Droste, Oliver Jr., Olson, Luellen, and Fullenkamp Victorious at the "3rd Annual Spring Extravaganza"

Donnellson, IA (Sunday, March 29, 2015) - Despite mother natures several attempts to cancel the "3rd Annual Spring Extravaganza" presented by Midwest Performance & Power of Keokuk, Iowa, the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa was able to get the full event in on Sunday, March 29th. As a result Tyler Droste (IMCA Modifieds), John Oliver Jr. (IMCA Stock Cars), Tony Olson (IMCA SportMods), Austin Luellen (IMCA Hobby Stocks), and Chuck Fullenkamp (IMCA Sport Compacts) found there way to victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 14 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks, with Justin Lichty and Derek Hodges drawing the front row for the event. But it was third place starter Austin Luellen who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Lichty and Hodges. While Luellen set a fast pace out front Dustin Griffiths, who started 4th, and Mike Kincaid, who started 6th, battled there way towards the front. Before Griffiths found his way into second, Luellen had built up a straightaway lead. There was no catching Luellen on this night, as he went on to pick up the win and the $400 top prize. Griffiths settled for 2nd, Hodges was 3rd, Kincaid was 4th, with Lichty rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 14 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, with Chuck Fullenkamp and Barry Taft leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Fullenkamp took advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Taft and Danny Sassman Jr., who started 6th. With Fullenkamp out front, Taft, Ryan Walker, who started 7th, and Jake Benischek, who started 5th, battled two and even three wide at times for the third spot. As that battle continued on, Fullenkamp was working to hold off Sassman Jr. for the top spot. Sassman Jr. was able to get under Fullenkamp on lap 10, as the two raced side-by-side for the lead until lap 12 when Fullenkamp pulled back out front. Fullenkamp then held on over the final 2 laps of a caution free race to pick up the win and the $300 top prize. Sassman Jr. settled for 2nd, Walker held off a charging Kimberly Abbott, who started 10th, for the third spot, Abbott was 4th, with Adam Gates coming home in 5th.

Tyler Cale and Brandon Lennox drew the front row for the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature. Lennox used the best of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Tony Olson and Austen Becerra, who charged from 8th to 3rd on the first lap. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first of four cautions appeared, as a spring out of Nathan Bringer's car was laying in turn 4. On the restart Olson was able to slip under Lennox to grab the top spot away. The second caution was waved on lap 2, as Cale came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Once again Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Lennox and Becerra battling for the second spot. Joey Gower, who started 6th, moved in on lap 4 to make it a three car battle for second. The action up front was slowed for the third time on lap 7, as Adam Birck spun to a stop in turn 4. On the restart Olson moved back out front over Becerra and Gower, only to be slowed one lap later for the final caution of the race. This time Rich Vogt spun into the wall in turn 2 to bring out the red, as a fuel leak had to be burnt off the track before they could get back to racing. Olson once again grabbed the lead on the restart over Becerra and Gower. Olson started to pull away from the battle behind him, until he entered lapped traffic late in the race, which allowed Becerra to close in on him coming to the white flag. Coming off turn four Olson had two lapped cars racing side-by-side in front of him and had to make a move quickly to hold off Becerra at the line to claim the win and the $500 top prize. Becerra settled for 2nd, Gower was 3rd, Bobby Anders was 4th, with Austin Kaplan coming from 12th to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Les Blakley and Michael Bilyeu leading the field to the green flag. But it was third place starter Abe Huls who grabbed the lead on lap 1, when Blakley and Bilyeu got tangled up in turn 2 to allow Huls to slip under them for the lead. This also made the rest of the field take evasive action, which allowed Huls to build up a lead over Dane Fenton and Jim Lynch. With Huls still out front, there was a seven car battle going on behind him for the runner up spot, As Fenton, Damon Murty, who started 8th, Lynch, John Oliver Jr., who started 9th, Jason Cook, Jay Schmidt, and Greg Gill ran side-by-side and even three wide at times on laps 7,8,9, and 10. Oliver Jr. would use the top side of the track to break out of the battle for second by the midway part of the race and brought Murty with him. Both drivers would chase down Huls by lap 15, as Oliver Jr. was able to race side-by-side with Huls on laps 16 and 17. Coming off turn 4 on lap 17 Oliver Jr. used the momentum off the top side to grab the lead away from Huls. Huls, who was running the bottom, Murty, who was in the middle, and Oliver Jr., who was up top, went into turn 4 on lap 18 three wide. But Murty would get loose and spun down into Huls to help straighten himself out, which resulted in Oliver Jr. to be able to pull away for the win and the the $500 top prize. Huls held on for 2nd, Murty was 3rd, Schmidt crossed the line in 4th in his first ever appearance at the track, with Fenton coming home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Cayden Carter and Johnny Walker drawing the front row for the event. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Walker bounced off the cushion in turn 1 and shot to the low side of the track where Dylan Hoover was. Walker would make contact with Hoover, which resulted in him spinning to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Tyler Droste was moved to the outside of the front row, which he took advantage of to grab the lead on lap 1 by inches over Carter. The action up front was slowed for the second time on lap 4, when Hoover spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Droste jumped back out front on the restart, with Carter, Jason Wolla, who started 6th, and Hunter Marriott, who started 8th, battling for the runner up spot. While Droste set a fast pace out front, Carter, who was running the bottom, Marriott, who was running the middle, and Wolla, who was up top, ran two and even three wide on laps 7 and 8. That action was slowed for the final time on lap 8, when Dugan Thye spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Droste moved back out front, with Carter working to hold off Marriott for second. Droste would pull away over the final 12 laps to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Marriott was 2nd, Wolla was 3rd, Carter held on for 4th, with Scott Hogan coming home in 5th.

Notes from LCS: This event was originally schedule to be a two day show, with a complete payout being offered on both days. But mother nature forced the track to move it to a Saturday and Sunday race with the forecast calling for frigid temperatures on Friday and Saturday morning. Then rains moved in on Wednesday and Thursday and forced the event to be cut to a one day show on Sunday.......27 Sport Compacts signed in and was cut down to a 24 car starting field for the A main with a running of the B Main.....Luke Benischek started 15th and passed 6 cars to finish 9th in the feature....John Girdley passed 7 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Brandon Reu, who won the B Main and started 16th, passed 5 cars to finish in 11th....James Roose started 19th and finished in 12th....Kenny Smith finished 13th after starting in 20th....William Michel started 18th and finished 14th....Andrew Bieber passed 7 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 16th....Michael Grossman, who was running 6th after starting in 12th, pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 19th....Trent Orwig was running 10th when he pulled off on lap 5 with troubles to end his night in 10th....Dustin Forbes was running 5th with he pulled off on lap 3 with troubles to end his night in 22nd....Justin Stevenson, Alyssa Steel, and Renny McCarty didn't qualify out of the B Main....Brandon Setser made the pull down from Davenport, but blew his motor during practice and had to withdraw from the nights events......Brandon Dale started the SportMod feature in 16th and passed 7 cars to come home in 9th....Adam Birck recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 12th....Charles VanZandt passed 8 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to finish in 14th....Colton Livezey started 19th and finished 15th....Jason Mason came from 20th to finish in 16th....Jon Lear passed 6 cars from his 23rd starting spot to come home in 17th....Trenton Brink came from 24th to finish in 19th....Jerry Hinton had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Nathan Wood started the Stock Car feature in 14th and passed 6 cars to come home in 8th....Greg Gill took some years off from racing and returned for the 2015 season. He brought home a 9th place finish in his first start of the season....Jim Redmann had troubles in his heat race that forced him to start 17th in the feature. He would pass 7 cars to finish in 10th....Austin Evens had troubles getting his car started on the parade lap and was pushed back to the pits......Carter VanDenBerg started the Modified feature in 9th and finished in 6th....Dugan Thye, who started 11th, spun in turn 2 on lap 8 to bring out a caution. He would recover from that to come back up to finish 7th....Blake Woodruff had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.....In 88 laps of feature racing, only 7 cautions flags were waved. As the Hobby Stocks, Sport Compacts, and Stock Cars went CAUTION FREE!!! While the Modified feature had 3 cautions and the SportMod feature had 4 cautions.

Night 2 at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO Goes to Densberger, Murty, Luellen, Anderson and Grossman

Memphis, MO (Saturday, March 21, 2015) - Night 2 of the "Midwest Bottom Heavy Spring Nationals" at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO was held on Saturday, March 21st. The same five classes, Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts, were back in action. But Mike Densberger (Modifieds), Damon Murty (Stock Cars), Clint Luellen (SportMods), Shannon Anderson (Hobby Stocks), and Michael Grossman (Sport Compacts) found there way to victory lane on this night.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Sport Compacts, with Josh Barnes and Billy Cain drawing the front row. Barnes would take advantage of his front row start to edge out Michael Grossman, who started 5th, at the line by inches to lead lap 1. But Grossman would slip under Barnes on lap 2 to take over the top spot. While Grossman pulled away from the field, Kimberly Abbott who started 9th, was working her way towards the front. For the second night in a row the Sport Compact feature went caution free, which allowed Grossman to cruise to an easy win. Barnes held on for 2nd, Abbott edged out 3rd on the final lap over Trent Orwig in 4th, with Travis DeMint coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 14 lap Hobby Stock feature, with Shannon Anderson and Ryan Grochala leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Anderson took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Austin Luellen, who started 5th, and Grochala. The lead for Anderson only lasted for 2 laps, as Luellen slipped under him on lap 3 to take over the top spot. But Anderson didn't give up easy, as he looked under Luellen over laps 4 and 5, only to have Luellen hold him off. But coming off turn 2 on lap 6 Anderson was able to make the pass of Luellen to grab the lead back. Anderson then led the final 8 laps to pick up the win. Luellen settled for 2nd, Bill Bonnett started 6th and finished 3rd, Adam Armstrong came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Dustin Griffith finishing in 5th after starting in 8th.

Abe Huls and Jason Cook drew the front row for the 18 lap Stock Car feature. But it was fourth place starter Damon Murty who made a through the middle pass to grab the lead on lap 1 over Huls and Cook. While Murty set a fast pace out front Huls, Cook, John Oliver Jr., Cayden Carter, who started 13th, Nathan Wood, and Michael Jaennette, who started 8th, had a great side-by-side battle going for second thru seventh. That was until lap 15 when Carter, who was running 5th, lost an engine going into turn 1 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Murty jumped back out front over Cook and Huls. But two laps later. lap 17, Erick Knutsen would spin in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on and set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish. Murty once again grabbed the lead on the restart and held on to pick up the win. Cook was 2nd, Huls was 3rd, Jaennette was 4th, with Ryan Fullenkamp coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 18 lap SportMod feature, with Joey Gower and Jason McDaniel leading the field to green. Gower took the lead on lap 1 over Jim Gillenwater and Andrew Schroeder, who was driving Colten Livezey #29 car, and then held it until lap 2 when the first caution came out. Siraj Thomason would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Gower moved back out front with Clint Luellen, who started 7th, glued to his back bumper. Luellen jumped to the outside of Gower coming off turn 4 on lap 4 to grab the top spot away at the line by inches. Luellen then started to pull away until a caution appeared on lap 15 to set up a green-white checkered over time finish. This time Austin Howes, who started 10th and was running 6th, dropped a drive shaft down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. The final restart saw Luellen move back out front, with Jenae Gustin, who started 9th, close behind in second. Gustin tried to stay with Luellen over the final 2 laps, but Luellen was able to hold her off to claim the win. Gustin settled for 2nd, Gower was 3rd, Austin Kaplan came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Brandon Dale rounding out the top 5.

The final feature of the night was the 20 lap Modifed, with Mike Densberger and Todd VanEaton drawing the front row. Densberger would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Richie Gustin and Hunter Marriott. The action up front was slowed on lap 2 when debris in turn 2 brought out the yellow. On the restart Densberger jumped back out front, with Marriott over taking Gustin for the second spot. Densberger, who ran the very top of the track, then worked to hold off Marriott, who went into the corners low an tried to slip in front of Densberger, over the next 9 laps. While Gustin, who ran the top of the track, worked to hold back Michael Long, who also tried to go into the corners low and slip up in front of Gustin. All this action was slowed for the second time on lap 10, when Kyle Graves spun in 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Densberger moved out front on the restart, with Marriott, Gustin and Long close behind. The action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 14, when Jacob Murray, who was running 5th, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Densberger moved back out front on the restart, with Marriott looking under him for the lead. But Densberger would hold on over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Marriott settled for 2nd, Gustin was 3rd, Long was 4th, with Jeff James coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

Notes from Memphis: For the second night in a row the Sport Compact feature went caution FREE!!!...Chuck Fullenkamp started 13th and finished 6th....Barry Taft came from 11th to finish in 7th....Brandon Lambert started 16th and finished 10th....Jeffrey DeLonjay suffered a left rear flat in the heat race and had to start the feature in 19th. He would then pass 8 cars to come home in 11th....Kevin Garrett started 18th and finished 13th....John Girdley was running 6th when he pulled of with troubles on lap 3 to end his night in 19th......The Hobby Stock feature went caution FREE!!!....Nick Ulin started 10th and finished 6th....Matt Smith had engine troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Jim Lynch started the Stock Car feature in 9th and finished 6th....Dalton Lynch came from 11th to finish in 8th....Les Blakley had troubles in his heat race that forced him to start the feature in 16th, He would then pass 6 cars to come home in 10th....Andrew Hustead made the jump from the Hobby Stock class to the Stock Car class for the 2015 season. He would make his first start on night two and finished in 13th....John Oliver Jr. was running 5th when he broke a gear on the final lap, which relegated him to a 15th place finish....Cayden Carter, who was running 5th after starting in 13th, broke a motor on lap 15 and finished in 16th......Colby Heishman suffered a right front flat in his heat race and had to start the SportMod feature in 20th. He would then pass 14 cars to bring home a 6th place finish....Austen Becerra passed 11th cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Brett Lowry once again drove Shawn Ritter's #7SR machine. He came from 15th to finish in 10th....Clint Baker started 22nd and passed 10 cars to come home in 12th....John Anderson started 21st and finished 14th....Austin Howes, who was running 6th after starting in 10th, dropped a drive shaft on the front stretch on lap 15 to end his night in 16th......Mike Densberger from Lincoln, Nebraska redeemed himself after night 1 of having to come from the rear from being disqualified from his heat race. He would draw the pole for the feature and held on for a flag-to-flag win....Cayden Carter started 12th and finished in 7th....Carter VanDenberg finally got the bugs worked out of his new car and finished 10th after starting in 14th....Scott Dickey suffered the same fate as Mike Densberger did in night 1 of his heat race, as Dickey was disqualified after taking the checkers in heat 1 and instead of exiting into the infield on the backstretch he made another lap. Dickey would start the feature in 22nd and then passed 11 cars to come home in 11th....Kyle Brown started 21st and finished 12th....Jacob Murray recovered from his spin on lap 14 to come back up to finish in 15th.

Long, Jaennette, Gustin, Luellen, and Abbott Start the 2015 Racing Season With Wins in Memphis, MO

Memphis, MO (Friday, March 20, 2015) - My 2015 racing season got kicked off on Friday, March 20th at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO, with the "Midwest Bottom Heavy Spring Nationals". In action on the night was the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts. At the end of the night Michael Long (Modifieds), Michael Jaennette (Stock Cars), Jenae Gustin (SportMods), Austin Luellen (Hobby Stocks), and Kimberly Abbott (Sport Compacts) were all standing in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Sport Compacts, with Kimberly Abbott and Travis DeMint drawing the front row for the event. Abbott would take advantage of her front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Josh Barnes, who started 5th, and Trent Orwig. While Abbott set a fast pace out front, Michael Grossman who started 8th was working his way towards the front. Grossman would over take Barnes for second on lap 10, and then tried to chase down Abbott for the lead. But without a caution Abbott was able to hold on to pick up her first win of the season. Grossman settled for 2nd, Orwig was 3rd, DeMint was 4th, with Seith Woodruff coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 16 lap SportMod feature, with Jim Gillenwater and Jenae Gustin leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Gillenwater would edge out Gustin at the line to lead lap 1. Those two driver would run the first few laps side-by-side, before Gillenwater would grab a little bid of an advantage. Gustin would try to get under Gillenwater coming off turn four on laps 10, 11, and 12. But Gillenwater would hold her off every time. That was until lap 13, when she slipped under him to grab the top spot away. Gillenwater would use the middle groove coming off turn 2 to grab the lead back on lap 14. Coming to the white flag Gustin would slip under Gillenwater to take the lead back and then held him off on the final lap to pick up the win. Gillenwater was 2nd, Austin Howes was 3rd, Joey Gower came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Brett Lowry finishing 5th after starting in 8th in Shawn Ritter's #7SR machine.

Dustin Griffith and Nick Ulin drew the front row for the 14 lap Hobby Stock feature. But it was fourth place starter Austin Luellen who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Ulin and Ryan Grochala, who started 5th. Ulin's run up front came to a stop early, as he lost a right rear wheel down the backstretch on lap 2 to bring out the one and only caution of the event. On the restart Luellen jumped back out front, but now had Shannon Anderson, who started 6th, and Mike Kincaid, who started 11th, glued to his back bumper. Despite Anderson staying close to Luellen over the final laps, Luellen was able to hold on to pick up the win. Anderson settled for 2nd, Kincaid was 3rd, Grochala was 4th, with Bill Bonnett passed 8 cars from his 13th place starting spot to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap Modified feature, with Scott Dickey and Cayden Carter leading the field to green, after Jim Lynch, who was suppose to start second, scratched from the event with troubles. Carter would take advantage of his move from the fourth place starting spot to starting second to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dickey and Hunter Marriott, who started 6th. Just as Carter started to pull away from the battle behind him, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 5. Shane DeMey would slow in turns 1 and 2 with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. On the restart Michael Long, who started 11th, slipped under Carter in turn 3 to grab the top spot away. Carter, who was running the bottom of the track, and Marriott, who was up top, ran side-by-side for the next several laps, until Marriott grabbed the spot away on lap 12. Just as Carter did earlier in the race, Long started to pull away from the battle behind him until the second caution of the race came out on lap 17. Dylan Hoover would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Long jumped back out front on the restart, with Carter over taking Marriott for the second spot. There was no catching Long on the final 3 laps, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Carter would edge out a 2nd place finish over Marriott in 3rd at the line by inches, Todd VanEaton came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Mike Densberger charging from 20th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap Stock Car, with Michael Jaennette and Erick Knutsen drawing the front row. Jaennette would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over John Oliver Jr. and Damon Murty, who started 6th. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 2, when Tyler Pickett, who was running 4th, spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jaennette moved back out front over Oliver Jr. and Dalton Lynch, who started in 8th. Jaennette then started to pull away from second, when the second caution of the race appeared on lap 6. This time Knutsen would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Once again Jaennette grabbed the lead on the restart, with Murty and Dalton Lynch over taking Oliver Jr. for the second and third spots. Just when Jaennette started to put some distance between himself and Murty, the third and final caution came out on lap 11. Dalton Lynch, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 and collected Ryan Fullenkamp, who was running 5th, to bring out the yellow. The final restart saw Jaennette jump back out front, with Murty and Jim Lynch, who started 11th, close behind. But there was no stopping Jaennette on this night, as he held on to claim the win. Murty was 2nd, Jim Lynch was 3rd, Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Abe Huls coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Memphis: The Sport Compact feature went caution FREE!!!....John Girdley started 9th and finished 7th....Kevin Garrett came from 10th to finish in 8th....Billy Cain started 11th and finished in 9th....Jordan O'Haver came from 12th to finish in 10th....Brandon Lambert passed 4 cars from his 15th place starting spot to finish in 11th....Josh Barnes, who was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 10 with a right front flat to end his night in 12th....William Michel had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......The SportMod feature also went caution FREE!!!....Clint Luellen, who had a flat in his heat race, passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Jason McDaniel started 16th and finished in 13th......Adam Armstrong who made the pull over from Beatrice, Nebraska had a strong run going in the Hobby Stock feature, until troubles late in the race forced him to retire for a 10th place finish......Mike Densberger of Lincoln, Nebraska arrived at the track late. But called ahead to have someone draw for his heat race starting spot in the Modified division. He would start heat race 2 on the outside of the front row and then drove away to the win. But was disqualified after taking the checkered flag and driving past the exit into the infield in the middle of the backstretch and taking an extra lap. At the driver's meeting every driver was told if you did this exact thing you would be disqualified, as the next event is coming onto the track after the checkered flag waves in order to keep the program going. As a result Densberger started the feature in 20th and used the two cautions to come up to a 5th place finish....Jeff James started 12th and finished 6th....Tyler Groenendyk passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Johnathan Huston was suppose to start the feature in 3rd, but during the parade lap he didn't like something and went pit side. He would pull out onto the track just as the green flag dropped and then climbed his way back up to a 11th place finish....Blake Woodruff started 21st and passed 8 cars to come home in 13th....Brian Woodruff, was suppose to start 5th, but elected to go to the rear. He would come home in 14th....Dylan Hoover finished 15th after spinning on lap 17 to bring out the caution....Jim Lynch was suppose to start 2nd in the feature but was a scratch after troubles in the heat race......Jerry Pilcher drove Mike McClure's #4M Stock Car and started the feature in 9th and finished in 6th....Tyler Picket, who spun on lap 2 while running 4th, recovered from that spin to come back up to 7th....Dalton Lynch recovered from his spin on lap 11 to come back up to finish in 8th....Ryan Fullenkamp also recovered from the spin on lap 11 to come back up to finish in 10th....Jason Cook arrived late and missed his heat race, which resulted in him starting 15th in the feature. He would climb his way up to 8th, before exiting on lap 8 with troubles to end his night in 15th.

A Look Back at 2014, And A Look Ahead to 2015

Monmouth, IL (Tuesday, March 17, 2015) - With the 2015 racing season just around the corner, and it has been since October 2014 that I have updated my blog, I figured I better wipe the dust off my writing utensils. Today I will take a quick look back at my 2014 season, and look ahead to hopefully a busy 2015 season.

My 2014 total races attended came in at 70, with 67 of those coming at dirt tracks and the other 3 at a asphalt event. Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL topped the list with 14 nights. Followed by 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA with 13, and Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA with 11. The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA was next with 5, followed by the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA with 4. My 3 days of asphalt racing came in mid September during the NASCAR weekend at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.

Two nights were spent at the following tracks: Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, IL; Boone Speedway in Boone, IA; Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA; Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO; LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, IL; and Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA. I then made one trip to the following tracks: Bloomfield Speedway in Bloomfield, IA; Knox County Fair Race in Knoxville, IL; Dubuque Speedway in Dubuque, IA; Eldon Raceway in Eldon, IA; and Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, IL. Then there were two tracks that I made my first ever visit to, and those were the Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN; and the Macon Speedway in Macon, IL.

Many of you that know me, know that I have or currently work at several midwest tracks, and that accounts for the double digit visits to the Davenport Speedway, 34 Raceway, and Quincy Raceways in 2014.

There are two things that stood out to me in 2014. The first of those being the 24 driver's who either won their career first feature, or first in the class they raced, or first at the track they raced at. Among the driver's who picked up there first career win are Mike Kincaid in a Hobby Stock at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA; Jimmy Halcomb in a Mod Lite at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA; Shane Watts in a Stock Car at 34 Raceway; Bradley Holtmeyer in a SportMod at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL; Devon Rouse in a Mod Lite at 34 Raceway; Cody Washburne in a Sport Compact at 34 Raceway; Tyler Glass in a Modified at 34 Raceway; Daniel Bergquist in a 305 Sprint at 34 Raceway; Nathan Hayes in a Stock Car at Quincy Raceways; Creston Williams in a SportMod at 34 Raceway; Cord Williams in a Street Stock at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA; Shane Quam in a 305 Sprint at 34 Raceway; Tanner Klingele in a SportMod at Quincy Raceways; and Derek Liles in a SportMod at the Eldon Raceway in Eldon, IA. Those driver's who won their first features in the class they raced in 2014 include Joey Gower in a SportMod at Quincy Raceways; Mike Hughes in a Stock Car at Bloomfield Speedway in Bloomfield, IA; Rob Henry in a Modified at the Davenport Speedway; Aaron Brocksieck in a SportMod at Quincy Raceways; Chad Krogmeier in a Stock Car at 34 Raceway; and Gordy Gundaker in a open Late Model at Quincy Raceways. Finally, those driver's who won their first features at the tracks they raced at include Kimberly Abbott in a Sport Compact at the Lee County Speedway and the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO; Kevin Dickey in a Street Stock at the Davenport Speedway; Jeff Kriz in a Modified at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, IA; and Scott Pippert in a Stock Car at the Independence Motor Speedway.

The second thing that stood out to me during the 2014 season was the season the Austen Becerra had. He picked up 39 feature wins in a Sport Compact, which helped him claim three track championships. Those coming at the Lee County Speedway, 34 Raceway, and Quincy Raceways. Austen would also finish 3rd in the IMCA National Title Chase, which helped him claim the Illinois State Championship in the IMCA Sport Compacts. He would finish out the season racing an SportMod to get ready for the switch to that class in 2015.

Before many tracks released there 2015 schedules, the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, IA and the Bloomfield Speedway in Bloomfield, IA announced there would be no weekly racing at those two tracks for 2015. It's sad to see for those drivers and fans that have supported those tracks for many years in the past. But it just goes to show that each and every one of us needs to make sure we support this sport we love, and get out to any local track whenever possible. Or we could see many more of this in the years to come.

The first track in the Southeast Iowa, Northwest Missouri and West Central Illinois area to schedule races for the 2015 season is the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO. Those races are coming up this weekend on Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st, with the "Midwest Bottom Heavy Spring Nationals". The track will roar back into action on Saturday, May 9th, when the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models roll into the speedway. That event will be followed up with the annual fair race on Thursday, July 9th. After that will be the 2nd Annual Fall Special on Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th. The season will come to a close on Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th with the annul running of the Fall Nationals. To stay up-to-date on all the events happening at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO are encourage to like their page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scotland-County-Speedway/531042493650646.

Up the following weekend, Friday, March 27th and Saturday, March 28th will be the 3rd Annual Spring Extravaganza at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA. The follow Friday, April 3rd the track will take the week off, as the Frostbusters will be taking place in the central and northern part of the state of Iowa. The first weekly points night will begin on Friday, April 10th and will continue through Friday, May 1st. Then on Thursday, May 7th the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models will make the first of there two stops at the track in 2015. Weekly points racing will return for both Friday, May 15th and 22nd. Friday, May 29th the Sprint Invaders will make there first of two stops at the track for 2015. Followed by another weekly points night on Friday, June 5th. Then on the following Friday, June 12th the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models return for the second time. Another weekly points night will take place on Friday, June 19th, before the Thursday night Bud Special featuring the Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modifieds takes place on June 25th. That will be followed by another weekly points night on Friday, July 3rd. Then the following Friday, July 10th will be the Lee County Fair event. With a pit stop, with no races, taken place on Friday, July 17th. The track will return for two weekly points nights on Friday, July 24th and 31st., before taking two weeks off on Friday, August 7th and 14th. The Sprint Invaders will return for there second time on Friday, August 21st, following that event will be the season championship night on Friday, August 28th. After taking five weeks off the Lee County Speedway will finish off there season with the 4th Annual Fall Extravaganza on Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th. Then the annual Shiverfest event will take place on Saturday, October 24th. To keep up with all the happenings at the Lee County Speedway be sure to check out there website at www.leecountyspeedway.com.

Another Friday night track set to kick off there 2015 season is the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA. They will hold a practice on Friday, April 3rd, with another one scheduled for Thursday, April 9th. Then the season will kick off on Friday, April 10th with the "Rebel", featuring the IMCA Late Models battling for $5,000 to win. Friday, April 17th will feature the Cornbelt Clash / MARS Late Model Series on the 1/2 mile track. The regular points night will kick off on Friday, April 24th and again on Friday, May 1st. Those weeks will be followed up with the first ever visit by the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models on Friday, May 8th. Following that week will be another weekly points night on Friday, May 15th, before the Modified Madness takes over the track on Friday, May 22nd. A top prize of $2,000 is being offered for the IMCA Modifieds on that night. Two more weekly points night on Friday, May 29th and June 5th will be sandwiched in, before the SportMod Madness on Friday, June 12th. Where the IMCA SportMods will be battling for a top prize of $2,000. Another two weeks of points racing will held on Friday, June 19th and 26th, before the Street Stock 50 takes place on Friday, July 3rd. A top prize of $2,000 is being offered for the Street Stocks on that night. Three more weekly points night will be held on Friday, July 10th, 17th, and 24th, before the Mississippi Valley Fair takes over the grounds on Friday, July 31st and Friday, August 7th. After the fair on Friday, August 14th will be the 4 Stock Nationals, with the 4 Stocks shooting for a top prize of $2,000 to win. A weekly points night will be held on Friday, August 21st, before the season championships on Friday, August 28th. Then on Friday, September 11th and Saturday, September 12th will be the 1st Annual Governor Cup. Friday nights show will be held on the 1/4 mile, while Saturday nights events will be held on both the 1/4 mile and 1/2 mile. The following Saturday, September 19th will be the Night of Destruction and Cheater's Night to round out the season. Make sure you check out there website at www.davenportspeedway.com to keep up with everything happening during the 2015 season.

34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA, which host weekly racing on every Saturday, is set to kick off there 2015 season this coming weekend. On Saturday, March 21st they will be holding a car show at Heartland Harley Davidson on Roosevelt Ave in Burlington, IA from 11 am - 2 pm. Then at 6 pm at Roederer's Pit Stop they will be holding a kick off party. The following Saturday, March 28th will be a practice day from 12 pm until 3 pm. That will be followed by the season opener for the Sprint Invaders on Saturday, April 4th. The National Sprint League will make there inaugural debut on Saturday, April 11th. Next up is an event everyone looks forward to every year, the "Slocum 50". Which will be held on Saturday, April 18th featuring the open Late Models for the second year in a row. Weekly racing will then be held on Saturday April 25th, May 2nd, May 9th, May 16th and May 23rd. Then the Sprint Invaders returns for a Sunday night show on May 24th. The first quads, bikes and side by side racing will be held on Saturday, May 30th. That will be followed up by some more weekly racing on Saturday, June 6th, June 13th, and June 20th. Another event everyone looks forward to is the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars, which makes a stop at 34 Raceway on Friday, June 25th. More weekly racing will be held on Saturday, July 4th, July 11th, July 18th, July 25th, August 1st, and August 8th. There will be no races held on Saturday, August 15th. But then the Sprint Invaders return for there third appearance on Saturday, August 22nd. The final points night will be held on Saturday, August 29th. Following that will be a Labor Day weekend event on Saturday, September 5th. With the quads, bikes, side by sides returning on Saturday, September 12th. Then on Saturday, September 19th the Sprint Invaders will hold there Season Championship, with Saturday, September 26th set aside in case of a rain-out on September 19th. The final event to be held at 34 Raceway in 2015 will be another quad, bikes, side by side event on Saturday, October 3rd. To stay up to date on all the events happening at 34 Raceway, please check out there website at www.34raceway.com.

Last Chance Promotions, for the second year in a row, will be running the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL for the 2015 season. Sunday, April 12th is the date set to kick off there season. Which will be followed up by races on April 19th, April 26th, May 3rd, May 10th, and May 17th. Then on Sunday, May 24th the MOWA Sprint Cars make there first of three stops at the track. Another Sunday night race will be held on May 31st, before the POWRi Midgets return to the track once again in 2015 on Thursday, June 4th. Two more weekly nights will be held on Sunday, June 7th and 14th. Then the UMP Summernationals for Late Models invades the track on Sunday, June 21st. Weekly races on Sunday, June 28th, July 5th, July 12th, and July 19th will be held. One of the biggest announcements made a few months ago was that the World of Outlaw Late Models would make there first ever stop at the Quincy Raceways on Thursday, July 23rd. They will be joined by the MOWA Sprint Cars. The following Sunday, July 26th the track will be off, with no races being held. Weekly action will return on Sunday, August 2nd, August 9th, and August 16th. Then on Sunday, August 23rd the Sprint Invaders will make a stop at the track. Three more weekly races will be held on Sunday, August 30th, September 6th, September 13th, before Season Championship night on Sunday, September 20th. On Sunday, September 27th the MOWA Sprint Cars will close out the 2015 season at Quincy Raceways. Make sure you check out there website at www.quincyraceways.com to stay up to date on there 2015 plans.

As I mentioned above, it is very vital for everyone who LOVE'S dirt track racing to get out and support your local track as often as you can. Without everyone's support it is very impossible for any track to survive each week and year. I for one hate to see any track have to announce they will no longer be operating on a weekly basis. So if you every see me out and about at your local track, which is very likely if you attend races in Southeast Iowa, make sure you stop me and introduce yourself.

Looks like my 2015 season is going to kick off this weekend, Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO. Maybe I will see a lot of you there!!!! Depending on what weather website you look at the weather looks to be just fine for RACING!!! The following is what Intellicast is saying the weather will be like for Memphis, MO this weekend!!! LET'S GO RACING!!!!

Friday03/2062 | 40 °F

Friday 10% Precip. / 0 in

Sunny skies. High 62F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.

Friday Night 0% Precip. / 0 in

A mostly clear sky. Low near 40F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday03/2162 | 34 °F

Saturday 0% Precip. / 0 in

Sunny skies. High 62F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

Saturday Night 0% Precip. / 0 in

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 34F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.