped cars. Birkhofer's right rear would clip the left front of Eckrich's car, which caused Eckrich to get into the turn 4 wall to bring out the caution. Feger once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Birkhofer glued to his back bumper. Birkhofer stayed in Feger's tracks over the next 5 laps, but was unable to make the pass. As Feger held him off to claim the win and the $3,500 top prize to go with it. Birkhofer settled for 2nd, Mars was 3rd, Ryan Gustin would cross the line in 4th but was disqualified for being light at the scales, which moved Chad Simpson up to 4th, and Jason Utter coming from 9th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Davenport: 36 Late Models from Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin signed in on the night. Those 36 cars drew a pill to determine there starting spot in one of the four heat races. Then the top 16 in passing points from those four heat races were locked into the A Main. The remainder were put into two B Mains, in which the top 2 from each moved into the A Main. Then two provisionals from both the Corn Belt Clash and MARS Dirtcar Series were added to the back of the field to set the 24 car feature....Heat one started off with Todd Frank spinning in turn 4 and collecting Chris Simpson to bring out the yellow before a lap was scored. On the restart Brad Looney moved out front and then held off Brian Birkhofer by inches at the line to pick up the win. Dave Eckrich was 3rd, Matt Furman was 4th, with Richie Bell 5th....Heat two saw Ryan Gustin rocket out into the lead from his pole position and then cruised to an easy win. Tony Jackson Jr. was 2nd, Ray Guss Jr. came from 5th to 3rd, Justin Kay was 4th, with Terry Phillips coming from 7th to 5th. Will Vaught came from 7th and was running 4th when he pulled out on lap 5 with smoke trailing from his machine...Heat three turned out to be a good one, as Jason Utter powered into turn three on the bottom of the first lap and went from 3rd to first to lead lap 1. But Jesse Stovall worked the top of the track to over take Utter for the lead on lap 6 and then held on to claim the win. Utter was 2nd, AJ Diemal came from 8th to 3rd, Chad Simpson started 9th and finished 4th, with Lance Matthees coming home in 5th....Heat four had a tough time getting in there 8 laps. Jimmy Mars jumped out front on lap 1 over Denny Eckrich and Jason Feger, who started 6th. But as lap 1 was scored complete, Skip Frey slowed to a stop in turn 3 with troubles to bring out the first yellow. On the restart Jason Rauen got into the back of Jeff Roth coming off turn 4, which caused Roth to spin going into the turn 1 wall to bring back the yellow light. Mars moved back out front on the following restart, with Feger and Eckrich close behind. The final caution of the event came out on lap 4, as Rauen spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Mars grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the win. Feger was 2nd, Eckrich was 3rd, which was a surprise after his fire under the hood in hot laps, Rauen recovered from his spin to finish in 4th, with Jay Johnson coming from 8th to round out the top 5....B Main number one had Justin Kay hold off Chris Simpson to claim the win....While Terry Phillips cruised to the win in B Main two. Will Vaught came from 6th to slip under Lance Matthees going into turn 3 on the last lap to claim the final transfer spot into the A Main....Mars used his pole starting spot to win the dash over Stovall, Birkhofer, Feger, Diemel and Looney....Will Vaught started the A Main in 20th and passed 14 cars to bring home a 6th place finish....Jesse Stovall recovered from his radiator being packed with dirt and causing the motor to get hot on lap 18 while battling for 5th, to come from 18th on the restart to 7th....Justin Asplin took a MARS Dirtcar Series provisional and started 23rd. He would pass 13 cars to come home in 10th...Mike Fryer earned a Corn Belt Clash provisional and started 22nd. He would pass 9 cars to take home a 13th place finish......The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature went caution free!....Scott Powell came from 14th in the feature to finish 9th....TJ Patz started 13th and finished 10th....Brad Dubil and Tim Arp had troubles in there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Ron Turner started the Street Stock feature in 9th and took home a 6th place finish....Rick Schriner was suppose to start the feature in 4th, but elected to go to the tail. He made 2 laps and pulled off with troubles to end his night in 7th....Jeremy Gustaf, Rob Henry and Steve Cox all had mechanical troubles on the first lap of the feature and made early exits.
Tonight the Corn Belt Clash and MARS Dirtcar Series is joined by the American Late Model Series (ALMS) at 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa to honor Brent Slocum in the "Slocum 50". For the first time in the 6 years history of this event it will be ran with Open Late Model rules. Tonight's 50 lap feature winner will take home top prize of $10,555. If you thought Friday nights field was filled with tough competition, then you don't want to miss tonight. As Shannon Babb, Bobby Pierce, who won Friday night at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL, Dennis Erb Jr., Kevin Weaver, Brian Shirley, Ryan Unzicker, Brandon Sheppard, Denny Woodworth, Mark Burgtorf, and many more join the action. Grandstands open at 5:00 pm, with hot laps at 5:30 pm, and time trials at 6:15 pm. Hope to see you there!
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap DTR Street Stocks, with Steve Jackson and Cary Brown drawing the front row. But just before the green flag was set to be waved over the field, sixth place starter Jeremy Gustaf slowed to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jackson would edge out Louck at the line to grab the lead on lap 1. But Louck worked the bottom of the speedway to slip past Jackson on lap 2 to over take him for the top spot. Louck, who was working the bottom, then worked to try to hold back Jackson, who was working the top, over the next 7 laps. Jackson got a run coming out of turn four on lap 10, but slapped the wall and dropped the driveshaft down the front stretch to bring out the caution. Louck once again moved out front for the restart, with Brown now working the top side to try and get the lead. Brown was able to get up beside Louck in turn 2 on lap 12, but Louck was able to hold him off down the backstretch to keep the lead. Louck then held off Brown over the final 3 laps to claim the win. Brown settled for 2nd, Chad Coyne was 3rd, Cord Williams came from 8th to finish in 4th, with Jackson credited with 5th.
Dan Hahn and Brandon Durbin led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Durbin taking advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. Durbin then started to pull away from the field, while Jason Bahrs, who started 8th, and Bob Dominacki, who started 9th, were trying to work there way towards the front. Bahrs cleared Kenny Kostenbader for the second spot on lap 9, but was a full straightaway behind Durbin for the top spot. But it only took Bahrs 4 laps to run down Durbin, as on lap 13 he was on Durbin's back bumper. While Durbin and Bahrs went at it for the lead, Kostenbader, Kelly Meyer, Dominacki, and Eric Barnes had a four car battle going for the third spot. Coming to the wave of the green flag, signifying 2 laps to go, Bahrs jumped to the top side of Durbin coming out of turn 4 to cross the line side-by-side. Bahrs used the preferred line, the high side, to clear Durbin coming out of turn two and then held him off over the final lap to pick up the win. Durbin was 2nd, Dominacki won the battle for 3rd, Kostenbader was 4th, with Meyer coming home in 5th.
After four Late Model heats, two B Mains and a dash the twenty-four car field was set to take to the 1/2 mile for there 40 lap feature. Jimmy Mars and Jesse Stovall led the field to the drop of the green flag, thanks to there one and two place finish in the dash. Mars jumped out front on lap 1 over Brian Birkhofer, Stovall and Jason Feger. With Mars working the top of the track and Birkhofer the bottom, this allowed Feger to use the top side to clear Birkhofer for the second spot on lap 6 and then went to work on Mars for the lead. Feger's switched up his groove on lap 7, as he ducked down low in turn 3 to slip past Mars coming out of turn 4 on lap 8 to take over the top spot. Three laps latter, lap 11, Feger entered some heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Mars, Birkhofer and Stovall to close to his back bumper on lap 13. Just as the action up front was starting to heat up, Stovall, who was battling for 5th, slowed to a stop down the backstretch with his radiator packed with dirt and causing the motor to get hot to bring out the first caution of the race.
On the restart Feger jumped back out front, with Birkhofer, Mars and Chad Simpson, who started 10th, close behind. Feger used the top side of the track to rocket out to a lead, before entering lapped traffic on lap 30. This would allow Birkhofer to close in on him for the lead. But the second and final caution of the event would appear on lap 32, as Birkhofer tried to go three wide thru the middle of Justin Asplin and Denny Eckrich, who were lapped cars. Birkhofer's right rear would clip the left front of Eckrich's car, which caused Eckrich to get into the turn 4 wall to bring out the caution. Feger once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Birkhofer glued to his back bumper. Birkhofer stayed in Feger's tracks over the next 5 laps, but was unable to make the pass. As Feger held him off to claim the win and the $3,500 top prize to go with it. Birkhofer settled for 2nd, Mars was 3rd, Ryan Gustin would cross the line in 4th but was disqualified for being light at the scales, which moved Chad Simpson up to 4th, and Jason Utter coming from 9th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Davenport: 36 Late Models from Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin signed in on the night. Those 36 cars drew a pill to determine there starting spot in one of the four heat races. Then the top 16 in passing points from those four heat races were locked into the A Main. The remainder were put into two B Mains, in which the top 2 from each moved into the A Main. Then two provisionals from both the Corn Belt Clash and MARS Dirtcar Series were added to the back of the field to set the 24 car feature....Heat one started off with Todd Frank spinning in turn 4 and collecting Chris Simpson to bring out the yellow before a lap was scored. On the restart Brad Looney moved out front and then held off Brian Birkhofer by inches at the line to pick up the win. Dave Eckrich was 3rd, Matt Furman was 4th, with Richie Bell 5th....Heat two saw Ryan Gustin rocket out into the lead from his pole position and then cruised to an easy win. Tony Jackson Jr. was 2nd, Ray Guss Jr. came from 5th to 3rd, Justin Kay was 4th, with Terry Phillips coming from 7th to 5th. Will Vaught came from 7th and was running 4th when he pulled out on lap 5 with smoke trailing from his machine...Heat three turned out to be a good one, as Jason Utter powered into turn three on the bottom of the first lap and went from 3rd to first to lead lap 1. But Jesse Stovall worked the top of the track to over take Utter for the lead on lap 6 and then held on to claim the win. Utter was 2nd, AJ Diemal came from 8th to 3rd, Chad Simpson started 9th and finished 4th, with Lance Matthees coming home in 5th....Heat four had a tough time getting in there 8 laps. Jimmy Mars jumped out front on lap 1 over Denny Eckrich and Jason Feger, who started 6th. But as lap 1 was scored complete, Skip Frey slowed to a stop in turn 3 with troubles to bring out the first yellow. On the restart Jason Rauen got into the back of Jeff Roth coming off turn 4, which caused Roth to spin going into the turn 1 wall to bring back the yellow light. Mars moved back out front on the following restart, with Feger and Eckrich close behind. The final caution of the event came out on lap 4, as Rauen spun his machine in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Mars grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the win. Feger was 2nd, Eckrich was 3rd, which was a surprise after his fire under the hood in hot laps, Rauen recovered from his spin to finish in 4th, with Jay Johnson coming from 8th to round out the top 5....B Main number one had Justin Kay hold off Chris Simpson to claim the win....While Terry Phillips cruised to the win in B Main two. Will Vaught came from 6th to slip under Lance Matthees going into turn 3 on the last lap to claim the final transfer spot into the A Main....Mars used his pole starting spot to win the dash over Stovall, Birkhofer, Feger, Diemel and Looney....Will Vaught started the A Main in 20th and passed 14 cars to bring home a 6th place finish....Jesse Stovall recovered from his radiator being packed with dirt and causing the motor to get hot on lap 18 while battling for 5th, to come from 18th on the restart to 7th....Justin Asplin took a MARS Dirtcar Series provisional and started 23rd. He would pass 13 cars to come home in 10th...Mike Fryer earned a Corn Belt Clash provisional and started 22nd. He would pass 9 cars to take home a 13th place finish......The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature went caution free!....Scott Powell came from 14th in the feature to finish 9th....TJ Patz started 13th and finished 10th....Brad Dubil and Tim Arp had troubles in there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Ron Turner started the Street Stock feature in 9th and took home a 6th place finish....Rick Schriner was suppose to start the feature in 4th, but elected to go to the tail. He made 2 laps and pulled off with troubles to end his night in 7th....Jeremy Gustaf, Rob Henry and Steve Cox all had mechanical troubles on the first lap of the feature and made early exits.
Tonight the Corn Belt Clash and MARS Dirtcar Series is joined by the American Late Model Series (ALMS) at 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa to honor Brent Slocum in the "Slocum 50". For the first time in the 6 years history of this event it will be ran with Open Late Model rules. Tonight's 50 lap feature winner will take home top prize of $10,555. If you thought Friday nights field was filled with tough competition, then you don't want to miss tonight. As Shannon Babb, Bobby Pierce, who won Friday night at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL, Dennis Erb Jr., Kevin Weaver, Brian Shirley, Ryan Unzicker, Brandon Sheppard, Denny Woodworth, Mark Burgtorf, and many more join the action. Grandstands open at 5:00 pm, with hot laps at 5:30 pm, and time trials at 6:15 pm. Hope to see you there!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Three Time MOWA Champion Hull Opens Season With Win
Jacksonville, IL (Friday, April 11, 2014) - Mother nature provided some great weather for the season opener of the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) presented by Casey's General Stores Friday night at the Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, IL. It was also Jacksonville's season opener, which hosted the first race of the Big Ten UMP Late Model Series, Micro Sprints and UMP Hornets. Standing in victory lane at the end of the night was Jerrod Hull (MOWA Sprints), Steve Sheppard Jr. (UMP Late Models), Joe B Miller (Micro Sprints), and Oscar Tipsword (UMP Hornets).
The first feature up on the night was the 12 lap UMP Hornets, with Thomas Angelo and Oscar Tipsword leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But when Angelo's car wouldn't fire from the staging area, that moved Kole Jackson up to the pole. On the drop of the green flag Cliff Spencer and Ray Turner collided in turn 4 to bring out the first and only caution of the event. Tispword jumped out into the lead on the restart, over Jackson and Michael McKay. While Tipsword pulled away, the battle for second was the one to watch. As McKay and Jackson battled side-by-side for much of the race, with Turner coming from the back after his lap one involvement in the caution moving in to challenge late in the race. But nothing held back Tipsword, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Michael McKay won the battle for second, Jackson was third, Turner finished in forth, with Alan McKay rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 25 lap MOWA Sprint car feature, with Wayne Johnson and Jerrod Hull making up the front row for the event. Just as the green flag dropped the red flag was waved to bring the event to a stop. Jim Moughan would spin in turn 1, with Ben Wagoner having nowhere to go clipping the front end of Moughan's car and sent him for an easy roll onto the drivers side. Wagoner would be okay, but both him and Moughan were done for the night. On the restart Hull took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Johnson and Tiffany Wyzard. Hull started to pull away from the field, when he entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 5. Which allowed Johnson and sixth place starter Kevin Swindell to close in on his back bumper. The action up front was slowed on lap 11, as Cole Wood came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Hull once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Johnson working to hold back Swindell in the battle for second. But Swindell would make the pass of Johnson on lap 13 and then went to work on chasing down Hull for the lead.
Hull once again entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 14, which allowed Swindell to close in on his back bumper on lap 15. Going into turn 3 on lap 16 Hull would choose the bottom to get around a lapped car, while Swindell took to the top of the track to try to make it three wide. But Swindell would run out of track space and got into the wall in turn four, sending him upside down. Swindell climbed from the machine in disgust, but was okay. On the restart Hull moved back out front, leaving Joey Moughan, who started 9th, and Brad Loyet, who started 14th, battling for the runner up spot. Just as Hull started to pull away from the field, the final caution of the event would appear on lap 20. This time Korey Weyant spun backwards into the turn 3 wall to bring out the yellow. Hull once again moved out front on the restart, with Loyet over taking Moughan for the second spot. Hull wouldn't get away from Loyet, as Loyet tried the high side of turn 4 on lap 22 to get past Hull. Only to jump the cushion and loose some ground. But coming to the white flag Loyet would move back up to Hull's back bumper, but Hull would hold off Loyet coming off turn 4 to claim the win. Hull, who is the three time and only champion in the history of the MOWA Series, picked the $2,000 top prize to go with his first win of 2014. Loyet settled for second, Joey Moughan was third, Ian Madsen charged from 11th to finish a close forth, with Cory Bruns coming home in fifth.
Brian Dively and Adam Mefford drew the front row for the 25 lap Big Ten UMP Late Model feature, with Mefford taking advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. Mefford then had to work to hold off Dively and Steve Sheppard Jr. over the next 8 laps, as they tried to run three wide at times for the lead. Dively jumped to the outside of the track in turn 4 on lap 9 and went from third to the lead, with Sheppard Jr. following close behind in second. Sheppard Jr. then tried to work under Dively over the next 4 laps for the lead, only to have Dively use the top to hold him off. But then Dively jumped the cushion in turn 4 on lap 14, which allowed Sheppard Jr. to slide under him for the top spot. Sheppard Jr. then pulled away over the final 11 laps to pick up the win. Justin Reed came home in second, Ryan Little came from 6th to finish in third, Matt Taylor finished forth after staring in 8th, with John Beck holding on for fifth.
The final feature up on the night was the 15 lap Micro Sprints, with Shelby Bosie and Devin Feger leading the field to the green. Bosie took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Joe B Miller, who started 4th, and Feger. Just as Miller was working to take the lead away from Bosie, the first caution of the event appeared on lap 3. Scott Campbell would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Greg Northrop spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Miller jump to the top of the track to grab the lead away from Bosie, leaving Bosie to defend off Feger for second. Miller would pull away over the final 11 laps to claim the win. Bosie was second, Brad McDaniel was third, Evan Turner came from 7th to finish in forth, with Carlee Gress coming home in fifth.
Notes from Jacksonville: Thirty 410 Sprints signed in on opening night of the MOWA Series opener. Each driver drew a pill number to determine there starting spot for the three heat races. Then the top 16 in passing points out of those three heat races were locked into the A Main. With the heat race winners and the next three in passing points running the dash to determine the first three rows of the A Main. The final 14 cars would have to run the B Main, with the top 4 finishers in that race moving into the A Main. Several MOWA regulars along with a few travelers, Cole Wood from California, Wayne Johnson from Oklahoma, Kevin Swindell from Tennessee, Brad Loyet from Missouri, and Ian Madsen from Australia made up a great field of cars....Chris Urish started the feature in 16th and passed 10 cars to finish in 6th....Jimmy Hurley came from 12th to finish in 7th....Jeremy Standridge finished in 9th after staring in 13th....Levi Curry came from the B Main and started 18th, but passed 8 cars in the feature to finish in 10th....Ryan Kempin claimed the final transfer spot in the B Main and started the feature in 20th. But he would pass 9 cars en route to an 11th place finish....Wayne Johnson, who was running 3rd, pulled off the track on lap 14 when a oil line came loose to end his night in 15th....Terry Babb had troubles in his heat and was forced to scratch from the B Main....Brett Samonds took a nasty roll in his heat, but walked away okay, to end his night early....Paul Nienhiser clipped a tire in his heat race a broke the front end to force him to the B Main. But before the green was thrown on the B Main, Nienhiser's top wing collapsed to force him to scratch from the event....Bret Tripplett broke in his heat race, which forced him to scratch from the B Main....A.J. Bruns, who finished 2nd in points in 2013 with the MOWA, had troubles in hot laps and never made it back onto the track all night......Greg Kimmons came from 10th in the Late Model feature and took home a 6th place finish....Clint Kirkham came from 11th to finish in 9th......Greg Northrop recovered from his lap 3 spin in the Micro Sprint feature to take home a 6th place finish....Devin Feger, who was battling for the lead early, pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 8th......Nick De Jaynes started the UMP Hornet feature in 12th, but would finish the night in 9th.
I would like to thank the crew from Jacksonville Speedway and the staff from the MOWA Series for allowing me to come down and cover both there season opening events. I hope to make another trip down to Jacksonville, Illinois sometime soon. As for the MOWA Series, they move to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA tonight (Saturday, April 12, 2014). Hope to see you there or at a track down the road!
The first feature up on the night was the 12 lap UMP Hornets, with Thomas Angelo and Oscar Tipsword leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But when Angelo's car wouldn't fire from the staging area, that moved Kole Jackson up to the pole. On the drop of the green flag Cliff Spencer and Ray Turner collided in turn 4 to bring out the first and only caution of the event. Tispword jumped out into the lead on the restart, over Jackson and Michael McKay. While Tipsword pulled away, the battle for second was the one to watch. As McKay and Jackson battled side-by-side for much of the race, with Turner coming from the back after his lap one involvement in the caution moving in to challenge late in the race. But nothing held back Tipsword, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Michael McKay won the battle for second, Jackson was third, Turner finished in forth, with Alan McKay rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 25 lap MOWA Sprint car feature, with Wayne Johnson and Jerrod Hull making up the front row for the event. Just as the green flag dropped the red flag was waved to bring the event to a stop. Jim Moughan would spin in turn 1, with Ben Wagoner having nowhere to go clipping the front end of Moughan's car and sent him for an easy roll onto the drivers side. Wagoner would be okay, but both him and Moughan were done for the night. On the restart Hull took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Johnson and Tiffany Wyzard. Hull started to pull away from the field, when he entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 5. Which allowed Johnson and sixth place starter Kevin Swindell to close in on his back bumper. The action up front was slowed on lap 11, as Cole Wood came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Hull once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Johnson working to hold back Swindell in the battle for second. But Swindell would make the pass of Johnson on lap 13 and then went to work on chasing down Hull for the lead.
Hull once again entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 14, which allowed Swindell to close in on his back bumper on lap 15. Going into turn 3 on lap 16 Hull would choose the bottom to get around a lapped car, while Swindell took to the top of the track to try to make it three wide. But Swindell would run out of track space and got into the wall in turn four, sending him upside down. Swindell climbed from the machine in disgust, but was okay. On the restart Hull moved back out front, leaving Joey Moughan, who started 9th, and Brad Loyet, who started 14th, battling for the runner up spot. Just as Hull started to pull away from the field, the final caution of the event would appear on lap 20. This time Korey Weyant spun backwards into the turn 3 wall to bring out the yellow. Hull once again moved out front on the restart, with Loyet over taking Moughan for the second spot. Hull wouldn't get away from Loyet, as Loyet tried the high side of turn 4 on lap 22 to get past Hull. Only to jump the cushion and loose some ground. But coming to the white flag Loyet would move back up to Hull's back bumper, but Hull would hold off Loyet coming off turn 4 to claim the win. Hull, who is the three time and only champion in the history of the MOWA Series, picked the $2,000 top prize to go with his first win of 2014. Loyet settled for second, Joey Moughan was third, Ian Madsen charged from 11th to finish a close forth, with Cory Bruns coming home in fifth.
Brian Dively and Adam Mefford drew the front row for the 25 lap Big Ten UMP Late Model feature, with Mefford taking advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. Mefford then had to work to hold off Dively and Steve Sheppard Jr. over the next 8 laps, as they tried to run three wide at times for the lead. Dively jumped to the outside of the track in turn 4 on lap 9 and went from third to the lead, with Sheppard Jr. following close behind in second. Sheppard Jr. then tried to work under Dively over the next 4 laps for the lead, only to have Dively use the top to hold him off. But then Dively jumped the cushion in turn 4 on lap 14, which allowed Sheppard Jr. to slide under him for the top spot. Sheppard Jr. then pulled away over the final 11 laps to pick up the win. Justin Reed came home in second, Ryan Little came from 6th to finish in third, Matt Taylor finished forth after staring in 8th, with John Beck holding on for fifth.
The final feature up on the night was the 15 lap Micro Sprints, with Shelby Bosie and Devin Feger leading the field to the green. Bosie took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Joe B Miller, who started 4th, and Feger. Just as Miller was working to take the lead away from Bosie, the first caution of the event appeared on lap 3. Scott Campbell would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Greg Northrop spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Miller jump to the top of the track to grab the lead away from Bosie, leaving Bosie to defend off Feger for second. Miller would pull away over the final 11 laps to claim the win. Bosie was second, Brad McDaniel was third, Evan Turner came from 7th to finish in forth, with Carlee Gress coming home in fifth.
Notes from Jacksonville: Thirty 410 Sprints signed in on opening night of the MOWA Series opener. Each driver drew a pill number to determine there starting spot for the three heat races. Then the top 16 in passing points out of those three heat races were locked into the A Main. With the heat race winners and the next three in passing points running the dash to determine the first three rows of the A Main. The final 14 cars would have to run the B Main, with the top 4 finishers in that race moving into the A Main. Several MOWA regulars along with a few travelers, Cole Wood from California, Wayne Johnson from Oklahoma, Kevin Swindell from Tennessee, Brad Loyet from Missouri, and Ian Madsen from Australia made up a great field of cars....Chris Urish started the feature in 16th and passed 10 cars to finish in 6th....Jimmy Hurley came from 12th to finish in 7th....Jeremy Standridge finished in 9th after staring in 13th....Levi Curry came from the B Main and started 18th, but passed 8 cars in the feature to finish in 10th....Ryan Kempin claimed the final transfer spot in the B Main and started the feature in 20th. But he would pass 9 cars en route to an 11th place finish....Wayne Johnson, who was running 3rd, pulled off the track on lap 14 when a oil line came loose to end his night in 15th....Terry Babb had troubles in his heat and was forced to scratch from the B Main....Brett Samonds took a nasty roll in his heat, but walked away okay, to end his night early....Paul Nienhiser clipped a tire in his heat race a broke the front end to force him to the B Main. But before the green was thrown on the B Main, Nienhiser's top wing collapsed to force him to scratch from the event....Bret Tripplett broke in his heat race, which forced him to scratch from the B Main....A.J. Bruns, who finished 2nd in points in 2013 with the MOWA, had troubles in hot laps and never made it back onto the track all night......Greg Kimmons came from 10th in the Late Model feature and took home a 6th place finish....Clint Kirkham came from 11th to finish in 9th......Greg Northrop recovered from his lap 3 spin in the Micro Sprint feature to take home a 6th place finish....Devin Feger, who was battling for the lead early, pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 8th......Nick De Jaynes started the UMP Hornet feature in 12th, but would finish the night in 9th.
I would like to thank the crew from Jacksonville Speedway and the staff from the MOWA Series for allowing me to come down and cover both there season opening events. I hope to make another trip down to Jacksonville, Illinois sometime soon. As for the MOWA Series, they move to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA tonight (Saturday, April 12, 2014). Hope to see you there or at a track down the road!
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