Long and Abbott Repeat at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, April 26, 2015) - Rains on Friday night and all day Saturday played havoc on the crew at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois on Sunday. The crew got to the track early Sunday morning and would have to make a choice to cancel due to wet grounds, or try and work the pits into shape to get race car haulers into the pits. With the sun shining and a strong wind out of the north, the decision was made to race.

The first feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA SportMods, with Austin Howes and Jon Lear leading the field to the green. Howes would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Nathan Bringer and Joey Gower. Bringer would slip under Howes coming off turn 4 on lap 2 to take over the top spot, with Gower using the same groove 1 lap later to move into the second spot. Then on lap 6 Gower got under Bringer coming off turn 4, as the two raced side-by-side down the front stretch, with Bringer still scored as the leader. Gower wouldn't give up on the bottom, as he finally cleared Bringer on lap 7 to grab the lead. The action was slowed for the first time on lap 9, when Cody Henderson spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Gower moved back out front, with Brandon Dale, who started 6th, over taking Bringer for the second spot. Dale tried to work under Gower over the next 3 laps, when the second and final caution slowed the race. This time Mike Goodwin spun in turn 2 and collected Jared Wiemelt to bring out the yellow. Gower once again moved back out front on the restart, with Tony Dunker, who started 8th, over taking Dale for second. While Dunker tried to work around Gower for the lead, Bobby Anders, who started 12th, was working the top of the track to work his way into third by lap 15. There was no getting around Gower on this night, as he held on to pick up his first win of the season at the track and second on the weekend with his win Friday night at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. Dunker was 2nd, Anders was 3rd, Bobby Six came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Tanner Klingele finishing 5th after starting in 9th.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Jake Powers and Andrew Hustead on the front row. Hustead took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Powers and William Dahl. After the completion of lap 1 Trevor Hagerbaumer and Troy Brierton collided in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Hustead, Powers and Jerry Jansen, who started 6th, went three wide off 4 for the lead, with Hustead scored as the leader of lap 2. Hustead then held the top spot until lap 4, when Jim Lynch, who started 9th, slipped under him to grab the lead away. The action up front was slowed on lap 9 when Jansen, Dahl and Brierton collided in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Lynch would grab the lead on the restart, with Abe Huls, who started 8th, over taking Hustead for the second spot. Huls was able to get under Lynch coming off turn 4 on laps 12 & 13, only to have Lynch edge him at the line to keep the lead. But disaster would strike Lynch on lap 13, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Derek Sammons spun in turn 2 to bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Huls inherit the lead over Hustead and Hagerbaumer, who recovered from his spin on lap 1. Disaster would strike Hustead on lap 16, as he spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Taylor Lear spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The next restart saw Huls jump back out front and then lead the final 2 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track and his second on the weekend, as he picked up the win Friday night at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. Powers was 2nd, Jansen recovered from the spin on lap 9 to come back up to finish 3rd, Hustead recovered from his spin on lap 16 to come back up to 4th, with Jeremy Buss coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

Mark Burgtorf and Jamie Wilson led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 25 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Burgtorf grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Justin Reed and Wilson. Reed would try to work under Burgtorf over the next 6 laps, when the first and only caution waved. Bobby Regot spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Burgtorf jumped back out front, while Denny Woodworth over took Reed for the runner up spot. With Woodworth and Reed battling for second, Burgtorf started to pull away. Lapped traffic late in the race allowed Reed to close in on Burgtorf. But Burgtorf held on to pick up his first win of the season in the Rick Frankel owned machine. Reed settled for 2nd, Keith Pratt started 6th and made a late pass to get to 3rd, Woodworth was 4th, with Brian Diveley rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Michael Long and David Wietholder on the front row. Long used his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Wietholder and Robbie Reed. Long then pulled away to a straightaway lead by lap 6 and then almost had disaster strike him on lap 13, as Frankie Wellman spun in front of him to bring out the caution. On the restart Kale Foster spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Long move back out front, with Wietholder working to hold back Steven DeLonjay, who started 7th, for the second spot. While the battle was going on behind him, Long would pull away. Long was slowed two more times, once on lap 18 and again on lap 22. But nothing was going to keep Long from victory lane on this night, as he cruised to his second win in a row at the track. Rick Conoyer started 15th and grabbed 2nd on the final restart, DeLonjay edged out Wietholder on the final lap to finish 3rd, with Shawn Deering coming home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Mike Hornung Jr. and Spencer Coats on the front row. Coats would edge out Seith Woodruff, who started 6th, at the line by inches to lead lap 1. But Woodruff would slip under Coats on lap 2 to edge him out at the line to lead lap 2. The two would race side-by-side for the next 2 laps, when the first and only caution waved on lap 4. Jerry Bown came to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kimberly Abbott, who started 8th, went to the top of the track to edge out Woodruff at the line to lead lap 5. Woodruff tried to work under Abbott over the final 10 laps, as Brandon Lambert moved in late to make it a three car battle for the lead. Coming to the checkered flag Woodruff made one more attempt to get under Abbott off turn 4. But she would hold on to pick up her second win in a row at the track. Woodruff settled for 2nd, Lambert was 3rd, John Girdley was 4th, with Darin Weisinger Jr. rounding out the top 5.

Notes from Quincy: Brandon Lennox started the SportMod feature in 14th and passed 5 cars to finish in 9th....Austen Becerra passed 8 cars from his 19th place starting spot to come home in 11th....Charles VanZandt started 17th and finished 12th....Mike Goodwin recovered from the spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish in 13th....Jared Wiemelt also recovered from the spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish 14th....Jon Lear, who started outside the front row, slipped over the track in turn 3 and fell to the back. He recovered to come home in 15th....Todd Reed had rear end troubles in the heat that forced him to scratch from the feature......Troy Brierton recovered from a spin on lap 1 and 9 in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish 6th....Derek Sammons recovered from his spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish 7th....Jim Lynch, who was battling for the lead early, cut a right rear tire and pulled off on lap 15. He would get the tire changed under the lap 16 caution and came back out 1 lap down to be credited with 9th....Beau Taylor, who started 7th and had worked his way to 2nd, pulled off on lap 6 with a right rear flat to end his night in 12th......Mike Hammerle started the Late Model feature in 10th and finished 8th....John Ketterer had troubles in time trials that forced him to scratch for the night......Russ Coultas started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 7th....Cory Brown came from 14th to finish in 10th....Charles Baker started 13th and finished 11th....Steven Grotz came from 16th to finish in 12th....Gary Bentley and Spencer Havermale had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Brandon Baze started the Sport Compact feature in 10th and finished 7th.

VanDenBerg Scores Career First IMCA Modified Feature Win at the Lee County Speedway

Donnellson, IA (Friday, April 24, 2015) - The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA played beat mother nature, for what seemed like the third time in four races so far in 2015, as rains covered most of the area. But everything would hold off long enough to get Friday nights races put in the books. At the end of the night there would be four two new winners and one repeat winner standing in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with John Whalen and Barry Taft leading the field to the green flag. Taft would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Michael Grossman and Whalen. Josh Barnes, who started 12th, quickly worked his way to the front, as Taft, Grossman and Barnes raced three wide for the lead going into turn 3 on lap 6. Taft was able to hold onto the lead each lap, until lap 8, when Barnes slipped under him to grab the top spot away. While Barnes set a fast pace out front, Grossman and Taft would race side-by-side for second on lap 10. The action up front was slowed for the first time on the completion of lap 10, as Colton Keck lost a right front wheel in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Barnes moved back out front, with Travis DeMint, who started 11th, and William Michel, who started 6th, moved into second and third. Debris in turn 1 on the completion of lap 11, slowed the field down for the second time. Barnes once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with DeMint and Michel close behind. DeMint and Barnes came off turn 4 to the white flag side-by-side, with DeMint edging out front at the line to grab the lead. Barnes car slowed going into turn 1, which allowed DeMint to pull away for his first win of the season at the track and breaking Barnes' two week winning streak. Kimberly Abbott started 9th and took second on the last lap, Chuck Fullenkamp started 10th and finished a close 3rd, Michel held on for 4th, with Grossman rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 14 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Leah Wroten and Brandon Symmonds making up the front row for the event. But it was fourth place starter Dane Blozovich who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Dustin Griffiths and Wroten. Then going into turn 1 on the completion of lap 1 disaster would strike, as Griffiths got into the back of Blozovich and spun him to bring out the caution. Blozovich had to much damage to continue, while Griffiths was sent to the pits for rough driving. On the restart Wroten would inherit the lead over Garrett Eilander, who started 5th, and Symmonds. Eilander would slip under Wroten on lap 3 to grab the lead, and then was slowed on the completion of that lap. As Calvin Dhondt spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Eilander moved back out front on the restart, with Symmonds and Wroten close behind. While Eilander worked the bottom of the track, Symmonds would work the middle, as the two raced side-by-side for the lead on laps 9 thru 10. Coming out of turn 4 on lap 12 Symmonds was able to edge Eilander at the line to grab the lead. But Eilander wouldn't give up, as the two raced side-by-side for the final two laps. Symmonds was able to edge out Eilander at the line by a half a car length to pick up his first career IMCA Hobby Stock win and his first since back in the outlaw days in 2012. Eilander finished a close 2nd, Dhondt recovered from his spin on lap 3 to come back up to 3rd, Wroten was 4th, with Kevin Koontz coming home in 5th.

Austin Howes and Austen Becerra led the field to the green flag in the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would appear, as debris down the backstretch brought out the yellow. On the restart Becerra grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Nathan Bringer and Howes. After the completion of lap 1 Dan Keltner would spin in turn 4 and collected Colton Livezey to bring out the yellow. Becerra moved back out front on the restart, but now had Adam Birck, who started 7th, and Brandon Dale glued to his back bumper. Birck would slip under Becerra on lap 4 to take over the top spot and then was slowed after the completion of that lap. As Brandon Ruffcorn spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Bobby Six spun in turn 2 and collected Bringer, Phillip Cossel, Ashton Johnson, Colton Bowman and Ruffcorn to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Birck jump back out front, with Becerra and Dale battling for second. Birck then started to pull away from the battle behind him, until a caution on lap 9 brought the field back to his back bumper. Dale, who was running 6th, spun in turn 3 and collected Tony Olson, who started 11th and was running 7th, to bring out the yellow. Birck once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Becerra working to hold back Dakota Simmons, who started 9th, for the runner up spot. Shawn Ritter, who started 10th and was running 6th, spun in turn 4 on lap 13 to bring out the final caution of the race. On the restart Birck moved back out front, with Becerra and Joey Gower, who started 13th, battling for second. Birck would pull away over the final 7 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Becerra held on for 2nd, Gower was 3rd, Simmons was 4th, with Olson recovering from his involvement in the lap 9 caution to come back up to finish 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Jake Wenig and Jeremy Pundt on the front row. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Andrew Hustead spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jason Cook, who started 3rd, grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Wenig and Pundt. While Cook worked the bottom of the track, Abe Huls, who started 6th, went to the top of track to take over the top spot on lap 4. The action up front was slowed on lap 6, when debris in turn 4 brought out the yellow. On the restart a tire was clipped in turn 4 and pushed onto the track to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Huls move back out front, with Cook working to hold off John Oliver Jr., who started 8th, for the second spot. Just as Huls started to pull away from the field, the final caution appeared on lap 10. Another tire in turn 2 was clipped and pushed out onto the track to bring out the yellow. Once again Huls jumped back out front on the restart, with Oliver Jr. over taking Cook for second. Oliver Jr. was able to challenge Huls for the top spot for a couple of laps, before Huls pulled away to pick up his second win in a row at the track. Oliver Jr. settled for 2nd, Cook was 3rd, Ray Raker was 4th, with Nathan Wood coming from 9th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with AJ Johnson and Dustin Smith leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Todd Cramer spun in turn 1 and Brandon Rothzen spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Smith spun in front of the field and collected Dugan Thye to bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Carter VanDenBerg, who started 6th, edge out Johnson at the line to lead lap 1 by inches. After the completion of lap 1 Johnson would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. VanDenBerg jumped back out front on the restart, with Bill Roberts Jr. and Tyler Groenendyk close behind. When VanDenBerg drifted high in turn 4 on lap 3, Roberts Jr. would slip under him to grab the lead away. The battle up front was slowed on lap 7, when Jeff Waterman, who was running 7th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Roberts Jr. moved back out front, with VanDenBerg working to hold off Kyle Brown, who started 12th, for the second spot. Roberts Jr., who was running the bottom, and VanDenBerg, who was running the top, raced laps 8 and 9 side-by-side, with VanDenBerg edging Roberts Jr. out at the line to lead lap 9. The final caution of the event appeared on lap 12, when Smith spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. VanDenBerg jumped back out front on the restart, with Roberts Jr. working to hold back Brown for second. While the battle went on for second, VanDenBerg would pull away to claim his first career IMCA Modified feature win. Roberts Jr. won the battle for 2nd, Brown was 3rd, Groenendyk was 4th, with Andrew Schroeder coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: 24 Sport Compacts, 20 Modifieds, 20 SportMods, 18 Stock Cars, and 7 Hobby Stocks, made up the 89 cars signed in this iffy night of racing......Brandon Lambert started the Sport Compact feature in 14th and finished 11th,...Josh Barnes' car slowed in turn 1 on the final lap and he limped around to finished 12th, after leading until the last lap....John Girdley started 19th and finished 14th....Alyssa Steele passed 7 cars from her 22nd place starting spot to finish in 15th....Kevin Garrett started 18th and finished 16th....Kyle Hamelton came from 21st to finish in 17th....Antonio Jacobs started 23rd and finished 18th....Will Calhoun started 24th and finished 20th......Colton Livezey passed 11 cars from his 17th place starting spot in the SportMod feature, plus recovered from his involvement in the caution on lap 1, to came back up to finish in 6th....Bobby Six recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish in 8th....Brandon Dale also recovered from his spin on lap 9 to come back up to finish in 9th....Dan Keltner, who started 16th and spun on lap 1, recovered from his spin to climb back up to finish in 11th....Robert Gould who scratched from his heat race, started 20th and passed 8 cars to come home in 12th....Ashton Johnson started 19th and finished 15th......Donovan Nunnikoven started the Stock Car feature in 12th and finished 6th....Andrew Hustead, who started 15th and spun before the start, recovered from his spin to come back up to finish 7th....Randy Killen passed 8 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish in 8th....Devon Timmerman started 13th and finished 9th....Michael Bilyeu started 17th and finished 14th....Jake Wenig, who was running 5th, pulled off under the caution on lap 6 with troubles to end his night in 16th....Jim Redmann was suppose to start 5th, but troubles after his heat race forced him to scratch from the feature......Scott Hogan started the Modified feature in 10th and finished 6th....AJ Johnson recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish 7th....Brandon Rothzen also recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 8th....Blake Woodruff started 14th and finished 9th....Dylan Hoover started 17th and finished 11th....Scott Simatovich finished 13th after starting in 15th....Derek Reimer came from 18th to finish in 14th....Larry McConnell started 19th and finished 16th.

Unzicker Makes Last Lap Pass to Win "Slocum 50"

West Burlington, IA (Saturday, April 18, 2015) - Back in 2005 Brent Slocum was taking from the racing community at a young age in a pit road accident at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. In 2009 his close friends and family went to work to put together an annual event to honor their fallen angel. With all their hard work, this event has grown to one in which everyone pencils in on there schedule each year to attend.

Last year was the first year the event was run with the open type rules for the Late Models, and was also co-sanctioned by the Corn Belt Clash (CBC), MARS Dirtcar (MARS), and American Late Model Series (ALMS). It was also the first year the race paid $10,555 to win. 2015 wasn't any different, as the event was co-sanctioned by the Corn Belt Clash, MARS Dirt Car, and American Late Model Series. Plus the event once again paid $10,555 to the winner.

Thirty-eight Late Models from 9 states, including Wisconsin, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas and South Dakota, signed in in hopes of taking home the $10,555 top prize. Those 38 drivers drew a number after they signed in to determine what group they would be put into for time trials. Each driver would be given 2 laps within their group to determine where they would start in their heat race. Mike Fryer of Freeport, IL, Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, IL, Chris Simpson of Oxford, IA, Spencer Diercks of Davenport, IA and Chad Simpson of Mt. Vernon, IA set fast times in their groups to start the five 10 lap heat races from the pole. The young Diercks was also the overall quickest time, with a lap around the 3/8th mile oval of 15.461 seconds.

The top 3 out of the 5 heat races would move directly into the "Slocum 50", with the remainder going into one of the 2 B Mains. Heat race 1 saw Mike Fryer grab the lead and hold off Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, IL and Terry Phillips of Springfield, MO to earn spots into the A Main. Heat race 2 went to Ryan Unzicker. He was followed across the line by Justin Reed of Camp Point, IL and Denny Woodworth of Mendon, IL. Heat race 3 went to Marshalltown, Iowa's Ryan Gustin. With Chris Simpson and Ray Guss Jr. of Milan, IL following behind him. Heat race 4 went to Tony Jackson Jr. of Lebanon, MO. He was followed across the line by Spencer Diercks and Jason Utter of Columbus Junction, IA. Heat race 5, which was stacked, was won by Batesville, Arkansas' Billy Moyer. Chad Simpson and Rodney Sanders from Happy, TX would follow Moyer across the line in 2nd and 3rd.

Two 12 lap B Mains would hit the track, with the top 3 out of both of those moving on into the A Main. B Main number 1 saw Tim Manville of St. Jacob, IL pick up the win. Rich Bell of Sheffield, IL was 2nd, with Garrett Alberson of Shreveport, LA holding off Moorsburg, Tennessee's Scott Bloomquist to earn the final transfer spot. Mitch McGrath of Waukesha, WI claim the win in B Main number 2. Jesse Stovall of Billings, MO started 5th and finished 2nd, with Dave Eckrich of Oxford, IA taking the third and final transfer spot. Bloomquist earned the ALM provisional, with Justin Asplin of Birch Tree, MO giving the MARS provisional. Jay Johnson of West Burlington, IA earned the track provisional, with Mark Rose of Elcho, WI giving the CBC provisional. With the 25 car field set for the 50 lap "Slocum 50", it was time to go feature racing!

The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Randy Wachter and Jake Wenig drawing the front row. Wenig would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Wachter and Jason Cook. Just after the completion of lap 1 the caution would come out, as Dane Fenton and Brad Egbert collided in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wenig jumped back out front, with John Oliver Jr. over taking Wachter for the runner up spot. While Wenig stayed out front, the battle for second was between Wachter, Tom Bowling Jr., and Oliver Jr. The action up front was slowed for the second time during the race on lap 8, as Shane Watts, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2 and collected Ryan Fullenkamp, who started 12th and was running 8th, to bring out the yellow. Once again Wenig moved out front on the restart, with Oliver Jr. and Cook close behind. But just after the completion of lap 9 the caution light came on, as a tire was pushed onto the track in turn 4 to bring out the yellow.

On the restart Wenig grabbed the lead, with Oliver Jr. and Bowling Jr. battling for second. With Wenig out front and Oliver Jr. and Bowling Jr. battling for second, all eyes were on Andrew Hustead, who started 15th and had worked his way into 4th. The fourth caution of the race appeared on lap 12, when Chase Klenk spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Another lap complete produced the fifth and final caution of the race on lap 13, to set up a 2 lap dash to the finish. This time Derek Schwandt spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Wenig jumped back out front, with Bowling Jr., Oliver Jr. and Hustead battling it out for second. Wenig would hold on over the final 2 laps to pick up the win. Oliver Jr. won the battle for 2nd, Bowling Jr. was 3rd, Hustead was 4th, with Abe Huls rounding out the top 5.

Mike Fryer and Ryan Unzicker lead the field to the drop of the green flag in the 50 lap "Slocum 50" Late Model feature, with Unzicker grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Tony Jackson Jr. and Fryer. While Unzicker and Jackson Jr. worked the top of the track, Billy Moyer was working the bottom. Moyer would use the bottom to clear Unzicker for the top spot on lap 6. Then just after the completion of lap 6 the first caution would appear to slow the pace down. Scott Bloomquist and Jay Johnson would collide in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Moyer moved back out front, with Unzicker and Jackson Jr. battling for second. While Moyer started to pull away from the field, Mark Burgtorf would over take Jackson Jr. for third on lap 13 and then went to work on Unzicker for second. The field was brought back to Moyer's back bumper on lap 17, when Rich Bell spun down the backstretch with rear end troubles to bring out the yellow. Once again Moyer grabbed the lead on the restart, with Burgtorf over taking Unzicker for the runner up spot. Unzicker was able to grab the second spot back from Burgtorf on lap 20 and the set his sights on Moyer for the lead.

Moyer's lead was wiped away on lap 26, when Mitch McGrath spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Fryer would spin in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Moyer jump back out front, with Unzicker working to hold back Chris Simpson, who started 8th, and was now running third. Moyer then started to put some distance on Unzicker by using the middle groove in turns 1 and 2, and then going to the bottom in turns 3 and 4. But Unzicker, who was using the bottom in both sets of corners, started reeling in Moyer with about 10 laps to go. On lap 46, Unzicker was able to get up beside Moyer exciting turn 2. But Moyer was able to hold him off going into turn 3. Two laps later, lap 48, Unzicker was once again able to get up beside Moyer coming off turn 2. Just like the last time Moyer was able to hold him off coming to the white flag. Unzicker shot to the bottom to get under Moyer in turn 1, with Moyer holding him off coming out of turn 2. With Moyer going low into turn 3, Unzicker decided to go to the top of the track. Unzicker would use the momentum off the top of turn 4 coming to the checkered flag to edge out Moyer at the line to claim the win and the $10,555 top prize. Moyer settled for 2nd, Chris Sipmson was 3rd, Jason Utter passed 10 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 4th, with Chad Simpson coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 20 lap 305 Sprints, with Nathan Murders and John Schulz drawing the front row.Schulz would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Cody Wehrle and Donnie Steward, who started 8th and quickly moved up to 3rd. Just after the completion of lap 1 the caution light would come on. Dustin Clark, who showed up just before the Late Model B Mains after coming from a rained out Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schulz moved back out front, with Werhle holding off Steward for second. The action up front was slowed on lap 4, when Shane Quam spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Schulz once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with both Steward and Justin Newberry over taking Wehrle for second and third. Steward, who was using the top of the track, would power around Schulz to grab the top spot away on lap 7. The fast pace that Steward was setting was slowed on lap 9, when Murders spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow.

On the restart Steward jumped back out front, only to be slowed one lap later with another caution. Quam would spin in turn 2 for his second solo caution to end his night. Steward once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Schulz working to hold off Clark, who recovered from his spin on lap 1 to work himself back up to 3rd, for the second spot. The action up front was slowed for the final time on lap 14, when Evan Epperson, who came out of the Mod Lites and returned to racing after taking a year off, spun off turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Steward moved back out front, with Schulz, Newberry, who faded to 6th at one point, Wehrle, and Clark battled for the runner up spot. While the battle was going on for second, Steward would pull away over the final 6 laps to pick up the win. Newberry won the battle for 2nd, Clark was 3rd, Schulz was 4th, with Wehrle coming home in 5th.

Notes from 34: Dane Fenton recovered from his spin on lap 1 of the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish in 6th....Ray Raker came from the rear to finish in 8th....Shane Watts recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 10th....Devon Timmerman started 20th and finished 11th....Tyler McClure started 16th and finished 12th......Garrett Alberson started the Late Model feature in 20th and passed 12 cars to finish in 8th....Dave Eckrich passed 11 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish in 10th....Tim Manville started 16th and finished 11th....Justin Asplin passed 11 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 12th....Mitch McGrath recovered from his spin on lap 26 to come back up to finish in 13th....Mark Rose passed 10 cars from his 25th place starting spot to finish in 15th....Jason Rauen suffered engine troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from his B Main......Jacob Glasgow started the Sprint feature in 12th and would come home in 6th....Andy Krieger started 10th and finished 7th....Nick Guernsey started 13th and finished 9th....Brandyn Martin, Austin Sears, Heath Bundy, and Blaine Jamison all had troubles that forced them to scratch from the feature......All throughout the even the large crowd on hand would keep their eyes on the skies and the weather radar on their cell phones. As just when the 5 Late Model heat races were taking to the track, the skies started to darken to the north, west and south of the facilities. There was even some lighting strikes in those dark clouds, which lead everyone to believe there was no way of getting the complete show in. But with only a few sprinkles falling on the track on a couple of occasions, it would lead me and perhaps everyone else that a certain angel was looking over 34 Raceway on this night!

Schroeder, Huls, and Gower Become New Winners at the Lee County Speedway

Donnellson, IA (Friday, April 17, 2015) - What a beautiful night for racing on a Friday night at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. After the final checkered fell on the night there would be three new winners standing in victory lane, and two repeat winners.

The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with William Michel and Matt Moore leading the twenty-two car field to the green flag. Michel would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Trent Orwig, and Josh Barnes, who quickly moved up from his 9th place starting spot. Barnes would over take Orwig for second on lap 2 and then went to work on Michel for the top spot. Michel, who was running the top of the track, and Barnes, who was working the bottom, came off turn 4 on lap 7 side-by-side, with Barnes coming out on top on lap 8 to grab the lead. After the completion of lap 9 the red flag was thrown, as Kenny Smith who was sitting in the infield in turn 2 needed medical attention. On the restart Barnes jumped back out front, but now had Travis DeMint, who started 11th, and Michael Grossman, who started 8th, glued to his back bumper. DeMint tried to work under Barnes over the next 4 laps, when the caution light came on on lap 13. Colton Keck would loose a right front tire in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Brandon Lambert would loose a right front tire in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart had Barnes grab the lead, with DeMint looking under him for the lead going into turn 1. But Barnes would hold off DeMint over the final 2 laps to pick up his second win in a row at the track. DeMint settled for 2nd, Michel was 3rd, Chuck Fullenkamp came from 12th to finish in 4th, with Orwig rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 14 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Nick Ulin and Dustin Griffiths making up the front row. Griffiths used his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Ulin and Brandon Symmonds. Just like last weeks feature, Ulin looked under Griffiths several time over the 14 lap event. But he had Symmonds breathing down his back if he made any mistakes trying to get around Griffiths for the lead. Griffiths wouldn't make any mistakes, as he held on to claim his second win in a row at the track. Ulin was 2nd, Symmonds was 3rd, Leah Wroten was 4th, with John Irwin coming home in 5th.

Austen Becerra was scheduled to start on the pole of the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature, but had motor troubles that forced his to scratch from the event. This would move Robert Gould to the pole, with Nathan Bringer to his outside. On the drop of the green flag fifth place starter Brandon Dale moved to the front to grab the lead on lap 1 over Bringer and Gould, who crossed the line side-by-side. Bringer's run up front came to an end on lap 2, as he spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dale jumped back out front, with Joey Gower, who started 7th, over taking Gould for the second spot. Gower, who was working the bottom of the track, would slip under Dale on lap 4 to take over the top spot and then started to pull away. But debris down the backstretch on lap 8 would slow Gower's pace down and bring the field back to his back bumper. On the restart Gower moved back out front, with Dale working to hold back Adam Birck, who started 9th, for the runner up spot. Gower would pull away over the final 12 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Birck was 2nd, Gould would cross the line in 3rd but was disqualified for being 10 pounds light at the scales, Tom Lathrop, who started 11th would cross the line in 4th and was also disqualified for being 10 pounds light on the scales, this would move Bob Cowman, who started 10th up to finish in 3rd, Dale, who was running 2 on lap 15 and pulled off with over heating troubles was moved up to 4th, with Bobby Anders, who was running 4th on lap 15 and pulled off with over heating troubles, was moved up to a 5th place finish.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Ryan Fullenkamp and Jason Cook leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Cook, Fullenkamp, and Abe Huls went into turn 3 three wide, with Cook using the momentum off the top of the track to grab the lead on lap 1. Cook, who was running the top of the track, and Abe Huls, who was running the bottom, crossed the line on laps 6 and 7 side-by-side for the lead, with Cook edging Huls at the line each lap to keep the lead. But Huls was able to slip under Cook coming off turn 4 on lap 8 to grab the top spot away. While Huls and Cook battled for the top spot, Nathan Wood, who started 9th, Michael Peterson, Jeremy Pundt, John Oliver Jr., Corey Strothman, Jim Redmann, and Zack VanDerBeek raced two and three wide for spots three thru ninth. Pundt's run up in the top 5 would come to an end on lap 16 when he clipped a tire in turn 2 and pushed it onto the track to bring out the yellow. The damage to Pundt's front end would force him to the pits. On the restart Huls moved back out front, with Cook working to hold back Wood for the second spot. While Cook and Wood battled side-by-side for second, Huls would pull away over the final 4 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Wood won the battle for 2nd, Cook was 3rd, Peterson was 4th, with Strothman rounding out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with AJ Johnson and Bill Roberts Jr. making up the front row. But it was third place starter Andrew Schroeder who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Roberts Jr. and Jeff Waterman. Schroeder would set a fast pace out front, while Waterman, Brandon Rothzen, who started 7th, Roberts Jr., and Scott Hogan, who started 9th, battled two wide for the second spot. Hogan, who was running the bottom, slipped under Waterman for the runner up spot on lap 18 and would look to chase down Schroeder for the top spot. But without the help of a caution and Schroeder a straight-away ahead, there was no catching Schroeder who would claim his first win of the season at the track. Hogan settled for 2nd, Waterman was 3rd, Rothzen was 4th, with Carter VanDenBerg coming home in 5th.

Notes from LCS: Kimberly Abbott finished 7th in the Sport Compact feature after starting in 14th....Mike Reu came from 18th to finish in 8th....John Girdley started 17th and finished 10th....Kevin Garrett came from 16th to finish in 12th....Barry Taft, who was running 8th, pulled off on the restart on lap 13 with motor troubles to end his night in 14th....Michael Grossman, who started 8th and had worked his way to 3rd by lap 10, pulled off under the lap 13 caution with troubles to end his night in 16th....Colton Keck, who started 21st, lost a right front wheel on lap 13 to end his night in 17th....John Whalen, who was suppose to start 3rd, was forced to scratch from the event after troubles in his heat race....Jeffrey DeLonjay also had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Colton Bowman started the SportMod feature in 12th and finished 6th....Kyle Hill, who started 13th, was running 5th when he pulled off on lap 11 with over heating troubles to end his night in 7th....Both Austen Becerra and Phillip Cossel has troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......John Oliver Jr. started the Stock Car feature in 10th and would finished 6th....Zack VanderBeek came from 12th to finish in 7th....Jake Wenig started 15th and finished 11th......Rich Smith started the Modified feature in 11th and would finish 8th....Steve Stewart came from 16th to finish in 10th....Dugan Thye started 17th and finished 14th.

Thrasher Continues Streak at Oskaloosa, Iowa

Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, April 15, 2015) - With me having a Thursday off at work, I decided to make the trip to the middle part of the state of Iowa to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. They were holding there season points opener, with every driver signing in getting in for FREE! At the end of the night Jacob Murray (IMCA Modified), Zack VanderBeek (IMCA Stock Cars), Curtis Van Der Wal (IMCA SportMods), Danny Thrasher (IMCA Hobby Stocks), and Trent Orwig (IMCA Sport Compacts) ending up in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Trent Orwig and Bill Whalen Jr. drawing the front row. Orwig would use his front row starting spot to grab the lead by inches on lap 1 over Whalen Jr. and Matt Moore. Whalen Jr. followed in Orwig's tracks until just after the completion of lap 2, as Orwig drifted high going into turn 1 which allowed Whalen Jr. to slip by to grab the lead away on lap 3. Orwig then followed in Whalen Jr.'s tracks, even bumping him in the back to remind him that he was close behind. Whalen Jr. drifted high in turn 3 on lap 10, which allowed Orwig to slip by to grab the top spot away coming to the white flag. Orwig then held off Whalen Jr. on the final lap to pick up the win. Whalen Jr. settled for 2nd, Moore was 3rd, John Whalen was 4th, with Seith Woodruff making the long pull up from Carthage, Illinois to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 14 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Bill Bonnett and Danny Thrasher drawing the front row for the event. Thrasher took advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1, as Dustin Griffiths, Bonnett, and Jamie Songer raced three wide for the second spot. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 7, when Daniel Dyer lost a right front wheel coming out of turn 4 and spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Thrasher moved back out front, with Songer, Bonnett and Griffiths returning to there battle for second. Thrasher would pull away over the final laps to claim his second win in a row at the track. Bonnett won the battle for 2nd, Songer was 3rd, Griffiths was 4th, with Derek Hodges coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

Shane Weller and Todd Reitzler led the field to the drop of the green flag in the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature. But it was fourth place starter Damon Murty who shot to the bottom of the track coming out of turn 4 to grab the lead on lap 1 over Reitzler and Weller. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 3, when Mike Brown spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Murty jumped back out front, but now had Zack VanderBeek, who started 7th, glued to his back bumper. VanderBeek would look under Murty for the lead over the next 4 laps, before deciding to go to the top of the track coming off turn 4 on lap 8 to grab the top spot away. Murty then tried to slip under VanderBeek until the second and final caution appeared on lap 14 to slow the battle up front. Derrick Agee, who started 12th and was running 6th, slowed to a crawl in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart VanderBeek moved back out front, with teammate Cayden Carter, who started 8th, over taking Murty for the second spot. Carter would follow in VanderBeek's tracks over the final 4 laps, but wasn't able to mount any challenges as VanderBeek held on to pick up the win. Carter was 2nd, Murty was 3rd, Nathan Wood came from 11th to finish in 4th, with Mike Hughes coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Jake McBirnie and Brandon Dale drawing the front row. But it was fifth place starter Curtis Van Der Wal who used the bottom of the track to shoot out into the lead on lap 1 over Brett Lowry, who started 4th, and Dale. While Van Der Wal set a fast pace and was starting to pull away, Brayton Carter, who started 7th, was working his way up to challenge Lowry for the runner up spot. Without the help of a caution there was no catching Van Der Wal on this night, as he pulled away to claim the win. Lowry held on for 2nd, Carter was 3rd, McBirnie was 4th, with Jason McDaniel rounding out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Jimmy Gustin and Jacob Murray leading the field to the green flag. Murray would use his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Gustin and Tyler Groenendyk. He then started to pull away from the field until a red was displayed over the track on lap 6. Cole Ferguson went sideways into the turn 3 tires protecting the guardrail and was launched over the guardrail. The car never went upside down, as it landed back on all 4 wheels. Ferguson would climb from the car okay. On the restart Murray moved back out front, with Gustin working to hold back Carter VanDenBerg for the runner up spot. VanDenBerg would over take Gustin for second on lap 10 and then went to work on chasing down Murray for the lead. But with Murray having a straight-away lead, VanDenBerg was only able to close within a few car lengths when the final checkered flag waved. Murray would finish 1st, VanDenBerg was 2nd, Gustin was 3rd, Groenendyk was 4th, with Kyle Brown coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Osky: 28 Stock Cars, 20 Hobby Stocks, 15 SportMods, 13 Modifieds, and 9 Sport Compacts made up the 85 drivers signed in for FREE on this night......Nick VanHemert had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the Sport Compact feature......Dale Porter drove Dustin Griffiths back up car and started the Hobby Stock feature in 11th and finished 8th....Craig Brown passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 9th....Bobby Greene came from 16th to finish in 10th....Brad Stephens started 15th and finished 12th....Matt Smith came from 19th to finish in 13th....Jared Stephens, was suppose to start 5th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Brad Pinkerton started the Stock Car feature in 10th and finished in 8th....Doug Sylvester came from 15th to finish in 10th....Bob Lynch started 16th and finished 12th....Kris Walker came from 20th to finish in 13th....Rich Vogt passed 9 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 14th....Daniel Hilsabeck started 28th and passed 11 cars to finish in 17th....John Hunnell started 25th and finished 19th....Brock Welch came from 27th to finish in 22nd....Casey Greubel, Donnie Pearson and Michael Bilyeu all had troubles in there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Logan Anderson had troubles in his heat race that forced him to start the SportMod feature in 15th. He would pass 9 cars to bring home a 6th place finish....Matthew Vangelder came from 12th to finish in 9th....Trent Brink started 14th and finished 12th......Andrew Schroeder started the Modified feature in 11th and finished 9th....AJ Johnson continues to try and work the bugs out of his Modified. But wasn't able to get them figured out after his heat race, so he was forced to scratch from the feature.

Reed, Long, Lynch, Klingele, and Abbott Top Quincy Raceways Openers

Quincy, IL (Sunday, April 12, 2015) - Sunday night Quincy Raceways held there 2015 season opener, despite mother natures attempts to rain the night out. Showers all around the area early morning looked to put a damper on the event, but the track was spared when the showers split and went north and south of the place. As a result Justin Reed (UMP Late Models), Michael Long (UMP Modifieds), Jim Lynch (IMCA Stock Cars), Tanner Klingele (IMCA SportMods), and Kimberly Abbott (IMCA Sport Compacts) found there way into victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 18 lap IMCA SportMods, with Austin Howes and Nathan Bringer drawing the front row. Bringer would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Howes and Tony Dunker. The action up front was slowed on lap 8, when Jon Lear spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Bringer moved back out front, with Brandon Dale and Brandon Lennox, who started 10th, close behind. Just as Dale would take the top spot away from Bringer off turn 4 on lap 9, another caution appeared to give the lead back to Bringer. Debris in turn 2 would cause the yellow light to come on. On the restart Tanner Klingele, who started 14th, Lennox, Dale, and Bringer went 4 wide off turn 2 to battle for the lead. Bringer would come out of turn 2 as the leader of lap 9 and then held off the charges of Lennox until lap 12. Bringer would drift over the track in turn 4, which allowed lennox to slip by for the top spot. After the completion of lap 12 Gower would push off the bottom of the track in turn 4, which forced Howes, who was running 7th, into the front stretch wall and caused Cody Henderson and Bringer to spin to bring out the caution. On the restart Lennox moved back out front, with Klingele and Dunker battling for second. Two laps later, lap 14, Lear would spin in turn 4 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night. Lennox once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Klingele glued to his back bumper. Lennox, who was running the top of the track, and Klingele, who was running the bottom, ran the final 4 laps side-by-side. Coming out of turn 4 for the checkered flag both drivers would drag race to the finish, with Lennox edging out Klingele at the line to win by .011 seconds. But after post race inspection Lennox was found to have to short of a panarch bar according to IMCA rules and was disqualified, giving the win to Klingele. Dunker was moved to 2nd, Adam Birck started 9th and was moved to 3rd, Dale was moved to 4th, with Gower moving up to finish 5th.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Jim Lynch and William Dahl drawing the front row. Lynch would use his front row starting spot to jump out front on lap 1 over Beau Taylor, who started 5th, and Abe Huls. Just as Lynch started to pull away from the field the first caution brought the field back to his back bumper. Trevor Hagerbaumer would spin in turn 2 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. On the restart Lynch moved back out front, with Huls over taking Taylor for second. Huls then tried to work under Lynch over the next 5 laps, when he drifted over the track in turns 1 and 2 and fell all the way to 8th. This would allow Lynch to pull away and on his way to an easy win, that was until a caution on lap 17 that set up a 1 lap dash to the finish. Troy Brierton who spun in turn 1 brought out the caution. On the restart Lynch grabbed the lead and then held off Huls off of turn 4 to pick up the win. Huls settled for 2nd, Taylor was 3rd, Jerry Jansen came from 7th to finish in 4th, with Hagerbaumer recovering from his lap 7 spin to come back up to finish in 5th.

Denny Woodworth and Dustin Griffin led the field to the green flag in the 25 lap UMP Late Model feature, with Woodworth grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Griffin and Justin Reed, who started 5th. Woodworth used the bottom of the track to set a fast pace out front, until the first caution appeared on lap 5. John Ketterer would come to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Reed went to the top of the track to over take Woodworth for the top spot. Just like Woodworth, Reed set a fast pace out front and started to put some distance on the battle behind him. But a caution on lap 19 would bring the field back to his back bumper. This time rookie driver John Hauler spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Reed once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Mark Burgtorf over taking Woodworth for second. Burgtorf followed Reed in his his tracks, but wasn't able to make the pass over the final 6 laps as Reed held on to pick up the win. Burgtorf was 2nd, Woodworth was 3rd, Griffin was 4th, with Brian Diveley coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Shawn Deering and David Wietholder making up the front row. Deering would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Michael Long and Wietholder. Long used the bottom of the track to slip under Deering to grab the top spot away on lap 2, with NASCAR TV analyst Kenny Wallace, who started 6th, following him into second. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 10, when Spencer Havermale spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long moved back out front, with Wietholder over taking Wallace for second. Wallace would slip under Wietholder a few laps later and then went to work on Long for the lead. But Long was able to hold on to pick up the win. Wallace settled for 2nd, Rick Conoyer was 3rd, Wietholder held on for 4th, with Deering rounding out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Barry Taft and Brandon Lambert drawing the front row. Taft would use his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Lambert and Kimberly Abbott, who started 6th. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first and only caution of the race appeared, as Kyle Hamelton spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Abbott would over take Taft for the top spot, with Trent Orwig, who started 10th, battling Taft for second. Orwig would over take second from Taft on lap 5 and then went to work on Abbott for the lead. But Abbott was able to hold back all of Orwig's challenges to pick up the win. Orwig settled for 2nd, Seith Woodruff came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Taft was 4th, with Lambert finishing in 5th.

Notes from Quincy: Nathan Bringer recovered from his involvement on the lap 12 caution in the SportMod feature, to come back up to finish in 6th....Todd Reed started 13th and finished 8th......Jake Powers had troubles on the parade lap of the Stock Car feature and was pushed back to the pits to end his night early......Todd Frank started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished 6th....Terry Wilson started 11th and finished 8th....John Hauler, who started 13th, recovered from his spin on lap 19 to come back up to finish in 10th....Jamie Wilson, who was running 3rd after starting in 7th, pulled off under the lap 19 caution with troubles to end his night in 11th....Keith Pratt returned to the late Model class, after spending 2014 in a UMP Modified. He was running 7th when he pulled off with troubles under the lap 19 caution to end his night in 12th......Steven DeLonjay started the UMP Modified feature in 8th and finished 6th....Russ Coultas came from 10th to finish in 7th....Steven Grotz started 13th and finished 8th....Robbie Reed arrived to the track late and started the feature in 16th. He would pass 6 cars to finish in 10th....Shane Lewis came from 15th to finish in 11th......Mike Hornung Jr. had troubles on the parade lap of the Sport Compact feature and was forced to scratch from taking the green flag.

It Was a History Making Night at 34 Raceway

West Burlington, IA (Saturday, April 11, 2015) - Saturday night at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa would be a night of first for the National Sprint League (NSL). As 2015 is the inaugural season for the NSL, with 34 Raceway being the first event on the schedule.

Who would be the first driver to set quick time for the NSL? Who would be the first driver to win the first heat race? Who would be the first driver to win a B Main? Who would be the first driver to draw the pole for the A Main? And last but not least, who would be the first driver to win an A Main? All the answers to those questions were answered after the final checkered flag was waved at the end of the nights events.

The first event for the NSL drew 40 drivers from 13 states, including Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, Australia, South Dakota, California, North Dakota, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Indiana. Those 40 drivers would take to the 3/8 mile oval for time trials. Each driver was given 2 laps, with the quickest time used to determine where they would start in one of the four heat races. Danny Lasoski of Dover, Missouri end up quickest overall, with a time of 12.455.

Following time trials was the 4 heat races, with the top 5 out of those heat races earning a spot in the first NSL A Main. The heat races would be lined up with the top 24 in times inverted into the first three rows, with the remainder of the field lined up straight up by times starting in the fourh rows of the heat races.

Heat race number 1 went to Brooke Tatnell. He was followed by Jordan Goldesberry, Austin Johnson, Brian Brown and Davey Heskin. Sammy Swindell would pick up the win in heat race 2. He was followed by Lynton Jeffrey, Jake Blackhurst, Wayne Johnson, and Bill Balog. Heat race 3 went to Terry McCarl. He was followed by Kaley Gharst, Mark Dobmeier, Steve Kinser and Brad Loyet. Dusty Zomer would pick up the win in heat race 4. He was followed by A.J. Bruns, Ian Madsen, Danny Lasoski, and Bryan Clauson.

After the completion of the four heat races the top 8 drivers in passing points who qualified into the A Main, would redraw to determine where they would start in the first four rows of that A Main. Bryan Clauson would be the lucky driver to draw the pole, with Wayne Johnson drawing the outside front row starting spot. Now with the first 20 drivers set for the A Main, it was time to determine who would get the final four spots. The 16 car B Main was picked up by Tim Kaeding. He was followed across the line by Paul Nienhiser, Tasker Phillips and Josh Schneiderman.

With all the qualifying events ran it was time to go feature racing. The 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature was the first to take to the track, with Bobby Six and Austen Becerra drawing the front row for the event. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Bobby Anders and Travis Hartman spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Brandon Ruffcorn spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The third attempt of a start saw Becerra jump out front on lap 1 over Joey Gower and Matt Petrzelka. Just after the completion of lap 1 Bobby Anders would spin off turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Becerra moved back out front over Gower and Brett Timmerman, who started 5th. Becerra, who was working the top of the track, then worked to hold off Gower, who was using the bottom of the track, for the top spot over the next 11 laps. But disaster would strike Becerra on the completion of lap 11, when he got turned into the wall in turn 4 and collected fourth place runner Tony Dunker, who started 9th, to bring out the caution. Gower would inherit the lead on the restart and then held off Timmerman over the final 4 laps to pick up the win. Timmerman settled for 2nd, Sean Wyett came from 7th to finish in 3rd, Dakota Simmons started 11th and finished 4th, with Scott Boles coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 12 lap IMRA Midget feature, with Mitchell Davis and Robert Bell leading the field to the green flag. But it was third place starter Patrick Bruns who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Davis and Robert Ray, who started 6th. The action was slowed for only one time, as Johnny Murdock came to a stop off turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Bruns jumped back out front, with Davis and Ray battling for the runner up spot. Ray would over take Davis for second on lap 3 and then went to work on Bruns for the top spot. But Bruns was able to hold off Ray over the final laps to claim the win. Ray was 2nd, Davis was 3rd, Bell was 4th, with AJ Johnson, yes the same one who races an IMCA Modified in the area, in his first start in a Midget started 7th and finished 5th.

Bryan Clauson and Wayne Johnson led the field to the drop of the green flag in the NSL 25 lap feature, with Johnson taking advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Clauson and Terry McCarl. McCarl would use the top of the track off turn 4 to power around both Johnson and Clauson for the top spot. The action was slowed for the first of two cautions on lap 3, when Brooke Tatnell spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart McCarl moved back out front over Johnson and Clauson. McCarl then started to pull away from the field, even though he started entering lapped traffic by lap 10. Just when everyone thought there was no catching McCarl on this night, disaster would strike him on lap 17. While trying to lap by a car, McCarl would make contact and do a complete 360 spin in turn 2 and kept going. But he would fall back to 3rd behind new leader Johnson, who at the time was battling Clauson for the runner up spot. The final caution of the event would fly on lap 18, when Davey Heskin spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Johnson jumped out front, with Clauson and McCarl battling for the second spot. McCarl would over take Clauson for second on lap 21 and then went to work on Johnson for the top spot. But despite McCarl's last lap attempt Johnson was able to hold on to pick up the first NSL A Main win and the $3,000 top prize to go with it. McCarl settled for 2nd, Brad Loyet came from 9th to finish in 3rd, Clauson held on for 4th, with Tim Kaeding passing 10 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 12 lap 4 Cylinders, with Ryan Walker and Ron Kibbe drawing the front row for the event. Walker would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Michael Grossman and Kibbe. Walker then held on to the top spot until lap 3 when Grossman slipped by to grab the lead away. While Grossman started to pull away from the field, Walker and Kibbe had a battle going for second. With the help of no cautions there was no catching Grossman, as he pulled away to claim the win. Walker won the battle for 2nd, Kibbe was 3rd, Larry Miller was 4th, with Steven Struck rounding out the top 5.

Notes from 34: 40 NSL Sprints, 22 4 Cylinders, 13 SportMods, and 13 IMRA Midgets made up the 88 cars signed in on the history making night. Plus a great crowd of fans in the grandstands turned out to take part in the first ever NSL event.....Brandon Ruffcorn, who spun to bring out the second caution in the SportMod feature, worked his way back up to finish 6th....Tom Lathrop started 12th and finished 8th....Travis Hartman, who started 13th and was involved in the first caution, came from the rear to finish in 9th....Bobby Anders, who was also involved in the first caution, had worked his way back up to 6th before exiting the track on lap 11 with troubles to end his night in 12th......Dillon Morley and Aaron Schuck had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the Midget feature......Danny Lasoski started the NSL feature in 8th and finished 6th....Mark Dobmeier started 13th and finished 10th....Bill Balog came from 14th to finish in 11th....Dusty Zomer started 16th and finished 14th....Jake Blackhurst started 17th and finished 15th....Lynton Jeffrey came from 21st to finish 16th......Jeffrey DeLonjay started the 4 Cylinder feature in 10th and finished 7th....Kimberly Abbott came from 12th to finish in 9th....Cody Washburne started 16th and finished 12th....Levi Heath came from 19th to finish in 14th....Colton Keck passed 7 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to come home in 15th.

Six Scores First Career Feature Win at the Lee County Speedway

Donnellson, IA (Friday, April 10, 2015) - After taking a week off from racing, the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa returned to action with there season points opener. For the second event in a row mother nature tried to keep that from happening, as strong storms moved thru the area on Thursday night. But the track was spared by this storm, which allowed Tyler Groenendyk (IMCA Modifieds), John Oliver Jr. (IMCA Stock Cars), Bobby Six (IMCA SportMods), Dustin Griffiths (IMCA Hobby Stocks), and Josh Barnes (IMCA Sport Compacts) to find victory lane.

The first feature to track to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with John Whalen and Josh Barnes drawing the front row for the event. Barnes would take advantage of his front row start to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Kimberly Abbott and Whalen. While Barnes set a fast pace out front, Abbott was working to hold off Michael Grossman, who started 5th, for second. With Brandon Rue, who started 7th, Whalen, and Barry Taft battling two and even three wide for the fourth spot. Grossman would over take Abbott around the mid point of the race and then tried to track down Barnes for the top spot. But without a caution, Barnes was able to hold on to pick up the win. Grossman settled for 2nd, Abbott was 3rd, Reu was 4th, with Seith Woodruff coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 12 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Dustin Griffiths and Kevin Koontz leading the field to the green flag. Griffiths grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Mike Kincaid and Nick Ulin. With Griffiths out front, Kincaid worked to hold back Ulin for the second spot, that was until lap 5 when Ulin slipped under Kincaid off turn 4 to take over the runner up spot. Ulin then went to work on Griffiths for the lead. Ulin would look under Griffiths coming off the corners over the final 2 laps. But Griffiths was able to hold off Ulin to claim the win. Ulin was 2nd, Kincaid was 3rd, with Koontz in 4th.

Austin Howes and Bobby Six lead the field to the drop of the green flag in the IMCA SportMod feature. But just as the green flag was dropped the caution light would come on, as Groenendyk and Robert Gould spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Under the caution Howes would pull into the pits with troubles, which moved Austen Becerra to the pole for the restart. On the restart Becerra would grab the lead on lap 1 over Six and Kyle Hill. Becerra's lead out front only lasted 1 lap, as Six used the top of the track to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Becerra then tried to get under Six until he spun in turn 2 on lap 4 with a broken right front to bring out the caution. Six once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dan Keltner over taking Hill for the second spot. Joey Gower, who started 8th, made his move into second on lap 12, using the bottom of the track, and then went to work on Six for the lead. Gower was able to pull up beside Six over laps 14 and 15, but coming out of turn 4 on lap 16 Gower was held up by a lapped car which allowed Six to pull away. Six then held on to pick up his first career SportMod feature win. Gower settled for 2nd, Phillip Cossel was 3rd, Brandon Dale was 4th, with Keltner holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Jason See and John Oliver Jr. drawing the front row. Oliver Jr. would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over See and Corey Strothman. The battle up front was slowed on lap 5, when Ryan Fullenkamp, who was running 8th, spun in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Oliver Jr. jumped back out front, with Strothman and Nathan Wood, who started 6th, battling for the runner up spot. Wood went to the top of the track on lap 11 to over take Strothman for second and then went to work on Oliver Jr. for the lead. Wood was able to pull up along side Oliver Jr. coming off turn 4 on lap 13, with Oliver Jr. edging him at the line to keep the lead. Brad Egbert would come to a stop in turn 3 on lap 15 to bring out the caution and slow the action. Once again Oliver Jr. moved out front on the restart, with Strothman, Wood, and Jim Redmann, who started 14th, going three wide off turn 2 for the runner up spot. Strothman, who was running the bottom of the track, slipped under Oliver Jr. off turn 4 on the white flag lap to grab the lead by inches. But Oliver Jr. would use the momentum off the top of the track in turn 2 to grab the lead back, and then held on to claim his second win in a row at the track. Wood was 2nd, Redmann was 3rd, Strothman was 4th, with Jeremy Pundt coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 20 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Jerad Fuller and Brandon Banks leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But just as the green flag was dropped the caution light would come on, as Fuller got the jump on the field to bring out the yellow. On the restart third place starter Tyler Groenendyk slipped under Banks and Fuller to grab the lead on lap 1. Groenendyk then went to the top of the track, which allowed Banks to run the bottom, as the two raced side-by-side until lap 4. Brian Woodruff would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow, and slow the battle up front. On the restart Groenendyk jumped back out front, with Banks working to hold off Scott Hogan, who started 10th, for the runner up spot. Banks, who was using the bottom of the track, made one last move to try and get under Groenendyk on lap 7. But Groenendyk held on to the lead. Groenendyk then pulled away over the final 13 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Hogan was 2nd, Banks was 3rd, Brandon Rothzen came from 8th to 4th, with Carter VanDenBerg rounding out the top 5.

Notes from LCS: Trent Orwig started the Sport Compact feature in 8th and finished 6th....Matt Moore came from 15th to finish in 9th......Bobby Anders started the SportMod feature in 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th.....LeRoy Groenendyk, who started 15th and was involved in the first caution, came from the rear to finish in 7th....Robert Gould, who started 13th and was also involved in the first caution, came back up to finish in 8th....Nathan Bringer started 11th and finished 9th....Kyle Hill, who was running 2nd, pulled off with engine troubles on lap 11 to end his night in 10th....Travis Hartman had troubles in his heat raced that forced him to scratch from the feature......Ray Raker finished 7th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Doug Sylvester came from 13th to finish in 9th....Devon Timmerman returned to the seat of a race car after a 5 year absence. He would start the feature in 15th and brought home an 11th place finish....Jason See, who was running 5th, pulled off after the restart of the lap 15 caution with a right front flat to end his night in 13th......Jeff Waterman passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot in the Modified feature to come home in 7th....Steve Stewart started 11th and finished 9th....Blake Woodruff started 15th and finished 11th.

Sprint Invaders Opener Goes to Hull

West Burlington, IA (Saturday, April 4, 2015) - Another track in Southeast Iowa, 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA, opened their 2015 racing season on Saturday, April 4th. Also holding their season opener on the night was the Sprint Invaders. At the end of the night Jerrod Hull (Sprint Invaders), Scott Hogan (IMCA Modifieds), Mike Morrill (Mod Lites), and Austen Becerra (4 Cylinders) were standing in victory lane.

With thirty 360 Sprint cars signed in for the night they would be divided into 4 heat races, in which each driver drew a number to determine there starting spot in those heat races. The top 4 in each heat race moved on to the feature, with the top 2 going to the dash to determine the first four rows of that feature. The remainder of the finishers went to the B Main, where the top 4 out of that moved into the feature to set the 20 car field.

Heat race 1 went to Donnie Steward, with Paul Nienhiser coming from 8th to finish 2nd, Tony Shilling started 7th and finished 3rd, with Tim Moore holding on for 4th. Heat race 2 went to Harold Pohren, John Schulz driving Jimmy Davies #99 came from 6th to finish 2nd, Jon Agan, defending Sprint Invaders Champion, finished 3rd, with Wayne Johnson coming home 4th after coming from the rear for jumping the start twice. Heat race 3 went to Jamie Ball, with Joey Moughan 2nd, Ryan Jamison was 3rd, with Jordan Goldsberry, who was driving the 14P owned by Randy Plath, finishing 4th. The final heat race went to Jerrod Hull, with Josh Schneiderman in 2nd, Dustin Clark came from 6th to finish in 3rd, with Nate Van Haaften holding on for 4th.

Chris Martin cruised to an easy win in the B Main, with Andy Huston coming from 7th to finish in 2nd, Mike Philben came from 6th to finish in 3rd, with rookie Sprint car driver Justin Buchholz, who came out of the Mod Lite class, holding on for the final transfer spot. Jamie Ball grabbed the lead on the drop of the green in the dash and then cruised to the win. He then drew the number 1 invert to start the feature on the pole.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap Mod Lites, with Devon Rouse and Terry Brown drawing the front row. Rouse would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jimmy Halcomb and Brown. Mike Morrill, who started 7th, went to the high side of the track to take over the top spot on lap 2. While Morrill set a fast pace out front Randy Bryan, who started 5th but fell back to 7th on the start, was working his way towards the front. Bryan would move into second on lap 10, as Morrill started to enter lapped traffic. Coming to the white flag Bryan was able to cut Morrill's lead down to just a car lengths. But Morrill was able to hold on, in a caution free race, to claim the win. Bryan settled for 2nd, Halcomb was 3rd, Terry Brown was 4th, with Charlie Brown coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 25 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Carter VanDenBerg and Brandon Rothzen leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Ryan Cook and Phillip Beard spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Rothzen jumped out front to lead lap 1 over VanDenBerg and Mitch Morris. Rothzen would set the early pace, with VanDenBerg, Morris, Jeff Waterman, and Scott Hogan, who started 6th, battling for the runner up spot. Hogan was able to work himself into the runner up spot on lap 11, just as Rothzen started to enter heavy lapped traffic. This would allow Hogan to slip past Rothzen for the lead on lap 14 and then pulled away from there to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize. Rothzen held on for 2nd, Waterman was 3rd, Morris was 4th, with VanDenBerg coming home in 5th.

Jamie Ball and John Schulz lead the field to the green in the 25 lap Sprint Invader feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Nate Van Haaften and Andy Huston spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Schulz and Josh Schneiderman. Just as the lap was scored complete, Harold Pohren would spin in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Ball once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Schulz working to hold back Paul Nienhiser for the second spot. Nienhiser would find the fast way around the track early, by going to the bottom to slip past Ball on lap 4 to grab the top spot away. While Nienhiser worked his way through lapped traffic on lap 10, Jerrod Hull, who started 5th, was working his way towards the front. Hull would slip into the runner up spot on lap 15 and then went to work on cutting into Nienhiser's straight-away lead. Nienhiser's lead was wiped away on lap 18 when the caution flag was waved. Wayne Johnson, who started 14th and had worked his way to 4th, got his left rear tangled with the right front of Pohren's car, with Johnson pulling into the infield with rear end troubles. While Pohren's car came to a stop in turn 1 with a broken front end to bring out the yellow.

On the restart Hull went to the top side of the track off turn 2 and then shot to the bottom of the track in turn 3 to grab the lead away from Nienhiser on lap 19. The final caution of the race would appear on lap 20, as Joey Moughan and Schneiderman battled side-by-side off 4 for the 5th spot. With Moughan getting into the outside wall down the front stretch and coming to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Hull once again grabbed the lead on the restart and then pulled away to claim the win and the $1,500 top prize. Nienhiser held on for 2nd, Donnie Steward came from 8th to finish in 3rd, Schulz was 4th, with Jon Agan coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap 4 Cylinders, with Brandon Setser and Austen Becerra drawing the front row. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Kenny Smith, Ron Kibbe, and 93k collided in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart a tire was clipped in turn 2 and pushed onto the track to bring the yellow back out. The third attempt of a start saw Becerra edge out Setser at the line to lead lap 1. After the completion of lap 2 the red flag was waved, as Billy Stafford, who started 8th and was going for 4th, rolled off turn 2 to bring out the red. He climbed from the car okay. Becerra moved back out front on the restart, with Setser, Jerrod Nichols, and Kimberly Abbott, who started 10th, all battling for the runner up spot. Becerra, would start off 2015 where he finished in 2014, as he pulled away to pick up the win in one of Abbott's cars. Setser held on for 2nd, Nichols held off Abbott on the final 2 laps to claim 3rd, Abbott was 4th, with Steven Struck finishing 5th.

Notes from 34: 30 Sprints, 23 Modifieds, 19 4 Cylinders, and 14 Mod Lites made up the 86 cars signed in for the night......Gary Snyder started the Mod Lite feature in 10th and finished in 8th....F8 started 13th and finished in 10th....Joel Huggins had troubles in his heat race and was forced to start 14th in the feature. In the first 4 laps he was able to climb his way to 10th, before more troubles forced him to the pits on lap 5 to end his night in 14th......Tyler Glass started the Modified feature in 9th and finished 7th....Dugan Thye started 10th and finished 8th....Ray Cox Jr. started 11th and finished 9th....Tony VonDresky came from 14th to finish in 10th....Blake Woodruff started 16th and finished 11th....Ryan Cook recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish 12th....Larry McConnell passed 10 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 13th....Brian Woodruff started 19th and finished 14th....Chadwick Giberson passed 6 cars from his 21st starting spot to finish in 15th....Mike Fluegel was suppose to start in 12th, but elected to go to the rear for the start. He would make 1 lap before pulling it into the pits....Dakota Hayden, who was suppose to start 13th, had troubles on the parade lap that forced him to the pits before the green flag was waved......Tony Shilling started the Sprint feature in 9th and finished 7th....Chris Martin, who won the B Main, started 17th and passed 9 cars to come home in 8th....Ryan Jamison started 11th and finished 9th....Dustin Clark started 12th and finished 10th....Jordan Goldsberry came from 15th to finish in 11th....Nate Van Haaften recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 13th....Andy Huston also recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 14th....Justin Buchholz started 20th and finished 15th....Nick Guernsey had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Ron Kibbe started the 4 Cylinder feature in 16th. He would pit to change on tire under the caution on the start and again under the red flag on lap 2. Kibbe then recovered from those flat tires to come back up to finish in 7th....Larry Miller started 13th and finished 9th....Shawn Baker came from 14th to finish in 9th....Bryerson Tharp started 13th and finished 10th....The 66, who was suppose to start 4th, had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....66J also had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Daytona Fenton and Jeffrey DeLonjay both had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch for the night.