Memphis, MO (Friday, October 16, 2015) - When the schedule is released every year for the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri, everyone knows that when it comes time for the "Fall Nationals" what the weather will be like. And that is cold! Friday night was no exception, as temps during the day time didn't get out of the high 50's and temps at night fell to the mid 30's, Even though it was cold, the racing action was enough to warm you up.
The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Sport Compacts, with Matt Moore and Kimberly Abbott drawing the front row for the event. Abbott would take advantage of her front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Setser and William Michel. While Abbott set the pace out front Setser, and Drew Johnson, who made the long pull from Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, raced side -by-side for the runner up spot. Johnson would grab that spot away from Setser on lap 8 and then went to work on Abbott for the top spot. But Abbott would hold him off in a caution free race to pick up the win. Johnson settled for 2nd, Setser was 3rd, Darin Smith was 4th, Shaun Slaughter came from 14th to finish in 5th, with Michel holding on to the final spot to be locked into Saturday nights feature event.
Up next was the 14 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Nathan Ballard and John Watson leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Watson would edge out Ballard at the line to grab the lead on lap 1, with Mike Hughes close behind in third. While Watson and Ballard worked the top of the track, Hughes would use the bottom of the track to grab the lead on lap 4. The first caution of the race appeared on lap 6 to slow the battle up front. David Saffell spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hughes moved back out front, with Ballard and Watson close behind. Ballard tried to work under Hughes over the next 4 laps, when the second and final caution of the race appeared. This time Sierra Wilsey would loose a right rear tire in turn 1 to bring out the caution. Once again Hughes grabbed the lead on the restart, with Ballard and Watson close behind. Ballard again tried to work under Hughes over the final 4 laps. But Hughes was able to hold him off to pick up the win. Ballard settled for 2nd, Watson was 3rd, Nick Ulin came from 12th to finish in 4th, Dustin Griffiths was was 5th, with Jacob Keiser holding on for the final transfer spot into Saturday nights feature event.
Tony Olson and Jeff Roberts drew the front row for the 16 lap SportMod feature, with Olson grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Jared VanDeest and Brandon Dale. The action was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when John Oliver Jr. spun down the backstretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Olson jumped back out front, with Jim Gillenwater, who started 11th, and VanDeest close behind. Two laps later, lap 4, Jared Waterman would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Olson once again moved out front on the restart, with Gillenwater and Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 12th, following behind. While Olson and Gillenwater worked the bottom of the track, Van Der Wal went to the top. Van Der Wal would use the momentum off the top of turn 4 to grab the lead away from Olson on lap 6.Van Der Wal then started to put some distance on the battle behind him, when the third caution of the race brought the field back to his back bumper. This time Eric Flander, who was driving Greg Strohman's #53 machine, slowed to a stop in turn 11 after coming from 21st to 11th to bring out the yellow. On the restart Van Der Wal jumped back out front, with Olson and Gillenwater glued to his back bumper. One lap later, lap 12, Waterman spun in turn 3 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night. Van Der Wal again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Gillenwater over taking Olson for the runner up spot. Gillenwater stayed close to Van Der Wal over the final 4 laps, but wasn't able to mount a charge for the lead. As Van Der Wal held on to claim the win. Gillenwater settled for 2nd. But was disqualified in tech with a illegal transmission. Which would move Olson up to 2nd, VanDeest was moved to 3rd, Brayton Carter was moved up to 4th, with Brandon Lennox edging out Jake McBirnie out at the line to finish 5th, with McBirnie getting the final transfer into Saturday nights feature.
Up next was the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Cayden Carter and Abe Huls leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But it was fourth place starter David Brandies who went three wide to grab the lead on lap 1 over Carter and John Oliver Jr. Just after the completion of lap 1, Dan Gordon spun in turn 4 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Brandies jumped back out front, with Carter and Mike Hughes, who started 7th, close behind. Hughes, who was working the bottom of the track, would slip under Brandies to take the top spot away on lap 4. After the completion of lap 4 the second caution of the race appeared, as Trever Harris spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hughes moved back out front, with Carter and Brandies close behind. Disaster would strike Brandies on lap 7, when he spun in turn 4 while running 4th to bring out the caution. On the restart Carter would slip under Hughes going into turn three to grab the top spot away, leaving Hughes to battle Jeff Mueller, who started 9th, for the runner up spot. Just as Carter started to pull away from the battle behind him, the fourth and final caution of the race appeared on lap 15. This time Derek Kirkland lost a left front tire, after staring in 14th and running 9th, to bring out the yellow. Carter would jump back out front on the restart, with Hughes and Mueller going back to their battle for second. Mueller was able to take the runner up spot from Hughes on lap 18, but ran out of time to challenge Carter for the lead. As Carter held on to pick up the win. Mueller settled for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Andy Altenburg, who made the pull down from Truman, Minnesota, came from 10th to finish in 4th, Todd Reitzler started 11th and finished 5th, with Huls edging out the final transfer spot into Saturday nights feature event at the line.
The final feature to take to the track was the 20 lap Modifieds, with Hunter Marriott and Bill Roberts Jr. leading the field to the green. Marriott would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Kyle Brown and Roberts Jr. While Marriott set the pace out front, Cayden Carter, who started 6th, and Kurt Kile, who started 8th, were using the top of the track to work their way towards the front. The action was slowed for the first and only time on lap 10, when Michael Long, who was running 5th, slowed with a broken right rear suspension to bring out the caution. On the restart Marriott moved back out front, with Kile and Carter close behind. Carter was able to grab the runner up spot away from Kile on lap 13 and then went to work on Marriott for the top spot. On lap 16, Carter was able to slid up in front of Marriott to grab the lead going into turn 1. But Marriott would use a cross over move to keep the top spot coming off turn 2. Carter did the same move going into turn 3 and was able to hold Marriott off coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot on lap 17. Carter then pulled away over the final 3 laps to claim his second win of the night. Marriott was 2nd, Kile was 3rd, Bruce Hanford started 14th and charged to a 4th place finish, Ronn Lauritzen came from 9th to finish in 5th, with Jimmy Gustin charging from 16th to grab the final transfer spot into Saturday nights feature.
Notes from Memphis: 34 Modifieds, 33 Stock Cars, 33 SportMods, 16 Sport Compacts, and 13 Hobby Stocks signed in for night 1 of the "Fall Nationals"......Ryan Havel started the Sport Compact feature in 9th and finished 7th....Devin Still started 13th and finished 9th....Chuck Fullenkamp, who was suppose to start the feature in 8th, was a scratch....Michael Grossman, who was driving Darin Weisinger's number 11 was also a scratch from the feature......Dale Porter finished 8th in the Hobby Stock feature after starting in 12th......John Oliver Jr. recovered from his spin on lap 2 of the SportMod feature to come back up to finish 8th....Michael Guthrie finished 14th after starting in 18th....Tyler Heckart driving the #03 usually driven by Mike Mundell started 24th and finished 17th......Tyler Pickett came from 15th to finish in 9th in the Stock Car feature....Derrick Agee started 12th and finished 10th....Jason Cook started 19th and finished 11th....Brandies recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish 12th....Corey Strothman started 17th and finished 14th....Bob Lynch came from 24th to finish 16th....Lonnie Hodges started 23rd and finished 19th....Les Blakley was scheduled to started the feature in 18th. But engine troubles just after the checkered flag in the heat race forced him to scratch from the event......Richie Gustin started the Modified feature in 10th and finished in 7th....Jeff Waterman, who won the B Main, started 21st and passed 13 cars to come home in 8th....Tyler Groenendyk came from 15th to finish in 9th....Andrew Schroeder started 23rd and passed 11 cars to come home in 12th....Carter VanDenBerg came from 19th to finish in 13th....Milo Veloz Jr. came from 22nd to finish in 14th....Dennis Betzer started 24th and finished 18th.
Coming up tonight, Saturday, October 17th, will be the final night of the "Fall Nationals" at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO. The Modifieds will be racing for a top prize of $2,000, while the Stock Cars and SportMods are gunning for $1,500 to win. The Hobby Stocks are racing for $1,000 to win and the Sport Compacts are going for a top prize of $750. Hot laps get under way at 6 PM, so come on out and enjoy another hot night of racing!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Dickey, VanderBeek, Carter, Potts, and Slaughter Collect Wins at Osky
Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, September 23, 2015) - With the 2015 racing season quickly coming to an end, and the unexpected warm weather in late September. I decided to make the drive northwest to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa for their season championship night. All though this was the end of the 2015 points season, it was not the last race of the year. (More on that at the end.)
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Matt Moore and Curt Myers leading the field to the green flag. Shaun Slaughter, who started 6th, Brad Havel, who started 9th, and Moore raced three wide for the top spot on the drop of the green. But it was Moore who edged out Slaughter and Havel at the line by inches to lead lap 1.Coming to complete lap 2, Slaughter would slip past Moore to grab the top spot. Despite a few challenges from Havel over the final laps, Slaughter was able to hold on in a caution free race to claim his first win of the season at the track. Brad Havel settled for 2nd, Ryan Havel was 3rd, Bob Lake started 7th and finished 4th, with Moore holding on for a 5th place finish. Bill Whalen Jr. didn't even have to show up, as he already had the 2015 Track Championship locked up.
Up next was 16 lap IMCA SportMods, with Casey Lancaster and Trent Brink making up the front row. But just as the green flag was dropped the yellow light would come on, as Jason McDaniel got into the guardrail in turn 1 and came to stop to bring out the caution. On the restart third place starter Charlie Weber grabbed the lead, with Brink and Logan Anderson, who started 5th, close behind. The complexion of the race would change after the completion of lap 1, as Weber spun in front of the field in turn 2 and collected Lancaster, Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 9th and was battling for second, Cory Van Zante, Ed Hamilton, and Austin Paul. The cars of Van Der Wal, Van Zante and Hamilton were all to damaged to continue, while Weber, Lancaster, and Paul all went to the work area and rejoined the back of the field for the restart. Brink would lead the field to green for the restart, but it was Brayton Carter, who started 8th, working the top of the track to get by Brink for the top spot. Carter then pulled away from the field over the final 14 laps to cruise to an easy win. Anderson finished 2nd, Weber recovered from his spin to charge back up to a 3rd place finish, Brink was 4th, with Colton Livezey rounded out the top 5. All Curtis Van Der Wal had to do was take the green flag in his heat race and he had the 2015 Track Championship locked up.
Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey led the field to the drop of the green flag in the IMCA Modified feature, with Dickey jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Banks and Andrew Schroeder. While Dickey set a fast pace out front the battle was for second, as Schroeder had to work to hold back Cayden Carter, who started 6th. When Schroeder, got into the guardrail in turns 1 and 2 on both laps 3 and 4, this would allow Carter to slip under him to take over the runner up spot. But without a caution there was no catching Dickey on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Carter settled for 2nd, Schroeder was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg was 4th, with Tommy Elston, who sold his Late Model about a month ago and purchased a Modified, coming home in 5th. Coming into the night there were four drivers who had a shot of claiming the IMCA Modified track championship. But with only 7 cars showing up and Carter crossing the line in 2nd, he would be crowned the 2015 Track Champion.
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Jared Stephens and Brandon Potts making up the front row. Potts would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Steve Allen and Craig Brown, who started 6th. The top three cars would start to pull away from the battle for fourth, that was until the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 8. Stephens would get into the back of Dale Porter coming off turn 4 while battling for 6th, which caused Porter to spin down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Potts moved back out front, with Brown over taking Allen for the runner up spot. Brown then put pressure on Potts, and even looked under him over the final 8 laps. But Potts didn't make any mistakes and went onto pick up his first ever IMCA Hobby Stock feature at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Allen was 4th, Danny Thrasher started 8th and finished 4th, with Porter recovering from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 5th. When Dustin Griffiths took the green flag in his heat race earlier in the night, this would lock up the 2015 Track Championship for him.
The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with this being the closest points battle of the night. As Cayden Carter and Mike Hughes came into the night tied atop the standings, which meant the highest finisher in the feature would be crowned the champion. Mike Brown and Jerry Pilcher led the field to the drop of the green flag, but it was fourth place starter Zack VanderBeek who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Pilcher and Carter, who started 8th. Carter would slip into the runner up spot on lap 5 and then went to work on VanderBeek for the top spot. The team cars would race the final 11 laps nose to tail, with Carter even looking under VanderBeek a few times. But VanderBeek was able to hold on to pick up the win. Carter settled for 2nd, Hughes started 9th and finished 3rd, Pilcher was 4th, with Nathan Wood coming from 7th to round out the top 5. With Carter finishing in 2nd and Hughes in 3rd, this would give the 2015 Track Championship to Carter by 1 point.
Notes from Osky: John Girdley started the Sport Compact feature in 11th after switching cars for the feature. He would pass 5 cars to come home in 6th....Trent Orwig was running 4th, when he lost an engine on the final lap and coasted across the line in 7th......Austin Paul, who started the SportMod feature in 12th, was involved in the lap 1 crash in turn 2. He would restart in the back and charged his way back up to a 6th place finish....Greg Strohman started 14th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Danny Brau also passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 8th,,,,Scott Brau came from 13th to finish in 9th....Tony Johnson and Kyle Webb both had troubles in the heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Travis Bunnell started the Hobby Stock feature in 9th and finished 6th....Christian Huffman finished 8th after starting in 13th....Casey Greubel, who started 11th and had worked his way to 6th, pulled off on the final lap with a right rear flat to end his night in 9th....Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th and had worked his way to 4th, pulled off on lap 11 with a right rear flat to end his night in 10th....Aaron Martin had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Ryan Fullenkamp had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from his heat and feature race in the Stock Cars......About 5 open Late Models, including Billy Moyer, Ryan Gustin, Matt Furman, Paul Glendenning and Billy Moyer Jr., showed up at the track to make some hot laps. This was in preparation of the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, even though this was the final points race of the season at the track it was not the last race. That is coming up next Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd with the running of the 29th Annual MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge. The Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will be going for $1,000 to win on both Friday and Saturday nights. As both nights will be a complete draw / redraw show, with full payouts both nights. Also the Sport Compacts will be racing for $250 to win both nights.
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Matt Moore and Curt Myers leading the field to the green flag. Shaun Slaughter, who started 6th, Brad Havel, who started 9th, and Moore raced three wide for the top spot on the drop of the green. But it was Moore who edged out Slaughter and Havel at the line by inches to lead lap 1.Coming to complete lap 2, Slaughter would slip past Moore to grab the top spot. Despite a few challenges from Havel over the final laps, Slaughter was able to hold on in a caution free race to claim his first win of the season at the track. Brad Havel settled for 2nd, Ryan Havel was 3rd, Bob Lake started 7th and finished 4th, with Moore holding on for a 5th place finish. Bill Whalen Jr. didn't even have to show up, as he already had the 2015 Track Championship locked up.
00-Shaun Slaughter of Iowa City, IA won the IMCA Sport Compact feature on Wednesday night
07-Riverside, Iowa's Bill Whalen Jr. claimed the 2015 IMCA Sport Compact Track Title
Up next was 16 lap IMCA SportMods, with Casey Lancaster and Trent Brink making up the front row. But just as the green flag was dropped the yellow light would come on, as Jason McDaniel got into the guardrail in turn 1 and came to stop to bring out the caution. On the restart third place starter Charlie Weber grabbed the lead, with Brink and Logan Anderson, who started 5th, close behind. The complexion of the race would change after the completion of lap 1, as Weber spun in front of the field in turn 2 and collected Lancaster, Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 9th and was battling for second, Cory Van Zante, Ed Hamilton, and Austin Paul. The cars of Van Der Wal, Van Zante and Hamilton were all to damaged to continue, while Weber, Lancaster, and Paul all went to the work area and rejoined the back of the field for the restart. Brink would lead the field to green for the restart, but it was Brayton Carter, who started 8th, working the top of the track to get by Brink for the top spot. Carter then pulled away from the field over the final 14 laps to cruise to an easy win. Anderson finished 2nd, Weber recovered from his spin to charge back up to a 3rd place finish, Brink was 4th, with Colton Livezey rounded out the top 5. All Curtis Van Der Wal had to do was take the green flag in his heat race and he had the 2015 Track Championship locked up.
01-Brayton Carter of Oskaloosa, IA won the IMCA SportMod feature on Wednesday night
Oskaloosa, Iowa's 1v-Curtis Van Der Wal claimed the 2015 IMCA SportMod Track Title
Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey led the field to the drop of the green flag in the IMCA Modified feature, with Dickey jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Banks and Andrew Schroeder. While Dickey set a fast pace out front the battle was for second, as Schroeder had to work to hold back Cayden Carter, who started 6th. When Schroeder, got into the guardrail in turns 1 and 2 on both laps 3 and 4, this would allow Carter to slip under him to take over the runner up spot. But without a caution there was no catching Dickey on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Carter settled for 2nd, Schroeder was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg was 4th, with Tommy Elston, who sold his Late Model about a month ago and purchased a Modified, coming home in 5th. Coming into the night there were four drivers who had a shot of claiming the IMCA Modified track championship. But with only 7 cars showing up and Carter crossing the line in 2nd, he would be crowned the 2015 Track Champion.
40-Scott Dickey of Packwood, IA won the IMCA Modified feature on Wednesday night
Oskaloosa, Iowa's 10c-Cayden Carter claimed the 2015 IMCA Modified Track Title
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Jared Stephens and Brandon Potts making up the front row. Potts would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Steve Allen and Craig Brown, who started 6th. The top three cars would start to pull away from the battle for fourth, that was until the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 8. Stephens would get into the back of Dale Porter coming off turn 4 while battling for 6th, which caused Porter to spin down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Potts moved back out front, with Brown over taking Allen for the runner up spot. Brown then put pressure on Potts, and even looked under him over the final 8 laps. But Potts didn't make any mistakes and went onto pick up his first ever IMCA Hobby Stock feature at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Allen was 4th, Danny Thrasher started 8th and finished 4th, with Porter recovering from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 5th. When Dustin Griffiths took the green flag in his heat race earlier in the night, this would lock up the 2015 Track Championship for him.
2-Brandon Potts of Eldon, IA won his first ever IMCA Hobby Stock feature at the track on Wednesday night
Ottumwa, Iowa's 10G-Dustin Griffiths claimed the 2015 IMCA Hobby Stock Track Title
The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with this being the closest points battle of the night. As Cayden Carter and Mike Hughes came into the night tied atop the standings, which meant the highest finisher in the feature would be crowned the champion. Mike Brown and Jerry Pilcher led the field to the drop of the green flag, but it was fourth place starter Zack VanderBeek who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Pilcher and Carter, who started 8th. Carter would slip into the runner up spot on lap 5 and then went to work on VanderBeek for the top spot. The team cars would race the final 11 laps nose to tail, with Carter even looking under VanderBeek a few times. But VanderBeek was able to hold on to pick up the win. Carter settled for 2nd, Hughes started 9th and finished 3rd, Pilcher was 4th, with Nathan Wood coming from 7th to round out the top 5. With Carter finishing in 2nd and Hughes in 3rd, this would give the 2015 Track Championship to Carter by 1 point.
33z-Zack VanderBeek of New Sharon, IA won the IMCA Stock Car feature on Wednesday night
Oskaloosa, Iowa's 10c-Cayden Carter was crowned the 2015 IMCA Stock Car Track Champion
Notes from Osky: John Girdley started the Sport Compact feature in 11th after switching cars for the feature. He would pass 5 cars to come home in 6th....Trent Orwig was running 4th, when he lost an engine on the final lap and coasted across the line in 7th......Austin Paul, who started the SportMod feature in 12th, was involved in the lap 1 crash in turn 2. He would restart in the back and charged his way back up to a 6th place finish....Greg Strohman started 14th and passed 7 cars to finish in 7th....Danny Brau also passed 7 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 8th,,,,Scott Brau came from 13th to finish in 9th....Tony Johnson and Kyle Webb both had troubles in the heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Travis Bunnell started the Hobby Stock feature in 9th and finished 6th....Christian Huffman finished 8th after starting in 13th....Casey Greubel, who started 11th and had worked his way to 6th, pulled off on the final lap with a right rear flat to end his night in 9th....Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th and had worked his way to 4th, pulled off on lap 11 with a right rear flat to end his night in 10th....Aaron Martin had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Ryan Fullenkamp had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from his heat and feature race in the Stock Cars......About 5 open Late Models, including Billy Moyer, Ryan Gustin, Matt Furman, Paul Glendenning and Billy Moyer Jr., showed up at the track to make some hot laps. This was in preparation of the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, even though this was the final points race of the season at the track it was not the last race. That is coming up next Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd with the running of the 29th Annual MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge. The Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, and Hobby Stocks will be going for $1,000 to win on both Friday and Saturday nights. As both nights will be a complete draw / redraw show, with full payouts both nights. Also the Sport Compacts will be racing for $250 to win both nights.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Carter Takes Two at Osky
Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, August 5, 2015) - With having Thursday off work, I decided to make the trip up to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa for a regular Wednesday night program. It also happened to include the IMCA Late Models.
The first feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Eric Knapp and Jason See making up the front row. But it was fourth place starter Zack VanderBeek who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over See and Mike Hughes, who started 8th. While VanderBeek set a fast pace out front, Hughes, Todd Reitzler, who started 6th, and Cayden Carter, who started 9th, had a three way battle going for the runner up spot. That battle would come to an end on lap 12, when See slowed to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the only caution of the race. On the restart Hughes went to the bottom of the track to slip past VanderBeek for the top spot, while Carter slipped past for the runner up spot. Carter looked under Hughes over the 5 laps, but Hughes was able to hold him off. Then coming off turn 4 for the checkered flag Carter was able to slip under Hughes to claim the win. Hughes settled for 2nd, VanderBeek was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Donnie Pearson coming from 12th to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, with Ryan Havel and Trent Orwig leading the field to the green flag. But it was Bill Whalen Jr., who started 4th, who edged out Orwig at the line by inches to lead lap 1. Whalen Jr.'s run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he lost the engine down the backstretch to bring out the only caution of the race. Shane Evans, who started 5th, inherited the lead on the restart over Orwig and Havel. Evans would hold off Orwig over the final 5 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Orwig was 2nd, Havel was 3rd, John Girdley was 4th, with Tim Bevins coming home in 5th.
Danny Brau and Charlie Weber led the field to green in the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature. But it was fourth place starter Austin Paul who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Weber and Cory Van Zante. Paul was setting a fast pace out front and was building on his lead every lap. Since the race went caution free, there was no catching Paul on this night. As he cruised to his first ever win at the Southern Iowa Speedway. Van Zante was 2nd, Jason McDaniel was 3rd, Brett Lowry started 7th and finished 4th, with Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 9th and was battling McDaniel for 3rd, slowing on the last 2 laps to hold on for 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Scott Dickey and Tyler Groenendyk on the front row. But just like the Stock Car and SportMod feature, fourth place starter Colt Mather jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Groenendyk and Dickey. As Paul did in the SportMod feature, Mather set a torrid pace out front and was building on his lead each lap. Without a caution there was no catching Mather, who cruised to first win of the season at the track. Dickey was 2nd, Cayden Carter was 3rd, Groenendyk was 4th, with Carter VanDenBerg finishing 5th after starting in 8th.
Jared Stephens and Brandon Potts made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come out, as Stephens, Potts, Steve Allen and Bobby Greene all spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. This would move Aaron Martin and Craig Brown to the front row for the restart. On that restart Brown jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Travis Bunnell, who started 8th, and Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th. Bunnell was able to get under Brown coming off turn 2 on lap 5, but when debris in turn 3 bringing out the caution it would give Brown the lead back. Brown moved back out front on the restart, with Bunnell having to work to hold off Griffiths for the runner up spot. Brown would hold on over the final 10 laps to pick up the win. Bunnell held on for 2nd, Griffiths was 3rd, Dale Porter started 9th and finished 4th, with Martin holding on for 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 20 lap IMCA Late Models, with Curtis Glover and John VanDenBerg drawing the front row. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as VanDenBerg spun in turn 4 and collected Todd Cooney. Both cars were unable to continue. Curt Schroeder was moved to the outside of the front row for the restart, with Glover grabbing the lead over Cayden Carter and Schroeder. Glover's run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he pulled off the track with heavy engine smoke. This would give Carter the lead. Carter then lapped the entire field to easily pick up his first Late Model win at the track. Paul Nagle started 6th and finished 2nd, Derek Liles, who moved up from the SportMod class, started 8th and finished 3rd, Todd Johnson was 4th after starting in 7th, with Jenna Johnson finishing 5th after starting in 9th.
Notes from Osky: Greg Gill started the Stock Car feature in 10th and finished 8th....Mike Brown finished 10th after starting in 14th....Nathan Wood, who was battling for 6th after starting in 13th, pitted under the lap 12 caution. He would return to come back up to finish in 11th....Brock Welch had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Matthew Vangelder started the SportMod feature in 10th and finished 8th....Shawn Cooney started 14th and finished 9th....Thomas Egenberger had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Brandon Banks started 9th in the Modified feature and finished 7th....Jim Lynch had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Clayton Webster started the Hobby Stock feature in 11th and finished 8th....Brandon Potts, who spun on the start, had worked his way back to 5th on lap 6. But was forced off the track down the backstretch on the last lap to be credited with 9th.
The first feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Eric Knapp and Jason See making up the front row. But it was fourth place starter Zack VanderBeek who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over See and Mike Hughes, who started 8th. While VanderBeek set a fast pace out front, Hughes, Todd Reitzler, who started 6th, and Cayden Carter, who started 9th, had a three way battle going for the runner up spot. That battle would come to an end on lap 12, when See slowed to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the only caution of the race. On the restart Hughes went to the bottom of the track to slip past VanderBeek for the top spot, while Carter slipped past for the runner up spot. Carter looked under Hughes over the 5 laps, but Hughes was able to hold him off. Then coming off turn 4 for the checkered flag Carter was able to slip under Hughes to claim the win. Hughes settled for 2nd, VanderBeek was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Donnie Pearson coming from 12th to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, with Ryan Havel and Trent Orwig leading the field to the green flag. But it was Bill Whalen Jr., who started 4th, who edged out Orwig at the line by inches to lead lap 1. Whalen Jr.'s run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he lost the engine down the backstretch to bring out the only caution of the race. Shane Evans, who started 5th, inherited the lead on the restart over Orwig and Havel. Evans would hold off Orwig over the final 5 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Orwig was 2nd, Havel was 3rd, John Girdley was 4th, with Tim Bevins coming home in 5th.
Danny Brau and Charlie Weber led the field to green in the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature. But it was fourth place starter Austin Paul who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Weber and Cory Van Zante. Paul was setting a fast pace out front and was building on his lead every lap. Since the race went caution free, there was no catching Paul on this night. As he cruised to his first ever win at the Southern Iowa Speedway. Van Zante was 2nd, Jason McDaniel was 3rd, Brett Lowry started 7th and finished 4th, with Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 9th and was battling McDaniel for 3rd, slowing on the last 2 laps to hold on for 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Scott Dickey and Tyler Groenendyk on the front row. But just like the Stock Car and SportMod feature, fourth place starter Colt Mather jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Groenendyk and Dickey. As Paul did in the SportMod feature, Mather set a torrid pace out front and was building on his lead each lap. Without a caution there was no catching Mather, who cruised to first win of the season at the track. Dickey was 2nd, Cayden Carter was 3rd, Groenendyk was 4th, with Carter VanDenBerg finishing 5th after starting in 8th.
Jared Stephens and Brandon Potts made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come out, as Stephens, Potts, Steve Allen and Bobby Greene all spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. This would move Aaron Martin and Craig Brown to the front row for the restart. On that restart Brown jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Travis Bunnell, who started 8th, and Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th. Bunnell was able to get under Brown coming off turn 2 on lap 5, but when debris in turn 3 bringing out the caution it would give Brown the lead back. Brown moved back out front on the restart, with Bunnell having to work to hold off Griffiths for the runner up spot. Brown would hold on over the final 10 laps to pick up the win. Bunnell held on for 2nd, Griffiths was 3rd, Dale Porter started 9th and finished 4th, with Martin holding on for 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 20 lap IMCA Late Models, with Curtis Glover and John VanDenBerg drawing the front row. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as VanDenBerg spun in turn 4 and collected Todd Cooney. Both cars were unable to continue. Curt Schroeder was moved to the outside of the front row for the restart, with Glover grabbing the lead over Cayden Carter and Schroeder. Glover's run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he pulled off the track with heavy engine smoke. This would give Carter the lead. Carter then lapped the entire field to easily pick up his first Late Model win at the track. Paul Nagle started 6th and finished 2nd, Derek Liles, who moved up from the SportMod class, started 8th and finished 3rd, Todd Johnson was 4th after starting in 7th, with Jenna Johnson finishing 5th after starting in 9th.
Notes from Osky: Greg Gill started the Stock Car feature in 10th and finished 8th....Mike Brown finished 10th after starting in 14th....Nathan Wood, who was battling for 6th after starting in 13th, pitted under the lap 12 caution. He would return to come back up to finish in 11th....Brock Welch had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Matthew Vangelder started the SportMod feature in 10th and finished 8th....Shawn Cooney started 14th and finished 9th....Thomas Egenberger had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Brandon Banks started 9th in the Modified feature and finished 7th....Jim Lynch had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Clayton Webster started the Hobby Stock feature in 11th and finished 8th....Brandon Potts, who spun on the start, had worked his way back to 5th on lap 6. But was forced off the track down the backstretch on the last lap to be credited with 9th.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Ball, Kay, and Van Genderen Top Thursday Night Dubuque Fair Races
Dubuque, IA (Thursday, July 30, 2015) - Thursday night was another race event being held during the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa. On the card for the night was the first ever visit for the Sprint Invaders, along with the IMCA Late Models and IMCA Modifieds.
The first feature to take to the track was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Mike Van Genderen and Sean Rupp drawing the front row for the event. Van Genderen would take advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Rupp and Brandon Wilson. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Derek Thompson slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Van Genderen moved back out front, with Ryan DeShaw, who started 5th, using the top of the track to climb into second. DeShaw kept working the top of the track to grab the top spot away from Van Genderen on lap 9. But Van Genderen didn't give up, as he worked the bottom to pull up beside DeShaw over the next 3 laps. Coming off turn 4 on lap 13, Van Genderen was able to clear DeShaw to grab the lead back. One lap later, lap 14, Jeremy Gengler would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow and slow the action up front. On the restart Dustin Crist, Jason Schueller, Jed Freiburger, Keith Pittman and Tim Petitgout collided in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Van Genderen jump back out front, with DeShaw and Wilson close behind. Van Genderen then pulled away over the final 6 laps to claim his first win at the track in his first ever visit. DeShaw was 2nd, Wilson was 3rd, Rupp was 4th, with Matt Gansen coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
Joel Callahan and Ron Klein drew the front row for the 30 lap IMCA Late Model feature. Just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as Lyle Klein got into Lee Kinsella in turn 1, which caused Kinsella to spin and collect Eric Pollard and Ryan Hill to bring out the yellow. On the restart Callahan moved out front to lead lap 1 over Luke Goedert and Ron Klein. Kinsella went for a spin in turn 3 on lap 3 to bring out the next caution. Callahan grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dan Shelliam, who started 9th, using the top of the track to move into second. One lap later, lap 4, Steve Schueller would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hill went for a spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Callahan move back out front over Shelliam and Goedert. While Callahan worked the bottom of the track, Shelliam worked the top. Which paid off for Shelliam, who grabbed the lead away from Callahan on lap 6. Shelliam started to enter lapped traffic on lap 11, which allowed Justin Kay to close in on his back bumper. Kay, who was glued to the bottom of the track, would use lap traffic to edge out Shelliam at the line to lead lap 14. Just after the completion of lap 14, Curt Marks would spin in front of Kay in turn 4 to bring out the caution. Kay had to take invasive action to clear Marks, but Hill, who was directly behind Kay, couldn't avoid making colliding with Marks. On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Shelliam and Callahan following. Despite Kay entering lapped traffic on lap 24, Kay would pull away to pick up the win. Shelliam was 2nd, Callahan was 3rd, Luke Merfeld came from 12th to finish in 4th, with Jeff Tharp coming home in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 30 lap Sprint Invaders, with Jamie Ball and Harold Pohren leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Pohren used his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Ball and Jarrod Schneiderman. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Gillette, Wyoming's Matt Dapra spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball would use the bottom of the track to edge out Pohren for the top spot. But Pohren wouldn't give up, as he came back on the outside to take the lead back on lap 4. Dapra would spin in turn 4 on lap 6 to slow the battle up front, which was also his second solo caution to end his night. Pohren jumped back out front on the restart, with Ball and Tony Shilling close behind. Ball, who was working the bottom of the track, would take the lead awy from Pohren on lap 8. One lap later John Schulz, who started 5th, slipped under Pohren for the second spot. Schulz followed in Ball's tracks over the final 20 laps. But wasn't able to mount a challenge, as Ball held on to claim the win. Schulz settled for 2nd, Ryan Jamison started 9th and finished 3rd, Shilling was 4th, with Pohren holding on for 5th.
Notes from Dubuque: With only 13 Sprint Cars signed in on the night, the staff got their heads together to come up with a different format to give the fans a show. Instead of running two 10 lap heat races, with the top 3 going to the dash. They decided to run two set of 6 lap heat races. The first set would be lined up by how they drew when they signed in on the night. The second set would be inverted by how they finished the first set of heat races. Drivers were given points for how they finished both sets of heat races, with the points being added together. Then the top 6 in combined points would draw for the 6 lap dash, the remainder would start 7th on back in the feature based on points. The winner of the dash would then draw a pill to determine how many would invert for the first 3 rows of the feature.....Jed Freiburger recovered from the crash on lap 14 of the IMCA Modified feature to climb back up to finish in 6th....Jeff Larson started 10th and finished 7th....Dustin Crist recovered from the crash on lap 14 to come back up to finish in 9th....Tim Petitgout, who started 15th, also recovered from the crash on lap 14 to come up to finish in 10th....Jeremy Gengler recovered from his spin on lap 14 to come back up to finish in 12th......Lyle Klein recovered from his involvement on the start to come back up to finish in 7th....Lee Kinsella, also recovered from the spin on lap 1 and lap 3 to come back up to finish in 10th....Becky Roth started 15th and finished 11th....Steve Schueller, who started 16th, recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish in 13th......Chris Martin started the Sprint feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Tim Moore started 12th and finished 10th.
The first feature to take to the track was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Mike Van Genderen and Sean Rupp drawing the front row for the event. Van Genderen would take advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Rupp and Brandon Wilson. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Derek Thompson slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Van Genderen moved back out front, with Ryan DeShaw, who started 5th, using the top of the track to climb into second. DeShaw kept working the top of the track to grab the top spot away from Van Genderen on lap 9. But Van Genderen didn't give up, as he worked the bottom to pull up beside DeShaw over the next 3 laps. Coming off turn 4 on lap 13, Van Genderen was able to clear DeShaw to grab the lead back. One lap later, lap 14, Jeremy Gengler would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow and slow the action up front. On the restart Dustin Crist, Jason Schueller, Jed Freiburger, Keith Pittman and Tim Petitgout collided in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Van Genderen jump back out front, with DeShaw and Wilson close behind. Van Genderen then pulled away over the final 6 laps to claim his first win at the track in his first ever visit. DeShaw was 2nd, Wilson was 3rd, Rupp was 4th, with Matt Gansen coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
Joel Callahan and Ron Klein drew the front row for the 30 lap IMCA Late Model feature. Just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as Lyle Klein got into Lee Kinsella in turn 1, which caused Kinsella to spin and collect Eric Pollard and Ryan Hill to bring out the yellow. On the restart Callahan moved out front to lead lap 1 over Luke Goedert and Ron Klein. Kinsella went for a spin in turn 3 on lap 3 to bring out the next caution. Callahan grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dan Shelliam, who started 9th, using the top of the track to move into second. One lap later, lap 4, Steve Schueller would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hill went for a spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Callahan move back out front over Shelliam and Goedert. While Callahan worked the bottom of the track, Shelliam worked the top. Which paid off for Shelliam, who grabbed the lead away from Callahan on lap 6. Shelliam started to enter lapped traffic on lap 11, which allowed Justin Kay to close in on his back bumper. Kay, who was glued to the bottom of the track, would use lap traffic to edge out Shelliam at the line to lead lap 14. Just after the completion of lap 14, Curt Marks would spin in front of Kay in turn 4 to bring out the caution. Kay had to take invasive action to clear Marks, but Hill, who was directly behind Kay, couldn't avoid making colliding with Marks. On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Shelliam and Callahan following. Despite Kay entering lapped traffic on lap 24, Kay would pull away to pick up the win. Shelliam was 2nd, Callahan was 3rd, Luke Merfeld came from 12th to finish in 4th, with Jeff Tharp coming home in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 30 lap Sprint Invaders, with Jamie Ball and Harold Pohren leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Pohren used his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Ball and Jarrod Schneiderman. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Gillette, Wyoming's Matt Dapra spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball would use the bottom of the track to edge out Pohren for the top spot. But Pohren wouldn't give up, as he came back on the outside to take the lead back on lap 4. Dapra would spin in turn 4 on lap 6 to slow the battle up front, which was also his second solo caution to end his night. Pohren jumped back out front on the restart, with Ball and Tony Shilling close behind. Ball, who was working the bottom of the track, would take the lead awy from Pohren on lap 8. One lap later John Schulz, who started 5th, slipped under Pohren for the second spot. Schulz followed in Ball's tracks over the final 20 laps. But wasn't able to mount a challenge, as Ball held on to claim the win. Schulz settled for 2nd, Ryan Jamison started 9th and finished 3rd, Shilling was 4th, with Pohren holding on for 5th.
Notes from Dubuque: With only 13 Sprint Cars signed in on the night, the staff got their heads together to come up with a different format to give the fans a show. Instead of running two 10 lap heat races, with the top 3 going to the dash. They decided to run two set of 6 lap heat races. The first set would be lined up by how they drew when they signed in on the night. The second set would be inverted by how they finished the first set of heat races. Drivers were given points for how they finished both sets of heat races, with the points being added together. Then the top 6 in combined points would draw for the 6 lap dash, the remainder would start 7th on back in the feature based on points. The winner of the dash would then draw a pill to determine how many would invert for the first 3 rows of the feature.....Jed Freiburger recovered from the crash on lap 14 of the IMCA Modified feature to climb back up to finish in 6th....Jeff Larson started 10th and finished 7th....Dustin Crist recovered from the crash on lap 14 to come back up to finish in 9th....Tim Petitgout, who started 15th, also recovered from the crash on lap 14 to come up to finish in 10th....Jeremy Gengler recovered from his spin on lap 14 to come back up to finish in 12th......Lyle Klein recovered from his involvement on the start to come back up to finish in 7th....Lee Kinsella, also recovered from the spin on lap 1 and lap 3 to come back up to finish in 10th....Becky Roth started 15th and finished 11th....Steve Schueller, who started 16th, recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish in 13th......Chris Martin started the Sprint feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Tim Moore started 12th and finished 10th.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Moyer Makes History at Quincy Raceways
Quincy, IL (Thursday, July 23, 2015) - Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois has had several special events held at the facility in the 41 year existence, but nothing like what was held on Thursday, July 23rd. As the World of Outlaws Late Models made their first ever visit to the "Bullring", with the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprint Cars joining the card. The fans reacted by filling the place up to a standing room only capacity!
The nights action would start off with the World Of Outlaws Late Models qualifying. The 32 Late Models signed in on the night would be divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, with each driver given two laps around the track. The fastest of those two laps would determine their starting spot in one of the four heat races. Brian Shirley would set fast time in Group A, with a time of 13.223. While Tim McCreadie set fast time in Group B and the overall fastest time, with a time of 13.112.
Following Late Model qualifying was the three MOWA Sprint Car heat races. The 24 drivers signed in on the night drew a number to determine where they would start in one of the three heat races. The winner of each of those heat races, along with three other drivers who earned the most passing points would be locked into the dash.
The first heat race was led to green by Paul Nienhiser and Bret Tripplett, with Nienhiser jumping out into the lead on the drop of the green flag. Nienhiser would set a fast pace out front and looked to be heading to the win. That was until mid way thru the race when he jumped the cushion in turn 4 and got into the wall to bring out the caution. At the same time second place running Brady Bacon slowed to a stop down the front stretch after loosing an engine. On the restart Brad Loyet would inherit the lead, which he held to the checkered flag. Zach Daum started 5th and finished 2nd, Jake Blackhurst came from 6th to finish in 3rd, Jerrod Hull started 7th and finished 4th, Joe B. Miller finished 5th after starting in 8th, Nienhiser was 6th, Tripplett was 7th, with Bacon 8th.
Joey Moughan and Steven Russell made up the front row for the second heat race. But it was third place starter Hunter Schuerenberg who quickly moved to the front. Schuerenberg would go on to pull away for the win. Moughan was 2nd, Bobby Mincer was 3rd, Korey Weyant was 4th, Ryan Jamison was 5th, Chris Urish was 6th, Jacob Patton was 7th, with Russell in 8th.
The third and final heat race was suppose to have AJ Bruns and Logan Faucon on the front row. But just before the green flag was waved AJ Bruns exited the track off turn three with troubles, which moved Jeremy Standridge to the pole next to Faucon. Standridge would jump out into the lead on the start, with Parker Price-Miller close behind. Price-Miller would use the top of the track to grab the lead away from Standridge on lap 3. Price-Miller looked to be heading for the win, until just past the midway point. Casey Shuman would do a complete 360 spin in front of the leader in turn 4, which caused Price-Miller to go off the track in turn 4 to avoid contact. That reaction by Price-Miller would cause him to roll onto his side to bring out the red. On the restart Rico Abreu, who started 6th and was running second, inherit the lead. Abreu then pulled away to pick up the win. Standridge was 2nd, Cory Bruns started 7th and finished 3rd, Shuman, who started 8th, recovered from his spin to come back up to finish 4th, Faucon was 5th, Price-Miller was credited with 6th, Jimmy Hurley was 7th, with AJ Bruns 8th.
Up next was the first of four WoO Late Model heats, in which the top 4 in each of those would move into the A Main. Brian Shirley and Brandon Sheppard were on the front row for heat 1. Shirley would grab the lead on the drop of the green flag, but was followed closely by Sheppard. Sheppard tried high and low to get around Shirley over the 10 laps, but Shirley would hold on to pick up the win. Sheppard settled for 2nd, Chub Frank was 3rd, with Rick Eckert earning the final transfer spot in 4th. Morgan Bagley was 5th, Boom Briggs was 6th, Mark Burgtorf was 7th, with Mike Hammerle in 8th.
Brandon Overton and Chase Junghans led the field to the green flag in heat 2, with Overton taking advantage of his front row start to lead lap 1. Overton then held off a late challenge from Shane Clanton to claim the win. Clanton settled for 2nd, Eric Wells was 3rd, with Junghans holding on for the final transfer spot in 4th. Jamie Wilson was 5th, Denny Woodworth was 6th, Keith Pratt was 7th, with Frank Heckenast Jr pulling out midway with troubles after running in a transfer spot.
Heat race three had Tim McCreadie and Bobby Pierce on the front row, with McCreadie grabbing the advantage on the start. Despite several challenges from Pierce, McCreadie was able to hold on to pick up the win. Pierce settled for 2nd, Shannon Babb was 3rd, while Gordy Gundaker won the battle for the final transfer spot in 4th. Jimmy Mars was 5th, Jordan Yaggy was 6th, Kolby Vandenbergh was 7th, with Terry Wilson in 8th.
The final heat race had Jason Feger and Billy Moyer on the front row, with Moyer jumping out front on the drop of the green flag. Moyer would pull away to claim the win. Josh Richards started 5th and finished 2nd, Gregg Satterllee was 3rd, with Jason Perry coming from 7th to grab the final transfer spot in 4th. Feger was 5th, Justin Reed was 6th, Clint Kirkham was 7th, with Chad Hollenbeck in 8th.
Following the four WoO Late Model heat races, was the six car six lap MOWA Sprint Car dash to determine the first three rows of the A Main. Cory Bruns jumped out into the lead on lap 1. While Bruns ran out front, Rico Abreu, who started 5th, moved into second on lap 2. Abreu tried to get under Bruns on laps 3 and 4, before the caution waved to set up a 2 lap dash to the finish. On the restart Bruns moved back out front, with Abreu going to the top of the track to get by Bruns. Coming off turn 4 for the checkered Abreu was able to pull even with Burns. But Bruns would hold on by inches to claim the win. Abreu settled for 2nd, Hunter Schuerenberg was 3rd, Jake Blackhurst was 4th, Zach Daum was 5th, with Brad Loyet in 6th.
Up next was the first of two WoO Late Model B Mains, with the top 3 in each moving into the A Main. Morgan Bagley and Jamie Wilson led the field to green, with Bagley jumping out front on lap 1. While Bagley set the pace out front, Frank Heckenast Jr., who started 8th, was working his way towards the front. Heckenast Jr. was able to move into the runner up spot late in the race, but wasn't able to chase down Bagley for the win. Meanwhile Mark Burgtorf, who started 6th, Boom Briggs, and Keith Pratt, who started 6th, battled for the final transfer spot. Burgtorf would use the top of the track on the final lap to edge out Briggs for the 3rd and final transfer spot. Briggs was 4th, Pratt was 5th, Denny Woodworth was 6th, Mike Hammerle was 7th, with Wilson 8th.
Jimmy Mars and Jason Feger made up the front row for the second WoO Late Model B Main. Mars would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. While Mars set the pace out front, the battle behind him was for the 3rd and final transfer spot. Feger's, who was working the top of the track, had Kolby Vandenbergh, who started 5th, looking under him over the final laps. Coming to the white flag Vandenbergh was able to edge Feger at the line to claim the third spot. But Feger would use the momentum off the top of turn 4 coming to the checkered flag to edge Vandenbergh at the line to finish in 3rd. Mars would pick up the win, with Justin Reed was in 2nd. Jordan Yaggy was 5th, Chad Hollenbeck was 6th, Clint Kirkham was 7th, with Terry Wilson in 8th....Briggs and Yaggy would receive the WoO points provisionals to set the 24 car starting field.
Now that both features had their starting fields set, it was time to go feature racing. The 25 lap MOWA Sprint Car feature was up first, with Cory Bruns and Rico Abreu leading the field to green. Abreu took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Bruns and Zach Daum. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, when Brady Bacon rolled coming out of turn 4 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car okay. On the restart Casey Schuman, who was running 7th, slowed to a stop down the front stretch to bring the yellow out. The following restart saw Abreu move back out front over Bruns and Daum. Another lap lap in the books produced another caution, as Jeremy Standridge spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Jimmy Hurley would get upside down in turn 3 to change the yellow to a red flag condition. Hurley climbed from his car okay. On the restart Joey Moughan would spin in turn 2 to bring the caution out. The following restart had Abreu jump back out front, with Bruns in second and Hunter Schuerenberg over taking Daum for the third spot. Schuerenberg over took Bruns for the runner up spot on lap 10, and then went to work on chasing down Abreu for the lead. Abreu would start to enter lapped traffic on lap 12, which allowed Schuerenberg to close. But Schuerenberg's run up front came to an end on lap 13 when he spun off turn 2 to bring out the caution. Once again Abreu jumped out front on the restart, with Bruns and Daum following. Despite entering lapped traffic on lap 22 there was nothing slowing down Abreu, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Bruns was 2nd, Jerrod Hull came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Jake Blackhurst was 4th, with Brad Loyet rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 40 lap WoO Late Model feature, with Billy Moyer and Tim McCreadie drawing the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Brian Shirley, who started 6th, and Eric Wells, who started 10th, both spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Under WoO rules both Shirley and Wells were given their spots back since it was on the original start. On the restart Moyer moved out front, with McCreadie and Shane Clanton, who started 5th, close behind. Moyer, who was using the bottom of the track, started to enter lapped traffic on lap 15, which allowed Clanton to close in on him for the lead. Clanton jumped to the top of the track coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot from Moyer on lap 19. Heavy lapped traffic in front of Clanton allowed Moyer to stay close to the leader. Just when it looked like Clanton would hold on to claim the win, Wells would slow in turn 4. Clanton would have to get on the binders to keep from plowing into the back of Wells, which caused him to stall the motor. This would allow Moyer to go by on the top of the track to grab the lead back on lap 38. Clanton was able to get under Moyer coming to the white flag. But Moyer held on over the final lap to pick up the win and the $8,000 top prize. Clanton settled for 2nd, Josh Richards came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Brandon Sheppard started 8th and finished 4th, with McCreadie holding on for 5th.
Notes from Quincy: Chris Urish started the MOWA Sprint feature in 15th and passed 9 cars to finish in 6th....Paul Nienhiser, who started 19th, pitted with a broken shock under the lap 3 red and had to restart 19th. He would climbed back up to finish 7th at the checkered flag....Bobby Mincer started 11th and finished 8th....Logan Faucon came from 16th to finish in 9th....Parker Price-Miller made repairs after rolling in his heat race. He would start the feature in 17th and then climbed his way up to a 10th place finish....Steven Russell passed 12 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 11th....Joey Moughan recovered from his spin on the lap 3 restart to come back up to finish 12th....Bret Tripplett started 21st and finished 13th....Zach Daum, who was running 3rd, pulled out on lap 16 with troubles to end his night in 18th....AJ Bruns never recovered from the troubles that forced him out of the heat race before the green flag waved, as he scratched from the feature......Morgan Bagley started the WoO Late Model feature in 17th and passed 9 cars to finish in 8th....Rick Eckert started 13th and finished 9th....Frank Heckenast Jr. passed 9 cars from his 19th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Jimmy Mars started 18th and finished 15th....Mark Burgtorf finished 16th after starting in 21st, and was the highest finishing regular at Quincy Raceways....Jason Feger started 22nd and finished 17th....Boom Briggs came from 23rd to finish in 19th....Jordan Yaggy started 24th and finished 20th.
I would like to thank Ken Dobson and the crew at Quincy Raceways for a very entertaining night. With the great turn out and some great racing, let's hope this event is on the schedule once again in 2016!
The nights action would start off with the World Of Outlaws Late Models qualifying. The 32 Late Models signed in on the night would be divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, with each driver given two laps around the track. The fastest of those two laps would determine their starting spot in one of the four heat races. Brian Shirley would set fast time in Group A, with a time of 13.223. While Tim McCreadie set fast time in Group B and the overall fastest time, with a time of 13.112.
Following Late Model qualifying was the three MOWA Sprint Car heat races. The 24 drivers signed in on the night drew a number to determine where they would start in one of the three heat races. The winner of each of those heat races, along with three other drivers who earned the most passing points would be locked into the dash.
The first heat race was led to green by Paul Nienhiser and Bret Tripplett, with Nienhiser jumping out into the lead on the drop of the green flag. Nienhiser would set a fast pace out front and looked to be heading to the win. That was until mid way thru the race when he jumped the cushion in turn 4 and got into the wall to bring out the caution. At the same time second place running Brady Bacon slowed to a stop down the front stretch after loosing an engine. On the restart Brad Loyet would inherit the lead, which he held to the checkered flag. Zach Daum started 5th and finished 2nd, Jake Blackhurst came from 6th to finish in 3rd, Jerrod Hull started 7th and finished 4th, Joe B. Miller finished 5th after starting in 8th, Nienhiser was 6th, Tripplett was 7th, with Bacon 8th.
Joey Moughan and Steven Russell made up the front row for the second heat race. But it was third place starter Hunter Schuerenberg who quickly moved to the front. Schuerenberg would go on to pull away for the win. Moughan was 2nd, Bobby Mincer was 3rd, Korey Weyant was 4th, Ryan Jamison was 5th, Chris Urish was 6th, Jacob Patton was 7th, with Russell in 8th.
The third and final heat race was suppose to have AJ Bruns and Logan Faucon on the front row. But just before the green flag was waved AJ Bruns exited the track off turn three with troubles, which moved Jeremy Standridge to the pole next to Faucon. Standridge would jump out into the lead on the start, with Parker Price-Miller close behind. Price-Miller would use the top of the track to grab the lead away from Standridge on lap 3. Price-Miller looked to be heading for the win, until just past the midway point. Casey Shuman would do a complete 360 spin in front of the leader in turn 4, which caused Price-Miller to go off the track in turn 4 to avoid contact. That reaction by Price-Miller would cause him to roll onto his side to bring out the red. On the restart Rico Abreu, who started 6th and was running second, inherit the lead. Abreu then pulled away to pick up the win. Standridge was 2nd, Cory Bruns started 7th and finished 3rd, Shuman, who started 8th, recovered from his spin to come back up to finish 4th, Faucon was 5th, Price-Miller was credited with 6th, Jimmy Hurley was 7th, with AJ Bruns 8th.
Up next was the first of four WoO Late Model heats, in which the top 4 in each of those would move into the A Main. Brian Shirley and Brandon Sheppard were on the front row for heat 1. Shirley would grab the lead on the drop of the green flag, but was followed closely by Sheppard. Sheppard tried high and low to get around Shirley over the 10 laps, but Shirley would hold on to pick up the win. Sheppard settled for 2nd, Chub Frank was 3rd, with Rick Eckert earning the final transfer spot in 4th. Morgan Bagley was 5th, Boom Briggs was 6th, Mark Burgtorf was 7th, with Mike Hammerle in 8th.
Brandon Overton and Chase Junghans led the field to the green flag in heat 2, with Overton taking advantage of his front row start to lead lap 1. Overton then held off a late challenge from Shane Clanton to claim the win. Clanton settled for 2nd, Eric Wells was 3rd, with Junghans holding on for the final transfer spot in 4th. Jamie Wilson was 5th, Denny Woodworth was 6th, Keith Pratt was 7th, with Frank Heckenast Jr pulling out midway with troubles after running in a transfer spot.
Heat race three had Tim McCreadie and Bobby Pierce on the front row, with McCreadie grabbing the advantage on the start. Despite several challenges from Pierce, McCreadie was able to hold on to pick up the win. Pierce settled for 2nd, Shannon Babb was 3rd, while Gordy Gundaker won the battle for the final transfer spot in 4th. Jimmy Mars was 5th, Jordan Yaggy was 6th, Kolby Vandenbergh was 7th, with Terry Wilson in 8th.
The final heat race had Jason Feger and Billy Moyer on the front row, with Moyer jumping out front on the drop of the green flag. Moyer would pull away to claim the win. Josh Richards started 5th and finished 2nd, Gregg Satterllee was 3rd, with Jason Perry coming from 7th to grab the final transfer spot in 4th. Feger was 5th, Justin Reed was 6th, Clint Kirkham was 7th, with Chad Hollenbeck in 8th.
Following the four WoO Late Model heat races, was the six car six lap MOWA Sprint Car dash to determine the first three rows of the A Main. Cory Bruns jumped out into the lead on lap 1. While Bruns ran out front, Rico Abreu, who started 5th, moved into second on lap 2. Abreu tried to get under Bruns on laps 3 and 4, before the caution waved to set up a 2 lap dash to the finish. On the restart Bruns moved back out front, with Abreu going to the top of the track to get by Bruns. Coming off turn 4 for the checkered Abreu was able to pull even with Burns. But Bruns would hold on by inches to claim the win. Abreu settled for 2nd, Hunter Schuerenberg was 3rd, Jake Blackhurst was 4th, Zach Daum was 5th, with Brad Loyet in 6th.
Up next was the first of two WoO Late Model B Mains, with the top 3 in each moving into the A Main. Morgan Bagley and Jamie Wilson led the field to green, with Bagley jumping out front on lap 1. While Bagley set the pace out front, Frank Heckenast Jr., who started 8th, was working his way towards the front. Heckenast Jr. was able to move into the runner up spot late in the race, but wasn't able to chase down Bagley for the win. Meanwhile Mark Burgtorf, who started 6th, Boom Briggs, and Keith Pratt, who started 6th, battled for the final transfer spot. Burgtorf would use the top of the track on the final lap to edge out Briggs for the 3rd and final transfer spot. Briggs was 4th, Pratt was 5th, Denny Woodworth was 6th, Mike Hammerle was 7th, with Wilson 8th.
Jimmy Mars and Jason Feger made up the front row for the second WoO Late Model B Main. Mars would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1. While Mars set the pace out front, the battle behind him was for the 3rd and final transfer spot. Feger's, who was working the top of the track, had Kolby Vandenbergh, who started 5th, looking under him over the final laps. Coming to the white flag Vandenbergh was able to edge Feger at the line to claim the third spot. But Feger would use the momentum off the top of turn 4 coming to the checkered flag to edge Vandenbergh at the line to finish in 3rd. Mars would pick up the win, with Justin Reed was in 2nd. Jordan Yaggy was 5th, Chad Hollenbeck was 6th, Clint Kirkham was 7th, with Terry Wilson in 8th....Briggs and Yaggy would receive the WoO points provisionals to set the 24 car starting field.
Now that both features had their starting fields set, it was time to go feature racing. The 25 lap MOWA Sprint Car feature was up first, with Cory Bruns and Rico Abreu leading the field to green. Abreu took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Bruns and Zach Daum. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, when Brady Bacon rolled coming out of turn 4 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car okay. On the restart Casey Schuman, who was running 7th, slowed to a stop down the front stretch to bring the yellow out. The following restart saw Abreu move back out front over Bruns and Daum. Another lap lap in the books produced another caution, as Jeremy Standridge spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Jimmy Hurley would get upside down in turn 3 to change the yellow to a red flag condition. Hurley climbed from his car okay. On the restart Joey Moughan would spin in turn 2 to bring the caution out. The following restart had Abreu jump back out front, with Bruns in second and Hunter Schuerenberg over taking Daum for the third spot. Schuerenberg over took Bruns for the runner up spot on lap 10, and then went to work on chasing down Abreu for the lead. Abreu would start to enter lapped traffic on lap 12, which allowed Schuerenberg to close. But Schuerenberg's run up front came to an end on lap 13 when he spun off turn 2 to bring out the caution. Once again Abreu jumped out front on the restart, with Bruns and Daum following. Despite entering lapped traffic on lap 22 there was nothing slowing down Abreu, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Bruns was 2nd, Jerrod Hull came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Jake Blackhurst was 4th, with Brad Loyet rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 40 lap WoO Late Model feature, with Billy Moyer and Tim McCreadie drawing the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Brian Shirley, who started 6th, and Eric Wells, who started 10th, both spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Under WoO rules both Shirley and Wells were given their spots back since it was on the original start. On the restart Moyer moved out front, with McCreadie and Shane Clanton, who started 5th, close behind. Moyer, who was using the bottom of the track, started to enter lapped traffic on lap 15, which allowed Clanton to close in on him for the lead. Clanton jumped to the top of the track coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot from Moyer on lap 19. Heavy lapped traffic in front of Clanton allowed Moyer to stay close to the leader. Just when it looked like Clanton would hold on to claim the win, Wells would slow in turn 4. Clanton would have to get on the binders to keep from plowing into the back of Wells, which caused him to stall the motor. This would allow Moyer to go by on the top of the track to grab the lead back on lap 38. Clanton was able to get under Moyer coming to the white flag. But Moyer held on over the final lap to pick up the win and the $8,000 top prize. Clanton settled for 2nd, Josh Richards came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Brandon Sheppard started 8th and finished 4th, with McCreadie holding on for 5th.
Notes from Quincy: Chris Urish started the MOWA Sprint feature in 15th and passed 9 cars to finish in 6th....Paul Nienhiser, who started 19th, pitted with a broken shock under the lap 3 red and had to restart 19th. He would climbed back up to finish 7th at the checkered flag....Bobby Mincer started 11th and finished 8th....Logan Faucon came from 16th to finish in 9th....Parker Price-Miller made repairs after rolling in his heat race. He would start the feature in 17th and then climbed his way up to a 10th place finish....Steven Russell passed 12 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 11th....Joey Moughan recovered from his spin on the lap 3 restart to come back up to finish 12th....Bret Tripplett started 21st and finished 13th....Zach Daum, who was running 3rd, pulled out on lap 16 with troubles to end his night in 18th....AJ Bruns never recovered from the troubles that forced him out of the heat race before the green flag waved, as he scratched from the feature......Morgan Bagley started the WoO Late Model feature in 17th and passed 9 cars to finish in 8th....Rick Eckert started 13th and finished 9th....Frank Heckenast Jr. passed 9 cars from his 19th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Jimmy Mars started 18th and finished 15th....Mark Burgtorf finished 16th after starting in 21st, and was the highest finishing regular at Quincy Raceways....Jason Feger started 22nd and finished 17th....Boom Briggs came from 23rd to finish in 19th....Jordan Yaggy started 24th and finished 20th.
I would like to thank Ken Dobson and the crew at Quincy Raceways for a very entertaining night. With the great turn out and some great racing, let's hope this event is on the schedule once again in 2016!
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Banks Repeats at the Southern Iowa Speedway
Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, July 1, 2015) - Wednesday night kicked off night 1 of the 20th Annual Great American Stock Car Shootout at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA. This night would feature a unique qualifying format for the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks, while the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Compacts ran a regular weekly program.
All the drivers in the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks drew a number when they checked in for competition to determine how to line straight up for the first set of heat races. Those same numbers would be inverted to determine where they would start for the second set of heat races. For each finishing position in both sets of heat races the drivers would earn points. Points from both sets of heat races would then be added up to determine who the top 8 point gainers would be to. Those top 8 drivers where then locked into the dash for Thursday night, night 2. The finish of those dashes would then determine the first 4 rows of the big money features on Thursday night.
The night started off with heat 1 in the IMCA SportMods, with Brett Lowry and Colton Livezay drawing the front row. Livezay jumped out front on the start and held on to pick up the win. Lowry was 2nd, Kyle Hill started 5th and finished 3rd, Cory Van Zante finished 4th after starting in 8th, Brandon Dale was 5th, Aaron Osweiler was 6th, LeRoey Groenendyk was 7th, Greg Strohman was 8th, with Trent Brink rounding out the field in 9th.
Jason McDaniel and Curtis Van Der Wal led the field to green in the second IMCA SportMod heat race, with Van Der Wal grabbing the lead on lap 1. Van Der Wal would lead all lasp to pick up the win. McDaniel was 2nd, Logan Anderson was 3rd, Brayton Carter was 4th, Scott VanBuskirk was 5th, Charlie Weber was 6th, Danny Brau was 7th, with Scott Brau coming home in 8th.
Up next was the first of two IMCA Hobby Stock heat races, with Nick Ulin and Travis Bunnell making up the front row. Ulin would grab the lead on the start and then held on to pick up the win. Craig Brown started 6th and finished 2nd, Jamie Songer finished 3rd after starting in 5th, Bobby Greene came from 8th to finish in 4th, Bill Bonnett finished 5th, Kevin Fee was 6th, August Bach drove Gina Gruebel's #224 to a 7th place finish, Mike Kincaid was 8th, Bunnell was 9th, with Daniel Dyer losing a right rear in turn 1 on the start to end up 10th.
IMCA Hobby Stock heat race number 2 had Ron Downing Jr. and Dustin Griffiths on the front row. Griffiths used his front row start to grab the lead on the start and then cruised to an easy win. Dale Porter was 2nd, Danny Thrasher passed 6 cars from his 9th place starting spot to finish in 3rd, Adam Bonnett was 4th, Aaron Martin was 5th, Brandon Potts was 6th, Steve Allen was 7th, Clayton Webster was 8th, Christian Huffman was 9th, with Downing Jr. finishing 10th.
Caleb Crenshaw, who made the pull up from Fort Worth, Texas, and Nathan Wood led the field to green in the first IMCA Stock Car heat race. Wood grabbed the lead on lap 1 and then held it until lap4, when Derrick Agee over took him for the top spot. While Agee started to pull away, this would leave Wood, Mike Hughes, who started 6th, Shane Paris, who started 5th, and Jason See, who started 8th, battling side-by-side for the runner up spot. Agee would go on to pick up the win. Wood held on for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Paris was 4th, See was 5th, Crenshaw was 6th, Jerry Pilcher came from 12th to finish in 7th, Les Blakley was 8th, Ashton Johnson was 9th, Michael Bilyeu was 10th, Brock Welch was 11th, with Ryan Fullenkamp coming home in 12th.
The second IMCA Stock Car heat race had Johnny Spaw and Casey Greubel leading the field to the green flag, with Spaw jumping out front on lap 1. While Spaw set the pace out front, Damon Murty, who started 9th, was working his way towards the front. Late in the race Murty would slip under Spaw to take over the top spot and then went on to claim the win. Spaw crossed the line in 2nd, but was disqualified for not going to tech. Which moved Daniel Hilsabeck up to 2nd, Greubel was 3rd, Cody Agee started 10th and finished 4th, Daniel Gordon was 5th, Robert Markle was 6th, Donnie Pearson started 12th and finished 7th, Austin Evens was 8th, Todd Phillips was 9th, Terry Clayton was 10th, Jay Schmidt was 11th, with Spaw credited with 12th.
Heat 3 was led to green by Steve Clair and Doug Sylvester. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as Clair spun in front of the field in turn 2 and collected Brad Pinkerton to bring out the yellow. On the restart Todd Reitzler, Cayden Carter, who started 6th, Zack VanderBeek, who started 5th, and David Brandies, who started 9th, raced side-by-side for the top spot. Carter would emerge with the lead late in the race to pick up the win. VanderBeek was 2nd, Brandies was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, Joe Zadina started 11th and finished 5th, Bob Lynch was 6th, Sylvester was 7th, Ron Christopher, who made the pull up from Forney, Texas, was 8th, Dewayne Herb was 9th, Pinkerton was 10th, with Clair 11th.
After the first round of heat races for the IMCA SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and IMCA Stock Cars the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature would take to the track. John Whalen and Trent Orwig would led the field to the green, but it was 4th place starter Josh Barnes who grabbed the lead on lap 1. Barnes then started to pull away from the field, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 5. Orwig lost an engine down the front stretch and dumped oil onto the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Barnes moved back out front and then cruised to an easy win in his first ever visit to the track. Shane Evans started 5th and finished 2nd, John Whalen was 3rd, Bill Whalen Jr was 4th, with Girdley rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey on the front row. Banks would use his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1. While Banks set the pace out front, Cayden Carter, who started 5th, was working his way into second late in the race. But without a caution there was no catching Banks, as he won his second feature in a row at the track since debuting his new Jake Murray Race Car. Carter settled for 2nd, Andrew Schroeder was 3rd, Tyler Groenendyk was 4th, with Colt Mather coming home in 5th after starting in 7th.
Following the IMCA Modified feature was the round two heat races in the IMCA SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and IMCA Stock Cars. This time the drivers would be inverted, with the highest number drawn at the beginning of the night starting on the pole. The first IMCA SportMod heat had Scott VanBuskirk and Cory Van Zante leading them to green. But it was fifth place starter Logan Anderson who quickly grabbed the lead on the start. He would then pull away to pick up the win. Jason McDaniel came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Van Zante was 3rd, Brandon Dale started 6th and finished 4th, Aaron Osweiler was 5th, Colton Livezay was 6th, VanBuskirk was 7th, with Brayton Carter credited with 8th. Carter's car would stall in turn before the green flag was waved and was pushed back to the pits.
Greg Strohman and Danny Brau led the field to green in the second IMCA SportMod heat. Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 8th, quickly moved to the front and then pulled away to pick up the win. Charlie Weber was 2nd, Brett Lowry started 9th and finished 3rd, Kyle Hill was 4th, LeRoy Groenendyk was 5th, Trent Brink was 6th, Strohman was 7th, Scott Brau was 8th, with Danny Brau 9th.
The first IMCA Hobby Stock heat race of round two was up next, with Christian Huffman and August Bach making up the front row. At the drop of the green Brandon Potts and Bill Bonnett raced side-by-side for the top spot. Meanwhile, Dustin Griffiths, who started 9th, worked his way up midway through the race to make it a three car battle for the lead. Late in the race Griffiths was able to slip past Potts and Bonnett to grab the top spot, and then held on to claim the win. Potts was 2nd, Bonnett was 3rd, Nick Ulin started 10th and finished 4th, Jamie Songer was 5th, Dale Porter was 6th, Huffman was 7th, Aaron Martin was 8th, Bach was 9th, with Mike Kincaid rounding out the top 10.
Heat two of the IMCA Hobby Stocks was led to the green flag by Danny Thrasher and Kevin Fee, with Thrasher grabbing the lead on lap 1. Thrasher then pulled away to pick up the win. Travis Bunnell pass 8 cars from his 10 place starting spot to come home in 2nd, Adam Bonnett was 3rd, Craig Brown was 4th, Bobby Greene was 5th, Steve Allen was 6th, Fee was 7th, Clayton Webster was 8th, Ron Downing Jr. was 9th, with Daniel Dyer credited with 10th after scratching from troubles earlier in the first round of heat races.
Up next was the first of three second round heat races for the IMCA Stock Cars, with Donnie Pearson and Brad Pinkerton leading the field to green. Pinkerton would grab the lead on lap 1. While Pinkerton paced the field out front, Mike Hughes, who started 7th, Daniel Hilsabeck, who started 8th, and Todd Reitzler, who started 9th, were all working their way towards the front. Hughes would slip under Pinkerton mid way through the race to grab the top spot, with Hilsabeck and Reitzler following. Despite some late challenges from Hilsabeck and Reitzler, Hughes was able to hold on to pick up the win. Hilsabeck settled for 2nd, Reitzler was 3rd, Pinkerton was 4th, Johnny Spaw came from 12th to finish in 5th, Todd Phillips came from 10th to finish in 6th, Doug Sylvester started 11th and finished 7th, Les Blakley was 8th, Ron Christopher was 9th, Pearson was 10th, Bob Lynch was 11th, with Ashton Johnson rounding out the finish in 12th.
Heat two of the IMCA Stock Cars had Jerry Pilcher and Jay Schmidt on the front row, with Schmidt grabbing the early lead. Damon Murty would slip under Schmidt on lap 4 to grab the lead away, while Cayden Carter, who started 6th, quickly moved up to follow Murty into second. Late in the race Carter would use the top of the track to slip past Murty to take over the top spot, and then held on to pick up the win. Murty was 2nd, Nathan Wood started 11th and finished 3rd, David Brandies was 4th, Derrick Agee came from 10th to finish in 5th, Zack VanderBeek was 6th, Pilcher was 7th, Schmidt was 8th, Robert Merkle was 9th, Caleb Crenshaw was 10th, Michael Bilyeu was 11th, with Terry Clayton 12th.
The third and final heat race of the night had Joe Zadina and Brock Welch on the front row. But it was third place starter Cody Agee who grabbed the lead on lap 1. Shane Paris, who started 8th, and moved into second late in the race didn't have enough time to chase down Agee for the lead. As Agee picked up the win. Paris was 2nd, Jason See was 3rd, Casey Greubel started 10th and finished 4th, Zadina was 5th, Daniel Gordon was 6th, Austin Evens was 7th, Dewayne Herb was 8th, Welch was 9th, Ryan Fullenkamp was suppose to started on the outside of the front row, but was a scratch and was credited with 10th, Steve Clair was also a scratch and was credited with 11th.
After both rounds of heat races were complete in the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks the points were tallied up to see who the top 8 would be locked into the dash on Thursday night.
Cayden Carter was the top points gainer in the IMCA Stock Cars. He was followed by Damon Murty, Mike Hughes, Daniel Hilsabeck, Cody Agee, Nathan Wood, Derrick Agee, and Shane Paris.
The IMCA SportMod top points gainer was Curtis Van Der Wal. He was followed by Logan Anderson, Jason McDaniel, Brett Lowry, Colton Livezay, Kyle Hill, Cory Van Zante, and Charle Weber.
Dustin Griffiths top the IMCA Hobby Stocks points. He was followed by Danny Thrasher, Nick Ulin, Craig Brown, Adam Bonnett, Dale Porter, Brandon Potts, and Jamie Songer.
Thursday nights events would feature last chance races in the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks. Then the dashes for the top 8 in points, to determine the first four rows of the features. Those features would have a $2,000 top prize on the line for the IMCA Stock Cars, with $1,000 up for grabs in the IMCA SportMods and IMCA Hobby Stocks.
All the drivers in the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks drew a number when they checked in for competition to determine how to line straight up for the first set of heat races. Those same numbers would be inverted to determine where they would start for the second set of heat races. For each finishing position in both sets of heat races the drivers would earn points. Points from both sets of heat races would then be added up to determine who the top 8 point gainers would be to. Those top 8 drivers where then locked into the dash for Thursday night, night 2. The finish of those dashes would then determine the first 4 rows of the big money features on Thursday night.
The night started off with heat 1 in the IMCA SportMods, with Brett Lowry and Colton Livezay drawing the front row. Livezay jumped out front on the start and held on to pick up the win. Lowry was 2nd, Kyle Hill started 5th and finished 3rd, Cory Van Zante finished 4th after starting in 8th, Brandon Dale was 5th, Aaron Osweiler was 6th, LeRoey Groenendyk was 7th, Greg Strohman was 8th, with Trent Brink rounding out the field in 9th.
Jason McDaniel and Curtis Van Der Wal led the field to green in the second IMCA SportMod heat race, with Van Der Wal grabbing the lead on lap 1. Van Der Wal would lead all lasp to pick up the win. McDaniel was 2nd, Logan Anderson was 3rd, Brayton Carter was 4th, Scott VanBuskirk was 5th, Charlie Weber was 6th, Danny Brau was 7th, with Scott Brau coming home in 8th.
Up next was the first of two IMCA Hobby Stock heat races, with Nick Ulin and Travis Bunnell making up the front row. Ulin would grab the lead on the start and then held on to pick up the win. Craig Brown started 6th and finished 2nd, Jamie Songer finished 3rd after starting in 5th, Bobby Greene came from 8th to finish in 4th, Bill Bonnett finished 5th, Kevin Fee was 6th, August Bach drove Gina Gruebel's #224 to a 7th place finish, Mike Kincaid was 8th, Bunnell was 9th, with Daniel Dyer losing a right rear in turn 1 on the start to end up 10th.
IMCA Hobby Stock heat race number 2 had Ron Downing Jr. and Dustin Griffiths on the front row. Griffiths used his front row start to grab the lead on the start and then cruised to an easy win. Dale Porter was 2nd, Danny Thrasher passed 6 cars from his 9th place starting spot to finish in 3rd, Adam Bonnett was 4th, Aaron Martin was 5th, Brandon Potts was 6th, Steve Allen was 7th, Clayton Webster was 8th, Christian Huffman was 9th, with Downing Jr. finishing 10th.
Caleb Crenshaw, who made the pull up from Fort Worth, Texas, and Nathan Wood led the field to green in the first IMCA Stock Car heat race. Wood grabbed the lead on lap 1 and then held it until lap4, when Derrick Agee over took him for the top spot. While Agee started to pull away, this would leave Wood, Mike Hughes, who started 6th, Shane Paris, who started 5th, and Jason See, who started 8th, battling side-by-side for the runner up spot. Agee would go on to pick up the win. Wood held on for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Paris was 4th, See was 5th, Crenshaw was 6th, Jerry Pilcher came from 12th to finish in 7th, Les Blakley was 8th, Ashton Johnson was 9th, Michael Bilyeu was 10th, Brock Welch was 11th, with Ryan Fullenkamp coming home in 12th.
The second IMCA Stock Car heat race had Johnny Spaw and Casey Greubel leading the field to the green flag, with Spaw jumping out front on lap 1. While Spaw set the pace out front, Damon Murty, who started 9th, was working his way towards the front. Late in the race Murty would slip under Spaw to take over the top spot and then went on to claim the win. Spaw crossed the line in 2nd, but was disqualified for not going to tech. Which moved Daniel Hilsabeck up to 2nd, Greubel was 3rd, Cody Agee started 10th and finished 4th, Daniel Gordon was 5th, Robert Markle was 6th, Donnie Pearson started 12th and finished 7th, Austin Evens was 8th, Todd Phillips was 9th, Terry Clayton was 10th, Jay Schmidt was 11th, with Spaw credited with 12th.
Heat 3 was led to green by Steve Clair and Doug Sylvester. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as Clair spun in front of the field in turn 2 and collected Brad Pinkerton to bring out the yellow. On the restart Todd Reitzler, Cayden Carter, who started 6th, Zack VanderBeek, who started 5th, and David Brandies, who started 9th, raced side-by-side for the top spot. Carter would emerge with the lead late in the race to pick up the win. VanderBeek was 2nd, Brandies was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, Joe Zadina started 11th and finished 5th, Bob Lynch was 6th, Sylvester was 7th, Ron Christopher, who made the pull up from Forney, Texas, was 8th, Dewayne Herb was 9th, Pinkerton was 10th, with Clair 11th.
After the first round of heat races for the IMCA SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and IMCA Stock Cars the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature would take to the track. John Whalen and Trent Orwig would led the field to the green, but it was 4th place starter Josh Barnes who grabbed the lead on lap 1. Barnes then started to pull away from the field, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 5. Orwig lost an engine down the front stretch and dumped oil onto the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Barnes moved back out front and then cruised to an easy win in his first ever visit to the track. Shane Evans started 5th and finished 2nd, John Whalen was 3rd, Bill Whalen Jr was 4th, with Girdley rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey on the front row. Banks would use his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1. While Banks set the pace out front, Cayden Carter, who started 5th, was working his way into second late in the race. But without a caution there was no catching Banks, as he won his second feature in a row at the track since debuting his new Jake Murray Race Car. Carter settled for 2nd, Andrew Schroeder was 3rd, Tyler Groenendyk was 4th, with Colt Mather coming home in 5th after starting in 7th.
Following the IMCA Modified feature was the round two heat races in the IMCA SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and IMCA Stock Cars. This time the drivers would be inverted, with the highest number drawn at the beginning of the night starting on the pole. The first IMCA SportMod heat had Scott VanBuskirk and Cory Van Zante leading them to green. But it was fifth place starter Logan Anderson who quickly grabbed the lead on the start. He would then pull away to pick up the win. Jason McDaniel came from 7th to finish in 2nd, Van Zante was 3rd, Brandon Dale started 6th and finished 4th, Aaron Osweiler was 5th, Colton Livezay was 6th, VanBuskirk was 7th, with Brayton Carter credited with 8th. Carter's car would stall in turn before the green flag was waved and was pushed back to the pits.
Greg Strohman and Danny Brau led the field to green in the second IMCA SportMod heat. Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 8th, quickly moved to the front and then pulled away to pick up the win. Charlie Weber was 2nd, Brett Lowry started 9th and finished 3rd, Kyle Hill was 4th, LeRoy Groenendyk was 5th, Trent Brink was 6th, Strohman was 7th, Scott Brau was 8th, with Danny Brau 9th.
The first IMCA Hobby Stock heat race of round two was up next, with Christian Huffman and August Bach making up the front row. At the drop of the green Brandon Potts and Bill Bonnett raced side-by-side for the top spot. Meanwhile, Dustin Griffiths, who started 9th, worked his way up midway through the race to make it a three car battle for the lead. Late in the race Griffiths was able to slip past Potts and Bonnett to grab the top spot, and then held on to claim the win. Potts was 2nd, Bonnett was 3rd, Nick Ulin started 10th and finished 4th, Jamie Songer was 5th, Dale Porter was 6th, Huffman was 7th, Aaron Martin was 8th, Bach was 9th, with Mike Kincaid rounding out the top 10.
Heat two of the IMCA Hobby Stocks was led to the green flag by Danny Thrasher and Kevin Fee, with Thrasher grabbing the lead on lap 1. Thrasher then pulled away to pick up the win. Travis Bunnell pass 8 cars from his 10 place starting spot to come home in 2nd, Adam Bonnett was 3rd, Craig Brown was 4th, Bobby Greene was 5th, Steve Allen was 6th, Fee was 7th, Clayton Webster was 8th, Ron Downing Jr. was 9th, with Daniel Dyer credited with 10th after scratching from troubles earlier in the first round of heat races.
Up next was the first of three second round heat races for the IMCA Stock Cars, with Donnie Pearson and Brad Pinkerton leading the field to green. Pinkerton would grab the lead on lap 1. While Pinkerton paced the field out front, Mike Hughes, who started 7th, Daniel Hilsabeck, who started 8th, and Todd Reitzler, who started 9th, were all working their way towards the front. Hughes would slip under Pinkerton mid way through the race to grab the top spot, with Hilsabeck and Reitzler following. Despite some late challenges from Hilsabeck and Reitzler, Hughes was able to hold on to pick up the win. Hilsabeck settled for 2nd, Reitzler was 3rd, Pinkerton was 4th, Johnny Spaw came from 12th to finish in 5th, Todd Phillips came from 10th to finish in 6th, Doug Sylvester started 11th and finished 7th, Les Blakley was 8th, Ron Christopher was 9th, Pearson was 10th, Bob Lynch was 11th, with Ashton Johnson rounding out the finish in 12th.
Heat two of the IMCA Stock Cars had Jerry Pilcher and Jay Schmidt on the front row, with Schmidt grabbing the early lead. Damon Murty would slip under Schmidt on lap 4 to grab the lead away, while Cayden Carter, who started 6th, quickly moved up to follow Murty into second. Late in the race Carter would use the top of the track to slip past Murty to take over the top spot, and then held on to pick up the win. Murty was 2nd, Nathan Wood started 11th and finished 3rd, David Brandies was 4th, Derrick Agee came from 10th to finish in 5th, Zack VanderBeek was 6th, Pilcher was 7th, Schmidt was 8th, Robert Merkle was 9th, Caleb Crenshaw was 10th, Michael Bilyeu was 11th, with Terry Clayton 12th.
The third and final heat race of the night had Joe Zadina and Brock Welch on the front row. But it was third place starter Cody Agee who grabbed the lead on lap 1. Shane Paris, who started 8th, and moved into second late in the race didn't have enough time to chase down Agee for the lead. As Agee picked up the win. Paris was 2nd, Jason See was 3rd, Casey Greubel started 10th and finished 4th, Zadina was 5th, Daniel Gordon was 6th, Austin Evens was 7th, Dewayne Herb was 8th, Welch was 9th, Ryan Fullenkamp was suppose to started on the outside of the front row, but was a scratch and was credited with 10th, Steve Clair was also a scratch and was credited with 11th.
After both rounds of heat races were complete in the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks the points were tallied up to see who the top 8 would be locked into the dash on Thursday night.
Cayden Carter was the top points gainer in the IMCA Stock Cars. He was followed by Damon Murty, Mike Hughes, Daniel Hilsabeck, Cody Agee, Nathan Wood, Derrick Agee, and Shane Paris.
The IMCA SportMod top points gainer was Curtis Van Der Wal. He was followed by Logan Anderson, Jason McDaniel, Brett Lowry, Colton Livezay, Kyle Hill, Cory Van Zante, and Charle Weber.
Dustin Griffiths top the IMCA Hobby Stocks points. He was followed by Danny Thrasher, Nick Ulin, Craig Brown, Adam Bonnett, Dale Porter, Brandon Potts, and Jamie Songer.
Thursday nights events would feature last chance races in the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Hobby Stocks. Then the dashes for the top 8 in points, to determine the first four rows of the features. Those features would have a $2,000 top prize on the line for the IMCA Stock Cars, with $1,000 up for grabs in the IMCA SportMods and IMCA Hobby Stocks.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Hunter and Irvine Claim First Wins at Independence Motor Speedway
Independence, IA (Saturday, June 27, 2015) - We'll since the track I work at on Saturday nights was off this week, I decided to make the trip north to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, Iowa. This would be my second visit of the 2015 season at the track. At the end of the night there would be two first time winners and four repeat winners standing in victory lane.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Matt McCahen and Jake Salisbury leading the field to the green. McCahen would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Salisbury and Brian Hilbert. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 3. John Schaefer, Steve Wimer, John Bates and Dawn Krall all spun in turn 3 to bring out the caution. On the restart McCahen moved back out front, with Tony Olson, who started 8th, and Hilbert slipping past Salisbury for second and third. McCahen, who was working the middle part of the track, then had to work to hold off Olson, who was running the bottom, over the next 4 laps. But coming off turn 2 on lap 5, Olson was able to slip under McCahen to take over the top spot on lap 6. Olson then started to pull away from the field until he entered lapped traffic on lap 10, which allowed Lucas Lundry to close. Despite heavy lapped traffic, Olson was able to hold off Lundry over the final 5 laps to claim his third win of the season at the track. Lundry settled for 2nd, McCahen was 3rd, Kip Siems started 8th and finished 4th, with Hilbert coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Dru Kueger and Neal Miller making up the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Miller got sideways in turn 4 and collected Brett Vanous and Billy Rhodes to bring out the yellow. On the restart Randy Byerly took advantage of being moved to the outside of the front row to grab the lead on lap 1 over Justin Lichty, who started 6th, and Kueger. The action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 2, as debris in turn 4 brought out the caution. Byerly jumped back out front on the restart, with Lichty and Justin Wacha, who started 8th, close behind. Lichty would slip under Byerly coming off turn 2 on lap 3 to come around to grab the top spot on lap 6. While Lichty set the pace out front, Benji Irvine, who started 10th, slipped into second on lap 12 and then went to work on chasing down Lichty for the lead. Coming to the white flag Irvine was able to slip under Lichty coming out of turn 2, as the two raced side-by-side down the backstretch. The two then came off turn 4 side-by-side, with Irvine edging out Lichty at the line by inches to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Lichty settled for 2nd, Shawn Kuennen passed 9 cars from his 12th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Billy Rhodes, who started 11th, recovered from the caution on the start to climb back up to finish in 4th, with Byerly rounding out the top 5.
Tony Snyder and Rod McDonald made up the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Snyder grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Jason Morehouse and McDonald. While Snyder paced the field out front, Brian Irvine, who started 10th, was working his way to the front. On lap 5, Irvine would slip into second and then went to work on chasing down Snyder for the lead. A caution on lap 9 was just what Irvine was needing, as he would restart on Snyder's back bumper. Brandon Maitland would spin in turn 1 and collected Zach Less, Patrick Flannagan, Ronn Lauritzen, and Todd Johnson to bring out the yellow. On the restart Irvine would slip under Snyder to take over the top spot. The final caution of the race appeared on lap 13, when Dennis Betzer stopped in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Irvine jumped back out front on the restart, with Snyder and Vern Jackson, who started 8th, close behind. Irvine then pulled away over the final 7 laps to claim his first career IMCA Modified feature win. Jackson came home in 2nd, Snyder was 3rd, J.D. Auringer started 12th and finished 4th, with Corey Dripps charging from 18th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Cliff Gray and Phil Holtz scheduled to start on the front row. But when Gray scratched from the event, this would move Holtz and Russell Damme Jr to the front row for the start. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Tim Helle slipped over the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Holtz jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Jason Hocken and Kevin Rose. The action was slowed for the second time on lap 2, when Roger Ciesielski slipped over the track in turn 4 to bring out the caution. Holtz moved back out front on the restart, with Hocken and Chris Luloff, who started 7th, close behind. Debris in turn 1 on lap 5, would slow the action for the third time. Once again Holtz jumped back out front on the restart, with Luloff and Norman Chesmore, who started 8th, following. Holtz, who was working the top, then had to work to hold off Luloff, who was working the bottom, over the next 2 laps. But Luloff was able to slip under Holtz coming off turn 2 on lap 7 to take over the top spot on lap 8. Three laps later, lap 11, Hocken, who was running 6th, slipped off the track down the backstretch to bring out the yellow for the final time. Luloff grabbed the lead on the restart, but now had Jarod Weepie, who started 9th, glued to his back bumper. Coming off turn 4 for the white flag Weepie was able to slip under Luloff to edge him out at the line by inches for the lead. Weepie then held off Luloff on the final lap to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Luloff settled for 2nd, Holtz was 3rd, Chesmore was 4th, with Scott Pippert coming from 13th to round out the top 5.
Russell Hesse and Greg Kastli led the field to green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Kastli using his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dirk Hamilton and Hesse. Kastli, who was working the top of the track, then held the top spot until lap 5, when Brian Hunter, who started 5th and was working the bottom, slipped under Kastli coming off turn 4 to edge out the lead at the line by inches. Hunter then started to pull away from the field, when he started to enter lapped traffic on lap 13. This would allow Rick Wendling, who started 9th, to close in on Hunter's back bumper on lap 17. Wendling would look under Hunter over the next two laps, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 19. Todd VanTassle spun in turn 2 to bring out yellow. On the restart Hunter jumped back out front, with Wendling and Tyler Drost, who started 11th, close behind. Coming to the white flag, Droste decided to move to the top of the track to try and get by Hunter for the lead. But Hunter was able to hold on over the final lap to claim his first win of the season at the track. Droste was 2nd, Wendling was 3rd, Jon Passick passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Kastli holding on for 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Matt Post and Robby Decker leading the field to the green flag. Post would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Don Erger, who started 8th, and Decker. Post's run out front only lasted for 1 lap, as Erger slipped by to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Just as Erger started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 6. Carson Less spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Decker, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Erger move back out front, with Post and Jeff Davis, who started 5th, following. Erger would pull away over the final 6 laps to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Davis was 2nd, Cole McNeal was 3rd, Tristan Cordes was 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing 5th after starting in 7th.
Notes from Indy: 26 Modifieds, 21 Hobby Stocks, 20 Late Models, 20 SportMods, 18 Stock Cars, and 12 Micro Mods made up the 117 cars signed in on the night......Kevin Hurst started the SportMod feature in 20th and would pass 12 cars to come home in 8th....Ryan King started 13th and finished 9th....Greg Hunter finished 10th after starting in 12th....Kevin Robinson started 14th and finished 11th....John Bates, who started 18th, recovered from his spin on lap 2 to climb back up to finish in 12th....Chris Lewis started 17th and finished 13th......Shawn Randall started the Hobby Stock feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to come home in 6th....Gene Nicklas passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Jerome Wilson finished 10th after starting in 14th....Rob Twaites started 17th and finished 11th....Jim Ball came from 16th to finish in 12th....Kyle Dulin started 15th and finished 13th....Matt Burmeister started 20th and finished 15th....Rod Grother had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Vince Buchhloz had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Scott Hogan passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot in the Modified feature to come home in 7th....Ed Thomas passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Patrick Flannagan recovered from the crash on lap 9 to climb his way back up to finish in 9th....Ben Metcalf passed 12 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to finish in 10th....Terry Johnson, who started 21st, recovered from the crash on lap 9 to climb back up to finish in 11th....Austin Bishop started 19th and finished 13th....Jeremiah Hurst had motor troubles in his heat that forced him to drive Tyler Madigan's car for the feature. He would start 24th and had climbed his way to 8th before front end troubles forced him out of the race late to finish in 16th....Scott Fitzpatrick had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night....Jeff Kriz had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Tyler Madigan gave up his ride to Jeremiah Hurst......Shane Ebaugh started the Stock Car feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Todd Reitzler passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Scooter Dulin started 12th and finished 8th....Scott Hampton started 15th and finished 11th....Cliff Gray, Rick Milks, and Austin Evens all had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Ryan Dolan started the Late Model feature in 17th and finished 11th....Don Pataska started 16th and finished 13th....Mark Hurst started 19th and finished 17th......Jason Hard started the Micro Mod feature in 10th and finished 8th....Cole Suckow started 11th and finished 9th.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Matt McCahen and Jake Salisbury leading the field to the green. McCahen would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Salisbury and Brian Hilbert. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 3. John Schaefer, Steve Wimer, John Bates and Dawn Krall all spun in turn 3 to bring out the caution. On the restart McCahen moved back out front, with Tony Olson, who started 8th, and Hilbert slipping past Salisbury for second and third. McCahen, who was working the middle part of the track, then had to work to hold off Olson, who was running the bottom, over the next 4 laps. But coming off turn 2 on lap 5, Olson was able to slip under McCahen to take over the top spot on lap 6. Olson then started to pull away from the field until he entered lapped traffic on lap 10, which allowed Lucas Lundry to close. Despite heavy lapped traffic, Olson was able to hold off Lundry over the final 5 laps to claim his third win of the season at the track. Lundry settled for 2nd, McCahen was 3rd, Kip Siems started 8th and finished 4th, with Hilbert coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Dru Kueger and Neal Miller making up the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Miller got sideways in turn 4 and collected Brett Vanous and Billy Rhodes to bring out the yellow. On the restart Randy Byerly took advantage of being moved to the outside of the front row to grab the lead on lap 1 over Justin Lichty, who started 6th, and Kueger. The action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 2, as debris in turn 4 brought out the caution. Byerly jumped back out front on the restart, with Lichty and Justin Wacha, who started 8th, close behind. Lichty would slip under Byerly coming off turn 2 on lap 3 to come around to grab the top spot on lap 6. While Lichty set the pace out front, Benji Irvine, who started 10th, slipped into second on lap 12 and then went to work on chasing down Lichty for the lead. Coming to the white flag Irvine was able to slip under Lichty coming out of turn 2, as the two raced side-by-side down the backstretch. The two then came off turn 4 side-by-side, with Irvine edging out Lichty at the line by inches to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Lichty settled for 2nd, Shawn Kuennen passed 9 cars from his 12th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Billy Rhodes, who started 11th, recovered from the caution on the start to climb back up to finish in 4th, with Byerly rounding out the top 5.
Tony Snyder and Rod McDonald made up the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Snyder grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Jason Morehouse and McDonald. While Snyder paced the field out front, Brian Irvine, who started 10th, was working his way to the front. On lap 5, Irvine would slip into second and then went to work on chasing down Snyder for the lead. A caution on lap 9 was just what Irvine was needing, as he would restart on Snyder's back bumper. Brandon Maitland would spin in turn 1 and collected Zach Less, Patrick Flannagan, Ronn Lauritzen, and Todd Johnson to bring out the yellow. On the restart Irvine would slip under Snyder to take over the top spot. The final caution of the race appeared on lap 13, when Dennis Betzer stopped in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Irvine jumped back out front on the restart, with Snyder and Vern Jackson, who started 8th, close behind. Irvine then pulled away over the final 7 laps to claim his first career IMCA Modified feature win. Jackson came home in 2nd, Snyder was 3rd, J.D. Auringer started 12th and finished 4th, with Corey Dripps charging from 18th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Cliff Gray and Phil Holtz scheduled to start on the front row. But when Gray scratched from the event, this would move Holtz and Russell Damme Jr to the front row for the start. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Tim Helle slipped over the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Holtz jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Jason Hocken and Kevin Rose. The action was slowed for the second time on lap 2, when Roger Ciesielski slipped over the track in turn 4 to bring out the caution. Holtz moved back out front on the restart, with Hocken and Chris Luloff, who started 7th, close behind. Debris in turn 1 on lap 5, would slow the action for the third time. Once again Holtz jumped back out front on the restart, with Luloff and Norman Chesmore, who started 8th, following. Holtz, who was working the top, then had to work to hold off Luloff, who was working the bottom, over the next 2 laps. But Luloff was able to slip under Holtz coming off turn 2 on lap 7 to take over the top spot on lap 8. Three laps later, lap 11, Hocken, who was running 6th, slipped off the track down the backstretch to bring out the yellow for the final time. Luloff grabbed the lead on the restart, but now had Jarod Weepie, who started 9th, glued to his back bumper. Coming off turn 4 for the white flag Weepie was able to slip under Luloff to edge him out at the line by inches for the lead. Weepie then held off Luloff on the final lap to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Luloff settled for 2nd, Holtz was 3rd, Chesmore was 4th, with Scott Pippert coming from 13th to round out the top 5.
Russell Hesse and Greg Kastli led the field to green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Kastli using his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dirk Hamilton and Hesse. Kastli, who was working the top of the track, then held the top spot until lap 5, when Brian Hunter, who started 5th and was working the bottom, slipped under Kastli coming off turn 4 to edge out the lead at the line by inches. Hunter then started to pull away from the field, when he started to enter lapped traffic on lap 13. This would allow Rick Wendling, who started 9th, to close in on Hunter's back bumper on lap 17. Wendling would look under Hunter over the next two laps, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 19. Todd VanTassle spun in turn 2 to bring out yellow. On the restart Hunter jumped back out front, with Wendling and Tyler Drost, who started 11th, close behind. Coming to the white flag, Droste decided to move to the top of the track to try and get by Hunter for the lead. But Hunter was able to hold on over the final lap to claim his first win of the season at the track. Droste was 2nd, Wendling was 3rd, Jon Passick passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Kastli holding on for 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Matt Post and Robby Decker leading the field to the green flag. Post would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Don Erger, who started 8th, and Decker. Post's run out front only lasted for 1 lap, as Erger slipped by to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Just as Erger started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 6. Carson Less spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Decker, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Erger move back out front, with Post and Jeff Davis, who started 5th, following. Erger would pull away over the final 6 laps to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Davis was 2nd, Cole McNeal was 3rd, Tristan Cordes was 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing 5th after starting in 7th.
Notes from Indy: 26 Modifieds, 21 Hobby Stocks, 20 Late Models, 20 SportMods, 18 Stock Cars, and 12 Micro Mods made up the 117 cars signed in on the night......Kevin Hurst started the SportMod feature in 20th and would pass 12 cars to come home in 8th....Ryan King started 13th and finished 9th....Greg Hunter finished 10th after starting in 12th....Kevin Robinson started 14th and finished 11th....John Bates, who started 18th, recovered from his spin on lap 2 to climb back up to finish in 12th....Chris Lewis started 17th and finished 13th......Shawn Randall started the Hobby Stock feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to come home in 6th....Gene Nicklas passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Jerome Wilson finished 10th after starting in 14th....Rob Twaites started 17th and finished 11th....Jim Ball came from 16th to finish in 12th....Kyle Dulin started 15th and finished 13th....Matt Burmeister started 20th and finished 15th....Rod Grother had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Vince Buchhloz had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Scott Hogan passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot in the Modified feature to come home in 7th....Ed Thomas passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Patrick Flannagan recovered from the crash on lap 9 to climb his way back up to finish in 9th....Ben Metcalf passed 12 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to finish in 10th....Terry Johnson, who started 21st, recovered from the crash on lap 9 to climb back up to finish in 11th....Austin Bishop started 19th and finished 13th....Jeremiah Hurst had motor troubles in his heat that forced him to drive Tyler Madigan's car for the feature. He would start 24th and had climbed his way to 8th before front end troubles forced him out of the race late to finish in 16th....Scott Fitzpatrick had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night....Jeff Kriz had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Tyler Madigan gave up his ride to Jeremiah Hurst......Shane Ebaugh started the Stock Car feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Todd Reitzler passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Scooter Dulin started 12th and finished 8th....Scott Hampton started 15th and finished 11th....Cliff Gray, Rick Milks, and Austin Evens all had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Ryan Dolan started the Late Model feature in 17th and finished 11th....Don Pataska started 16th and finished 13th....Mark Hurst started 19th and finished 17th......Jason Hard started the Micro Mod feature in 10th and finished 8th....Cole Suckow started 11th and finished 9th.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Night of Repeat Winners at the Benton County Speedway
Vinton, IA (Sunday, June 21, 2015) - With my regular Sunday night track getting rained out and add the fact that I didn't have to work Monday, I decided to make the trip northwest to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa. This would be my first ever visit to the track.
The 12 lap Micro Mod feature was the first to take to the track, with Scott Beaty and AJ Witten leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But just as the green flag was waved the red flag would appear. Buster Pate would slow coming off turn 4 and collected Matt Post and Dallon Murty. Post ended up rolling onto the drivers side just under the flag stand. He would be rolled back up right and drove away to continue to race. On the restart Witten grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Beaty and Don Erger, who started 7th. After the completion of lap 1, Post would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Witten jumped back out front on the restart, with Erger and Cole McNeal over taking Beaty for second and third. Witten's run up front came to an end on lap 2, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Erger would inherit the lead on the restart, with Tristan Cordes, who started 11th, over taking McNeal for the runner up spot. Erger then pulled away over the final 10 laps to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Cordes was 2nd, McNeal was 3rd, Jason Hard started 9th and finished 4th, Post recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Dave Schulze and Kyle Bentley making up the front row. Bentley took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Danny Dvorak and Curt Hilmer. After the completion of lap 1 the red flag was displayed, as Dave McCalla rolled softly onto the drivers side off turn 4. On the restart Bentley moved back out front, with Dvorak and Hilmer close behind. Dvorak would use the bottom of the track coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot away from Bentley on lap 3. Just as Dvorak started to pull away from the field, Matt Petrzelka, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Tony Olson, who started 9th, jumped to the top of the track on the restart to take the lead away from Dvorak, with Hilmer following to take over the runner up spot. Olson then pulled away over the final 8 laps to claim his fourth win in a row and fifth overall at the track. Joey Schaefer came from 11th to finish in 2nd, Hilmer was 3rd, Schulze was 4th, with Dvorak rounding out the top 5.
Shane Ebaugh and Scott Beauregard made up the front row for the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Ebaugh grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Mike Galli and Scooter Dulin, who started 6th. The action up front was slowed on lap 5, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Ebaugh moved back out front, with Dulin and Damon Murty, who started 10th, close behind. Scott Pippert, who started 7th, went to work on the bottom of the track to try and get the lead away from Ebaugh. On lap 10 Pippert was able to edge Ebaugh out at the line to take over the lead. But Ebaugh would come back on the top side to grab the lead back on lap 11. When Ebaugh dropped to the bottom in turn 4 coming to complete lap 13, that was all Murty needed to grab the top spot away. Murty would hold off Pippert over the final 5 laps to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Pippert was 2nd, Ebaugh was 3rd, Dulin was 4th, with Justin Stander finishing 5th after starting in 8th.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Mike Burbridge and Jerry Dedrick leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as the right front came off Troy Cordes' car down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Corey Dripps spun in turn 2 and collected Robbie Schmuecker and Josh Barta to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Burbridge jump out front to lead lap 1 over Dedrick and Dennis Betzer. Just as Burbridge started to pull away the caution appeared on lap 8. Patrick Flannagan wne tover the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schmuecker came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. The following restart saw Burbridge move back out front, with Dedrick and Scott Hogan, who started 7th, close behind. Burbridge once again started to pull away from the field, when Dedrick's run up front came to an end on lap 17. He would spin off turn 2 to bring out the yellow and bring the field back to Burbridge's back bumper. Burbridge once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hogan and Dripps, who spun on the start, following close behind. Hogan would jump to the top of the track going into turn 3 and used the momentum off turn 4 to grab the lead coming to the white flag. Hogan then held off Burbridge on the final lap to pick up his first win of the season. Burbridge settled for 2nd, Flannagan recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Zach Less passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 4th, with Tysus Pattee finishing 5th after starting in 10th.
Dirk Hamilton and Jon Passick drew the front row for the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Passick grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Hamilton and Sean Johnson. The action up front was slowed on lap 4, when Mark Hurst spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Todd Cooney, who was running 4th, pitted with a left rear flat tire. On the restart Passick jumped back out front, with Johnson over taking Hamilton for 2nd. Ryan Dolan, who was running 5th, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Paul Nagle, who started 8th, slipped under Passick on the restart to grab the top spot away. One lap later, lap 8, teammates Curtis Glover, who started 14th and was running 7th, and Todd Cooney, who recovered from the flat on lap 4 to climb back up to 8th, made contact in turn 1 which caused Cooney to spin and bring out the yellow. On the restart Chris Snyder spun down the front stretch and collected Hurst to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Nagle jump back out front, with Passick and Johnson close behind. Nagle then pulled away to a straight-away lead over the next 13 laps, when disaster struck him on lap 22. Nagle would pull into the infield with motor troubles to end his hopes of a win. This would give Passick the lead back. The final caution of the event appeared on lap 23, when Ben Seemann slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Passick moved back out front, but now had Charlie McKenna, who started 13th, challenging him. Coming to the white flag McKenna would get under Passick to race side-by-side down the front stretch. But Passick would use the momentum off the top of the track to hold off McKenna coming to the checkered flag to claim his first win of the season. McKenna settled for 2nd, Johnson was 3rd, Jerry King was 4th, with John Emerson coming from 11th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks, with Zach Swanson and Kyle Dulin leading the field to green. Swanson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Matt Brown and Leah Wroten. Swanson then held on to the top spot until lap 5 when he bobbled in turn 4, which allowed Brown to shoot under him for the lead. Nathan Ballard, who started 11th, quickly moved through the field to move into the runner up spot by lap 10. Going into turn 3 on the final lap Ballard was able to get under Brown, as the two raced off turn 4 side-by-side. Ballard was able to edge Brown out at the line in a caution free race to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Swanson was 3rd, Justin Wacha started 9th and finished 4th, with Brett Vanous coming home in 5th.
Notes from Vinton: 17 Late Models, 16 Modifieds, 15 SportMods, 14 Hobby Stocks, 13 Stock Cars, and 13 Micro Mods made up the 88 cars signed in on the night......Tyler Inman started the Micro Mod feature in 12th and finished 7th....Carson Less started 10th and finished 8th......Matt Petrzelka recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 6th....Jake Salisbury started 13th and finished 8th....Dawn Krall and Dan Drury both had troubles after the heat race that forced them to scratch from the feature......Les Blakley finished 9th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Michael Peterson started 12th and finished 10th....Cliff Gary had troubles on the parade lap and was pushed back to the pits......Colby Heishman passed 9 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home 6th in the Modified feature....Jerry Dedrick finished 10th after spinning on lap 17....Brandon Maitland moved up from the Micro Mods to the Modifieds and would come home in 11th....Corey Dripps, who spun on the start and had climbed back up to 3rd by lap 17, spun in turn 2 on the last lap to be credited with 12th......Curtis Glover recovered from involvement in the lap 8 caution to come back up to finish 7th in the Late Model feature....Todd Cooney recovered from his spin on lap 8 to climb back up to finish 8th. He would even cross the line with another left rear flat....Ben Seeman recovered from his spin on lap 23 to come back up to finish in 10th....Paul Conrad started 15th and finished 11th....Jason Seegmiller started 17th and finished 12th......Jim Ball started the Hobby Stock feature in 14th and finished 7th....Mike Kimm started 13th and finished 9th....Rod Grother started 12th and finished 10th....Bill Bonnett was suppose to start 6th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.
I would like to thank Mick Trier, Mike Van Genderen and the entire staff at the Benton County Speedway for the warm welcome. I hope to make another trip up to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa sometime in the near future!
The 12 lap Micro Mod feature was the first to take to the track, with Scott Beaty and AJ Witten leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But just as the green flag was waved the red flag would appear. Buster Pate would slow coming off turn 4 and collected Matt Post and Dallon Murty. Post ended up rolling onto the drivers side just under the flag stand. He would be rolled back up right and drove away to continue to race. On the restart Witten grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Beaty and Don Erger, who started 7th. After the completion of lap 1, Post would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Witten jumped back out front on the restart, with Erger and Cole McNeal over taking Beaty for second and third. Witten's run up front came to an end on lap 2, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Erger would inherit the lead on the restart, with Tristan Cordes, who started 11th, over taking McNeal for the runner up spot. Erger then pulled away over the final 10 laps to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Cordes was 2nd, McNeal was 3rd, Jason Hard started 9th and finished 4th, Post recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Dave Schulze and Kyle Bentley making up the front row. Bentley took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Danny Dvorak and Curt Hilmer. After the completion of lap 1 the red flag was displayed, as Dave McCalla rolled softly onto the drivers side off turn 4. On the restart Bentley moved back out front, with Dvorak and Hilmer close behind. Dvorak would use the bottom of the track coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot away from Bentley on lap 3. Just as Dvorak started to pull away from the field, Matt Petrzelka, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Tony Olson, who started 9th, jumped to the top of the track on the restart to take the lead away from Dvorak, with Hilmer following to take over the runner up spot. Olson then pulled away over the final 8 laps to claim his fourth win in a row and fifth overall at the track. Joey Schaefer came from 11th to finish in 2nd, Hilmer was 3rd, Schulze was 4th, with Dvorak rounding out the top 5.
Shane Ebaugh and Scott Beauregard made up the front row for the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Ebaugh grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Mike Galli and Scooter Dulin, who started 6th. The action up front was slowed on lap 5, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Ebaugh moved back out front, with Dulin and Damon Murty, who started 10th, close behind. Scott Pippert, who started 7th, went to work on the bottom of the track to try and get the lead away from Ebaugh. On lap 10 Pippert was able to edge Ebaugh out at the line to take over the lead. But Ebaugh would come back on the top side to grab the lead back on lap 11. When Ebaugh dropped to the bottom in turn 4 coming to complete lap 13, that was all Murty needed to grab the top spot away. Murty would hold off Pippert over the final 5 laps to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Pippert was 2nd, Ebaugh was 3rd, Dulin was 4th, with Justin Stander finishing 5th after starting in 8th.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Mike Burbridge and Jerry Dedrick leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as the right front came off Troy Cordes' car down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Corey Dripps spun in turn 2 and collected Robbie Schmuecker and Josh Barta to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Burbridge jump out front to lead lap 1 over Dedrick and Dennis Betzer. Just as Burbridge started to pull away the caution appeared on lap 8. Patrick Flannagan wne tover the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schmuecker came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. The following restart saw Burbridge move back out front, with Dedrick and Scott Hogan, who started 7th, close behind. Burbridge once again started to pull away from the field, when Dedrick's run up front came to an end on lap 17. He would spin off turn 2 to bring out the yellow and bring the field back to Burbridge's back bumper. Burbridge once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hogan and Dripps, who spun on the start, following close behind. Hogan would jump to the top of the track going into turn 3 and used the momentum off turn 4 to grab the lead coming to the white flag. Hogan then held off Burbridge on the final lap to pick up his first win of the season. Burbridge settled for 2nd, Flannagan recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Zach Less passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 4th, with Tysus Pattee finishing 5th after starting in 10th.
Dirk Hamilton and Jon Passick drew the front row for the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Passick grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Hamilton and Sean Johnson. The action up front was slowed on lap 4, when Mark Hurst spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Todd Cooney, who was running 4th, pitted with a left rear flat tire. On the restart Passick jumped back out front, with Johnson over taking Hamilton for 2nd. Ryan Dolan, who was running 5th, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Paul Nagle, who started 8th, slipped under Passick on the restart to grab the top spot away. One lap later, lap 8, teammates Curtis Glover, who started 14th and was running 7th, and Todd Cooney, who recovered from the flat on lap 4 to climb back up to 8th, made contact in turn 1 which caused Cooney to spin and bring out the yellow. On the restart Chris Snyder spun down the front stretch and collected Hurst to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Nagle jump back out front, with Passick and Johnson close behind. Nagle then pulled away to a straight-away lead over the next 13 laps, when disaster struck him on lap 22. Nagle would pull into the infield with motor troubles to end his hopes of a win. This would give Passick the lead back. The final caution of the event appeared on lap 23, when Ben Seemann slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Passick moved back out front, but now had Charlie McKenna, who started 13th, challenging him. Coming to the white flag McKenna would get under Passick to race side-by-side down the front stretch. But Passick would use the momentum off the top of the track to hold off McKenna coming to the checkered flag to claim his first win of the season. McKenna settled for 2nd, Johnson was 3rd, Jerry King was 4th, with John Emerson coming from 11th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks, with Zach Swanson and Kyle Dulin leading the field to green. Swanson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Matt Brown and Leah Wroten. Swanson then held on to the top spot until lap 5 when he bobbled in turn 4, which allowed Brown to shoot under him for the lead. Nathan Ballard, who started 11th, quickly moved through the field to move into the runner up spot by lap 10. Going into turn 3 on the final lap Ballard was able to get under Brown, as the two raced off turn 4 side-by-side. Ballard was able to edge Brown out at the line in a caution free race to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Swanson was 3rd, Justin Wacha started 9th and finished 4th, with Brett Vanous coming home in 5th.
Notes from Vinton: 17 Late Models, 16 Modifieds, 15 SportMods, 14 Hobby Stocks, 13 Stock Cars, and 13 Micro Mods made up the 88 cars signed in on the night......Tyler Inman started the Micro Mod feature in 12th and finished 7th....Carson Less started 10th and finished 8th......Matt Petrzelka recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 6th....Jake Salisbury started 13th and finished 8th....Dawn Krall and Dan Drury both had troubles after the heat race that forced them to scratch from the feature......Les Blakley finished 9th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Michael Peterson started 12th and finished 10th....Cliff Gary had troubles on the parade lap and was pushed back to the pits......Colby Heishman passed 9 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home 6th in the Modified feature....Jerry Dedrick finished 10th after spinning on lap 17....Brandon Maitland moved up from the Micro Mods to the Modifieds and would come home in 11th....Corey Dripps, who spun on the start and had climbed back up to 3rd by lap 17, spun in turn 2 on the last lap to be credited with 12th......Curtis Glover recovered from involvement in the lap 8 caution to come back up to finish 7th in the Late Model feature....Todd Cooney recovered from his spin on lap 8 to climb back up to finish 8th. He would even cross the line with another left rear flat....Ben Seeman recovered from his spin on lap 23 to come back up to finish in 10th....Paul Conrad started 15th and finished 11th....Jason Seegmiller started 17th and finished 12th......Jim Ball started the Hobby Stock feature in 14th and finished 7th....Mike Kimm started 13th and finished 9th....Rod Grother started 12th and finished 10th....Bill Bonnett was suppose to start 6th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.
I would like to thank Mick Trier, Mike Van Genderen and the entire staff at the Benton County Speedway for the warm welcome. I hope to make another trip up to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa sometime in the near future!
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