Sunday, May 31, 2015

Cordes, Luloff, and Irvine Top Thrilling Feature Wins at Independence

Independence, IA (Saturday, May 30, 2015) - Somebody needs to tell mother nature that the calendar is May and almost June, not late September. With the rain and light drizzle canceling most tracks in Southeast Iowa and West Central Illinois, I decided to make the trip North to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, Iowa. Most of my trip I drove through light rain and drizzle, but just past Cedar Rapids I ran out of the light precipitation.When I arrived at the track, I found the pit area was packed with 126 cars ready for action.

The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jesse Brown and Scooter Dulin leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as Roger Ciesielski spun in turn 4 and collected Scott Pippert and Cliff Gray to bring out the yellow. On the restart Russell Damme Jr. got sideways in turn 4 and collected Austin Evens, Lynn Panos, and Norman Chesmore to bring the yellow light back on. A third attempt of a start brought out another caution, as debris in turn 1 slowed the action. The following restart saw Brown take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chris Luloff and Dulin. Brown then had to work to hold off Luloff, who looked under him over the next 7 laps when a caution came out to slow the action. Debris in turn 1 would once again bring the yellow light on. On the restart debris down the backstretch would bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Jason Hocken spin off turn 2 from contact from Phil Holtz to bring out the yellow. On the next restart Brown jumped back out front, with Luloff and Jarod Weepie, who started 10th, close behind. Coming off turn 2 on lap 8, Luloff was able to final slip under Brown to take over the top spot on lap 9. Luloff looked like he would pull away from the field until he encountered lapped traffic on lap 12, which allowed Brown to close in coming to the white flag. Despite a last lap challenge from Brown, Luloff was able to hold on to pick up the win. Brown settled for 2nd, Weepie was 3rd, Tom Schmitt started 12th and finished 4th, with Hocken, who started 16th, recovering from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Matt McCahen and Dalton Clendenen making up the front row. But when Clendenen spun in turn 4 on the start to bring out the caution, this would move Lucas Lundry to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Lundry went over the track in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw McCahen jump out into the lead over Kevin Hurst and Kyle Bentley. Just after the completion of lap 1, Chris Lewis would spin in turn 4 and collect Clendenen to bring out the yellow. On the restart McCahen moved back out front, with Hurst and Bentley close behind. The action up front was slowed on lap 6, when Steve Wimer spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Tony Olson, who started 10th, went to the top of the track to grab the top spot away on the restart. Olson then started to pull away from the field, until the final caution appeared on lap 10. Wimer once again spun in turn 4 to bring out his second caution to end his night. Once again Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hurst over taking McCahen for second. Olson would pull away from the field over the final 5 laps to claim the win. Hurst was 2nd, Alex Zwanziger started 18th and finished 3rd, Kip Siems finished 4th after starting in 7th, with McCahen holding on for 5th.

Randy Byerly and Andrew Torkelson led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. But Torkelson would spin down the backstretch on the start to bring out the caution. This would move Rod Grother to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Jeremiah Wilson, who started 6th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over Grother and Byerly. Wilson then had to work to hold off Grother, until debris in turn 3 on lap 3 slowed the action. Once again Wilson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Grother and Vince Buchholz, who started 8th, close behind. Wilson again had to work to hold off Grother over the next 8 laps, when another caution on lap 11 slowed the action. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the caution light. On the restart Wilson jumped back out front, with Grother working to hold back Benji Irvine, who started 9th, for second. The battle for the lead was slowed for the final time on lap 13 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. This time Mike Wilson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Wilson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Irvine slipping under Grother to grab the second spot. Coming to the white flag Irvine decided to go to the top of the track going into turn 1. He would use the momentum off turn 2 to edge out Wilson for the lead down the backstretch. Wilson tried to get back under Irvine coming off turn 4, but Irvine would hold on to pick up the win. Wilson settled for 2nd, Buchholz was 3rd, Grother was 4th, with Shawn Kuennen rounding out the top 5.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Josh Barta and Tony Snyder leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Snyder would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Barta and Ed Thomas. Snyder then started to put some distance on the field, until the first caution appeared on lap 5. Austin Bishop would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Vern Jackson slipped under Snyder to edge him out at the line by inches to grab the lead. But Snyder wouldn't give up, as he battled back on the outside to take the top spot back on lap 8. Just after the completion of lap 8 the caution would come out to slow the battle up front. Josh Sherbon would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Snyder jumped back out front on the restart, with Jackson and Ronn Lauritzen, who started 9th, close behind. While the top three cars battled for the lead, Troy Cordes, who started 11th, was working his way towards the front. By lap 15 Cordes had worked his way to fourth and was glued to Lauritzen's back bumper. On lap 17 Cordes made it three wide off turn 2, Synder up top, Cordes in the middle and Jackson down low, with Cordes coming out in second behind Snyder. Then coming to the white flag Cordes would slip under Snyder coming off turn 4 to edge him out at the line by inches. Cordes then held Snyder off on the final lap to claim the win. Snyder settled for 2nd, Lauritzen was 3rd, Jackson was 4th, with Brennen Chipp coming home in 5th.

Bobby Hansen and Ben Seemann led the field to the green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature. But it was third place starter Rick Wendling who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Hansen and Seemann. While Wendling set a fast pace out front, Tyler Bruening, who started 6th, and Tyler Droste, who started 7th, were working their way towards the front. Bruening was able to slip into second on lap 10, but by then Wendling had built up a straight-away lead. Without a caution there was no catching Wendling on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Bruening was 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Sean Johnson was 4th, with Curt Martin coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Cole McNeal and Matt Post on the front row. But it was Don Erger, who started 5th, who quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over McNeal and Post. Erger then started to pull away, until the first caution appeared on lap 3. Cole Suchow would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Erger moved back out front, but now had Brody Willett, who started 8th, glued to his back bumper. Willett would use the middle of the track to slip past Erger on lap 5 to take over the top spot. Willett then started to pull away, until another caution appeared on lap 8. This time AJ Whitten stopped down the backstretch with rear end troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart McNeal stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Willett move back out front over Erger and Jeff Davis, who started 10th. Willett then pulled away over the final 4 laps to claim the win. Erger held on for 2nd, Davis was 3rd, Post was 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing 5th after starting in 9th.

Notes from Indy: 25 Hobby Stocks, 22 Stock Cars, 22 SportMods, 21 Late Models, 21 Modifieds, and 15 Micro Mods made up the 126 cars signed in on the night......Norman Chesmore, who started 13th, Recovered from the crash on the start to come back up to finish 6th in the Stock Car feature....Phil Holtz, who started 14th, recovered from his involvement in the spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish 7th....Brian Mahlstedt passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish 8th....Roger Ciesielski, who spun on the start and had worked his way back up to 5th by lap 7, went over the track in 1 & 2 on lap 8 and fell back to 11th. He would only recover from there to finish in 9th....Cliff Gray, who started 15th, recovered from the crash on lap 1 to come back up to finish 10th....Kevin Rose, who was running 5th on lap 12, pulled off with a right rear flat to end his night in 11th....Matt Brown started 19th and finished 14th....Rick Milks, Mike Galli, and Cody Freriech all had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Jim Buhlman started the SportMod feature in 16th and passed 8 cars to finish in 8th....Kyle Olson started 13th and finished 9th....Sean Vogt started 17th and finished 10th....Scott Williams started 14th and finished 11th....Kevin Robinson passed 8 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish 13th....Steve Wimer started 19th and finished 14th....Chris Lewis recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 15th....JJ Anderson made the pull down from DePere, Wisconsin. He would start the feature in 12th and had worked his way up to 6th by lap 7. But a right front flat on lap 8 would end his night in 16th....Jenae Gustin started 8th and was running 5th, when motor troubles on lap 5 ended her night in 17th....Colby Heishman had troubles in the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Jerome Wilson started the Hobby Stock feature in 10th and finished 6th....Justin Wacha started 12th and finished 7th....Jim Ball started 15th and finished 11th....Shawn Randall passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to come home in 12th....Tyler Ollendieck started 18th and finished 15th....Kyle Dulin started 20th and finished 16th....Mike Wilson, started 25th, recovered from his spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish 17th....Daniel Wauters finished 18th after starting in 24th....Marcus Wayne was running 8th, when he pulled off on lap 5 with motor troubles to end his night in 21st....Nathan Forey had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......JD Auringer started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 6th....Scott Hogan started 10th and finished 7th....Darin Duffy finished 8th after starting in 14th....Patrick Flannagan passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 11th....Josh Sherbon,who started 16th, recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 14th....Ryan Maitland started 19th and finished 15th......Darren Ackerman started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished 6th....Chris Snyder finished 11th after starting in 17th....Rory Metcalf started 18th and finished 13th....Brunson Behning, who started 19th and had worked his way up to 8th by lap 20, suffered troubles on lap 23 that forced him to exit the track with a 15th place finish......Buster Pate started the Micro Mod feature in 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Robby Decker started 11th and finished 7th....Cole Suchow, who started 15th, recovered from his spin on lap 3 to come back up to finish 9th....Brandon Maitland, who started 7th and was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 8 with motor troubles to end his night in 12th.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Burgtorf Pulls Off "Scottie 41" Win at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, May 17, 2015) - After rains that moved through Quincy, Illinois on Friday and Saturday racing on Sunday night at the Quincy Raceways was very much in doubt. The track crew arrived early Sunday morning to find a very wet grounds. But they didn't throw in the towel right away, even pushing back the start time by 1 hour in hopes of getting the place dried out. There persistence paid off with some very good racing.

The 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature was the first to take to the track, with Todd Reed and Jon Lear making up the front row. But it was third place starter Adam Birck who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Reed and Nathan Bringer. While Birck led the field, Tanner Klingele, who started 5th, moved into second on lap 4 and then set his sights on Birck for the lead. Two laps later, lap 6, Klingele would slipped under Birck coming off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 7. By lap 10 Klingele would enter some lapped traffic, which allowed Birck to close back in on Klingele's back bumper. Coming to complete lap 14, Birck would choose the bottom of the track to get around the lapped cars, while Klingele went to the top. Kilngele was held up long enough to give the lead back to Birck. But Klingele wouldn't give up, as he used the momentum off the top of the track in turn 4 on lap 16 to grab the top spot back. Klingele then held off Birck over the final 2 laps of a caution free race to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Birck settled for 2nd, Bringer was 3rd, Joey Gower started 8th and finished 4th, with Tony Dunker finishing 5th after starting in 9th.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Michael Larsen and Taylor Lear leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Just as the green flag waved the caution would come out, as Lear and Trevor Hagerbaumer got together in turn 3. The result was Hagerbaumer spinning in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Lear would have front end damaged that sent him to the hot pits, which moved Troy Brierton up to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Larsen jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Brierton and Jake Powers. While Larsen, who was on the bottom, and Brierton, who was up top, raced side-by-side for the top spot Abe Huls, who started 10th, and Jim Lynch, who started 9th, moved in to make it a 4 car battle on lap 10. The action up front was slowed on lap 13, when debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Powers spun down the front stretch to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Larsen move back out front over Brierton and Huls. Coming to complete lap 14 Huls looked under Larsen in turn 4 and got sideways, which caused Lynch to spin to avoid hitting Huls to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jerry Jansen spun in turn 3 and collected Powers to bring the caution light back on. Larsen once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Huls glued to his back bumper. Huls would look under Larsen over the final 4 laps. But Larsen was able to hold him off at the line to claim is first win of the season, after moving back to the Stock Car class after  running a Late Model in 2014. Huls settled for 2nd, Beau Taylor started 6th and finished 3rd, Jeremy Buss finished 4th after starting in 7th, with Lynch recovering from his spin on lap 14 to come back up to 5th.

Clint Kirkham was suppose to start the UMP Late Model "Scottie 41" from the pole, but elected the rear after suffering mechanical troubles in the heat. This would move Brian Diveley to the pole next to Daryn Klein. Klein would take advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Diveley and Mark Burgtorf. Klein, with Burgtorf in toe, started to pull away from the field. The two would enter lapped traffic by lap 6, which allowed Burtgorf to challenge Klein for the lead. Once clear of traffic, Klein put a little distance on Burgtorf. That was until lap 10, when he entered more lapped traffic. Again Burgtorf closed in on Klein. Coming off turn 4 on lap 16 Burgtorf was able to get under Klein, who drifted up into the wall down the front stretch. The contact with the wall ripped the right rear spoiler off Klein's car, which came to rest just past the flag stand to cause the one and only caution to appear. On the restart Klein moved back out front, with Burgtorf and Diveley close behind. Klein and Burgtorf once again started to pull away from the field. Klein worked the top of the track for the entire race, which forced Burgtorf to have to look under him for the lead over the next 16 laps. The two would enter lapped traffic on lap 27, which Klein cleared faster then Burgtorf to put a few cars lengths between the two. By lap 34 Burgtorf pulled back to Klein's back bumper. Then coming off turn 4 on lap 35 Klein bobbled a little, which allowed Burgtorf to scoot by for the top spot. Klein stayed glued to Burgtorf's back bumper over the final 6 laps. But Burgtorf would make no mistakes over those final laps to claim the "Scottie 41" and the $2,000 top prize to go with it. Klein settled for 2nd, Diveley was 3rd, Jim Moon passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Jamie Wilson coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Since the program got started late and I had to be up real early Monday morning for work, I had to depart after the Late Model feature. But I see that Michael Long, who started on the pole of the 25 lap UMP Modified feature went flag-to-flag to pick up his fourth win in four starts at the track this year. David Wietholder crossed the line in 2nd, Steven DeLonjay was 3rd, Robbie Reed was 4th, with Brandon Roberts completing the top 5.

Then I read that Michael Grossman, who started the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature in 9th, quickly moved to the front to over take Brandon Lambert for the lead on lap 4. Grossman then pulled away to claim his first win of the season at the track, and broke Kimberly Abbot's three race winning streak. Abbott started 8th and finished 2nd, Lambert was 3rd, Jeffrey DeLonjay was 4th, with Trent Orwig holding on for 5th with rear end damage.

Notes from Quincy: Austin Howes started the SportMod feature in 11th and finished 9th....Nathan Hayes finished 10th after starting in 13th....Darin Munzlinger started 14th and finished 12th....Jared Wiemelt finished 13th after starting in 16th......Jake Powers recovered from his spin on lap 13 and the crash on lap 14 to come back up to finish 7th in the Stock Car feature....Trevor Hagerbaumer recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 8th......Chuck Mitchell started the Late Model feature in 13th and finished 8th....Greg Kimmons passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Trace Westling started 15th and finished 10th....Justin Reed, who broke a transmission in hot laps and missed time trials, spun in his heat race and then pulled off. He the started the feature in 21st and had worked his way to 5th by lap 21. But on lap 31 he would pull off the track with more troubles to end his night in 12th....Alan Westling started 19th and was credited with a 14th place finish....Ron Elbe, was suppose to start 11th, but elected to start from the rear. He would only make a few laps before pulling out and credited with 19th....Matt Santel was suppose to start 6th, but mechanical troubles after his heat forced him to scratch from the feature....Vance Wilson also scratched from the feature with troubles after his heat race......Shawn Deering started the Modified feature in 10th and finished 6th....Russ Coultas finished 8th after starting in 11th......Anthony Grossman started the Sport Compact feature in 12th and finished 9th.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Ryan, VonDresky, and Olson Go Back-to-Back at Davenport

Davenport, IA (Friday, May 16, 2015) - After heavy rains moved out of the south and canceled the events at the track I work at every Friday night, I decided to climb in the car and make the trip north to the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA. So far in 2015 mother nature seems to be the winner on the weekends, as this was only the second points night of the year at the track. At the end of the night there would be 3 repeat winners and 2 first time winners of the season standing in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Street Stocks, with Kevin Dickey and Keith Blum leading the field to the green flag. Blum would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dickey and Randy Lamar. The first caution of the event would appear on lap 2, when Erick Turner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Blum jumped back out front over Dickey and Perry Gellerstedt, who started 7th. But just after the completion of lap 3, Lamar who was running 4th slowed in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Once again Blum grabbed the lead on the restart, while Gellerstedt over took Dickey for the runner up spot. Around the midway part of the race Gellerstedt would look under Blum off turn 2 for the lead, with Blum holding him off each lap. But going into turn 3 on the final lap Gellerstedt tried to use the high side to get around Blum for the win. The two would come off turn 4 side-by-side, with Blum edging out Gellerstedt by half a car length to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Gellerstedt settled for 2nd, Dickey held on for 3rd, Cord Williams was 4th, with Rob Henry passing 6 cars from his 11th place starting spot to come home in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Jake Morris and David Norton making up the front row for the event. Morris used his front row staring spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Dalton Simonson and Dustin Crear. Crear's run up front came to an end on lap 3, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. While running under caution something in the left rear of Morris' car broke, which sent him to the pits for repairs. On the restart Mike McGarry spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Simonson grab the lead over Joe Grant and Tony Olson, who quickly moved up from his 11th place starting spot. Two laps later, lap 5, Brandon Jewell stopped down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Kyle Eller stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Morris get into the wall off turn 4 to bring the caution back out. A third attempt of a restart saw Olson jump to the top of the track to grab the lead over Simonson and Bryce Garnhart, who started 10th. Just as Olson started to pull away from the field, the final caution appeared on lap 10 to bring the field back to his back bumper. This time Jade Davis spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow, at the same time McGarry wowed the crowd with his two wheel action in turn 4. Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Garnhart and Henry Carson close behind. There was no stopping Olson on this night, as he pulled away over the final 5 laps to claim his second win in a row at the track. Garnhart was 2nd, Simonson was 3rd, Phil Anderson was 4th, with Carson rounding out the top 5.

Josh Riley and Brandon Setser led the field to the green in the 12 lap 4 Stock feature, with Riley grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Luke Benischek and Setser. While Riley set the pace out front, Zach Dahl, who started 6th, was working his way towards the front. Dahl would look under Riley on lap 10, only to have Riley hold him off. But coming to the white flag Dahl final slipped under Riley and then held on over the final lap to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Riley settled for 2nd, Luke Benischek was 3rd, Jake Benischek was 4th, with Setser coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Hunter Wilson and Kyle Montgomery making up the front row. Chris Lawrence, who started 5th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over Bruce Fosdyck Sr. and Wilson. Lawrence then started to put some distance between himself and the battle behind him, when the first caution appeared on lap 4. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the yellow. On the restart Doug Crampton, who started 7th, went to the top side to take the top spot away from Lawrence. But going down the backstretch on lap 5 Crampton lost a drive shaft and came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Debris down the front stretch on the restart would bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Lawrence jump back out front, but now had Tony VonDresky, who started 17th, glued to his back bumper. VonDresky would try the top of the track on laps 7 - 9, only to have Lawrence hold him off each lap. That was until lap 10, when VonDresky made the pass to take over the top spot. From there VonDresky would pull away to claim his second win in a row at the track. Lawrence settled for 2nd, Bruce Hanford passed 11 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Kelly Meyer started 10th and finished 4th, with Greg Durbin passing 17 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to round out the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Joe Zrostlik and Jay Chenoweth drawing the front row. Zrostlik would take advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Zemo Jr. and Chenoweth. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, as debris down the backstretch brought out the yellow. On the restart Zrostlik moved back out front over Brunson Behning, who started 5th, and Sam Halstead, who started 7th. By lap 8 Todd Malmstrom, who started 13th, and Matt Ryan, who started 10th, moved up to challenge Zrostlik and Behning for the top spot. Ryan would use the bottom and top of the track to clear the top 3 cars to take over the top spot on lap 14. Ryan then pulled away over the final 11 laps to cruise to his second win in a row at the track. Behning was 2nd, Malmstrom was 3rd, Zrostlik held on for 4th, with Halstead coming home in 5th.

Notes from Davenport: 36 Modifieds, 23 SportMods, 21 Late Models, 20 Street Stocks and 12 4 Stocks made up the 112 cars signed in on the night......Donnie Louck started the Street Stock feature in 8th and finished 6th....Dwayne Smith Jr. came from 12th to finish in 7th....Nick Claussen started 13th and finished 8th....Erick Turner recovered from the caution on lap 2 to come back up to finish 11th....Tom Riggs started 15th and finished 13th....Rick Schriner started 19th and finished 14th....Jeremy Gustaf had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Randy Farrell passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot in the SportMod feature to come home in 7th....Andre LaPorte passed 12 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Kyle Eller, who started 22nd, recovered from his caution on lap 5 to come back up to finish 11th....Gary Rentfro started 15th and finished 12th....Jade Davis, who started 19th, recovered from his spin in turn 4 on lap 10 to come back up to finish 13th....Rance Powell started 16th and finished 14th....Emily Gade had troubles after her heat race that forced her to scratch from the feature....Jared Miller had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from both the heat and feature......Cody Neltner started the 4 Stock feature in 9th and finished 7th....Richard Dearborn started 11th and finished 8th......Brian Bushong passed 16 cars from his 23rd place starting spot in the Modified feature to come up to finish 7th....Ray Cox Jr. started 13th and finished 8th....Dave Hammond thought his night was over after finishing 7th in B Main number 2. But when a car scratched from the feature Hammond was awarded the 24th place starting spot. He then passed 15 cars to come home in 9th....Dakota Hayden started 21st and passed 11 cars to finish in 10th....Terry Rentfro started 20th and finished 13th....Milo Veloz Jr., who started 18th and was running 6th, pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 16th....Jake Bowman, who started 9th and was running 4th, broke something on the right front on lap 5 to end his night in 19th....Bob Dominacki was suppose to start 12th, but troubles after the heat forced him to scratch from the feature....Scott Powell, Dusty Kraklio, Brian Webb, Casey Schram, Shelby Walsh, George Spence III, Crag Crawford, Paul Howard, Rich Smith, and Tim Arp were the drivers who didn't make it out of the B Mains......Andy Nezworski had to pit under the lap 4 caution in the Late Model feature for a flat tire. He would restart 16th and then climbed his way back up to finish 6th....Rick Wages started 11th and finished 8th....Stephan Kammerer, who was running 7th, broke a wheel on the final lap to be credited with 9th....Eric Sanders started 12th and finished 10th....Marty Scheckel started 15th and finished 11th....Both Ray Guss Jr. and Ryan Claeys had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch from the heat and feature.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Ball Score First Career Sprint Invaders Win at Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, May 6, 2015) - With the weather forecast for the weekend looking bleak, I figured I would take in the racing action on Wednesday night at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. All five weekly classes were in action on the night, along with the Spring Invaders.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, and despite only 5 cars signed in on the night the battle up front for all 10 laps was hotly contested. Curt Myers and John Whalen started on the front row, with Whalen grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Trent Orwig and Bill Whalen Jr. Bill Whalen Jr. and Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 5th, moved around Orwig for the runner up spot on lap 5 and then 1 lap later they made it a three car battle for the lead. John Whalen held the top spot coming to the white flag, as Fullenkamp slipped under Bill Whalen Jr. for second. Fullenkamp made one last attempt to slip under John Whalen coming off turn 4. But John Whalen held on to pick up the win. Fullenkamp then had to hold off Bill Whalen Jr. for the battle for 2nd, Orwig was 4th, with Myers coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Daniel Gordon and Donnie Pearson leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Pearson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brad Pinkerton and Zack VanderBeek, who started 6th. Pearson set the pace out front, as the top 10 cars raced single file around the top side of the 1/2 mile track. Around the midway point of the race VanderBeek would look under Pinkerton for the runner up spot and then went to work on Pearson for the lead. Using the bottom of the track going into turn 1 VanderBeek would slip up in front of Pearson off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 11. While VanderBeek started to pull away from the field the battle was going on behind between Pinkerton, Pearson, Gordon, Mike Hughes, who started 9th, Todd Reitzler, who started 7th, and Cayden Carter, who started 8th. Without a caution to catch VanderBeek, he would cruise to an easy win. Pinkerton won the battle for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Carter rounding out the top 5.

Jarrod Schneiderman was suppose to start the 20 lap Sprint Invaders feature on the pole. But when he chose to go to the back, this would move Harold Pohren to the pole next to Tony Shilling. Shilling jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Pohren and Jamie Ball, and then set a fast pace out front. On lap 6 Shilling would come up on lapped traffic, which allowed Ball to close in quickly. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 7 Ball and Shilling made contact, with Shilling getting sideways and falling back to 5th. While Ball grabbed the top spot over Nate Van Haaften, who started 7th, and Terry McCarl, who started 9th. Ball continued to lead, while Russ Hall, who started 12th, and Jon Agan, who started 16th, were making their way towards the front. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 13, when Donnie Steward came to a stop in the middle of the backstretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball moved back out front, with Van Haaften looking under him in the corners to try and grab the lead away. This would go on until the final caution appeared on lap 15

Russ Hall and Jon Agan were battling for the fifth spot when the two got tangled together going into turn 1 and came to rest up against the wall to bring out the yellow. Then while sitting there, Dakota Hendrickson couldn't slow his machine down and slid into both cars. Ball once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Van Haaften and McCarl close behind. Over the final 5 laps Ball would make no mistakes and held on to claim his first career Sprint Invaders win and the $1,500 top prize to go with it. Van Haaften settled for 2nd, McCarl was 3rd, Joe Beaver was 4th, with Shilling holding on for 5th.

Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Trent Brink and Jason McDaniel on the front row. McDaniel used his front row starting spot to grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Brink and Braydon Carter, who started 8th. With McDaniel setting a fast pace out front the battle for second was heating up, as Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 10th, was working on Carter for that spot. Van Der Wal was able to clear Carter for the runner up spot on lap 6, but by then McDaniel had built up a full straight-away lead. Without a caution there was no catching McDaniel who cruised to the win. Van Der Wal was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Brink held on for 4th, with Brett Lowry coming from 9th to finish in 5th.

Jared Stephens and Aaron Martin made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Martin would use his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Bobby Greene and Mike Kincaid. Martin then held the top spot until lap 3, when Greene was able to slip under him for the lead. While Martin and Greene battled for the lead, Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th, quickly moved up towards the front using the middle of the speedway. On lap 5 Griffiths was able to slip under Greene to grab the top spot away. Just like the other three weekly class features, the Hobby Stock feature went caution free. So there was no catching Griffiths on this night, as he pulled away to an easy win. Greene settled for 2nd, Danny Thrasher moved up from 8th to finish in 3rd, Martin held on for 4th, with Dale Porter, driving Griffiths back up car, passing 9 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Dickey would grab the lead on lap 1 over Tyler Groenendyk and Cayden Carter. Dickey used the top of the speedway to start to pull away from Groenendyk and Carter, until late in the race. Groenendyk was able to pull up to Dickey's back bumper on lap 14, and then looked under him on laps 15 and 16. But Dickey would hold off all his challenges to go on to pick up the win in a caution free race. Groenenedyk was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg started 7th and finished 4th, with Andrew Schroeder rounding out the top 5.

Notes from Osky: 25 360 Sprint Cars signed in on the night....Ryan Jamison was leading heat race 2, when late in the race he lost the engine that forced him to scratch for the remainder of the night....John Greenwood, Rob Weuve, Alan Zoutte, and Dave Getchell joined Jamison in watching the feature from the trailer......Derrick Agee started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 8th....Jerry Pilcher finished 11th after starting in 14th....Mike Brown started 18th and finished 15th....Shane Paris, who started 12th, was running 10th before pulling off on lap 15 with over heating troubles to end his night in 16th....Carl Yaw and Bill Fox both had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch for the night......Chris Martin started the Sprint feature in 10th and finished 6th....John Schulz, driving Jimmy Davies #99 Sprinter, passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Josh Schneiderman started 11th and finished 8th....Mike Philben passed 5 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Tim Moore passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in 12th......Derek Hodges started the Hobby Stock feature in 12th and finished 7th....Travis Bunnell started 11th and finished 8th....Steve Allen passed 6 cars from his 16th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Jared Stephens and Mike Kincaid, who were battling for 6th, came to rest in the turn 4 guardrail on the final lap to end there nights in 13th and 14th......Barndon Banks, who was running 4th in the Modified feature, pulled off on lap 3 to end his night in 9th......All five weekly classes that race at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday nights saw there feature races go caution free. That is 77 (Sport Compacts 10, Stock Car 18, SportMod 16, Hobby Stock 15, and Modifieds 18) laps of feature racing!!!