Hunter and Irvine Claim First Wins at Independence Motor Speedway

Independence, IA (Saturday, June 27, 2015) - We'll since the track I work at on Saturday nights was off this week, I decided to make the trip north to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, Iowa. This would be my second visit of the 2015 season at the track. At the end of the night there would be two first time winners and four repeat winners standing in victory lane.

The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA SportMods, with Matt McCahen and Jake Salisbury leading the field to the green. McCahen would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Salisbury and Brian Hilbert. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 3. John Schaefer, Steve Wimer, John Bates and Dawn Krall all spun in turn 3 to bring out the caution. On the restart McCahen moved back out front, with Tony Olson, who started 8th, and Hilbert slipping past Salisbury for second and third. McCahen, who was working the middle part of the track, then had to work to hold off Olson, who was running the bottom, over the next 4 laps. But coming off turn 2 on lap 5, Olson was able to slip under McCahen to take over the top spot on lap 6. Olson then started to pull away from the field until he entered lapped traffic on lap 10, which allowed Lucas Lundry to close. Despite heavy lapped traffic, Olson was able to hold off Lundry over the final 5 laps to claim his third win of the season at the track. Lundry settled for 2nd, McCahen was 3rd, Kip Siems started 8th and finished 4th, with Hilbert coming home in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Dru Kueger and Neal Miller making up the front row. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Miller got sideways in turn 4 and collected Brett Vanous and Billy Rhodes to bring out the yellow. On the restart Randy Byerly took advantage of being moved to the outside of the front row to grab the lead on lap 1 over Justin Lichty, who started 6th, and Kueger. The action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 2, as debris in turn 4 brought out the caution. Byerly jumped back out front on the restart, with Lichty and Justin Wacha, who started 8th, close behind. Lichty would slip under Byerly coming off turn 2 on lap 3 to come around to grab the top spot on lap 6. While Lichty set the pace out front, Benji Irvine, who started 10th, slipped into second on lap 12 and then went to work on chasing down Lichty for the lead. Coming to the white flag Irvine was able to slip under Lichty coming out of turn 2, as the two raced side-by-side down the backstretch. The two then came off turn 4 side-by-side, with Irvine edging out Lichty at the line by inches to pick up his fourth win of the season at the track. Lichty settled for 2nd, Shawn Kuennen passed 9 cars from his 12th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Billy Rhodes, who started 11th, recovered from the caution on the start to climb back up to finish in 4th, with Byerly rounding out the top 5.

Tony Snyder and Rod McDonald made up the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Snyder grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Jason Morehouse and McDonald. While Snyder paced the field out front, Brian Irvine, who started 10th, was working his way to the front. On lap 5, Irvine would slip into second and then went to work on chasing down Snyder for the lead. A caution on lap 9 was just what Irvine was needing, as he would restart on Snyder's back bumper. Brandon Maitland would spin in turn 1 and collected Zach Less, Patrick Flannagan, Ronn Lauritzen, and Todd Johnson to bring out the yellow. On the restart Irvine would slip under Snyder to take over the top spot. The final caution of the race appeared on lap 13, when Dennis Betzer stopped in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Irvine jumped back out front on the restart, with Snyder and Vern Jackson, who started 8th, close behind. Irvine then pulled away over the final 7 laps to claim his first career IMCA Modified feature win. Jackson came home in 2nd, Snyder was 3rd, J.D. Auringer started 12th and finished 4th, with Corey Dripps charging from 18th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Cliff Gray and Phil Holtz scheduled to start on the front row. But when Gray scratched from the event, this would move Holtz and Russell Damme Jr  to the front row for the start. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Tim Helle slipped over the track in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Holtz jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Jason Hocken and Kevin Rose. The action was slowed for the second time on lap 2, when Roger Ciesielski slipped over the track in turn 4 to bring out the caution. Holtz moved back out front on the restart, with Hocken and Chris Luloff, who started 7th, close behind. Debris in turn 1 on lap 5, would slow the action for the third time. Once again Holtz jumped back out front on the restart, with Luloff and Norman Chesmore, who started 8th, following. Holtz, who was working the top, then had to work to hold off Luloff, who was working the bottom, over the next 2 laps. But Luloff was able to slip under Holtz coming off turn 2 on lap 7 to take over the top spot on lap 8. Three laps later, lap 11, Hocken, who was running 6th, slipped off the track down the backstretch to bring out the yellow for the final time. Luloff grabbed the lead on the restart, but now had Jarod Weepie, who started 9th, glued to his back bumper. Coming off turn 4 for the white flag Weepie was able to slip under Luloff to edge him out at the line by inches for the lead. Weepie then held off Luloff on the final lap to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Luloff settled for 2nd, Holtz was 3rd, Chesmore was 4th, with Scott Pippert coming from 13th to round out the top 5.

Russell Hesse and Greg Kastli led the field to green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Kastli using his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dirk Hamilton and Hesse. Kastli, who was working the top of the track, then held the top spot until lap 5, when Brian Hunter, who started 5th and was working the bottom, slipped under Kastli coming off turn 4 to edge out the lead at the line by inches. Hunter then started to pull away from the field, when he started to enter lapped traffic on lap 13. This would allow Rick Wendling, who started 9th, to close in on Hunter's back bumper on lap 17. Wendling would look under Hunter over the next two laps, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 19. Todd VanTassle spun in turn 2 to bring out yellow. On the restart Hunter jumped back out front, with Wendling and Tyler Drost, who started 11th, close behind. Coming to the white flag, Droste decided to move to the top of the track to try and get by Hunter for the lead. But Hunter was able to hold on over the final lap to claim his first win of the season at the track. Droste was 2nd, Wendling was 3rd, Jon Passick passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Kastli holding on for 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Matt Post and Robby Decker leading the field to the green flag. Post would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Don Erger, who started 8th, and Decker. Post's run out front only lasted for 1 lap, as Erger slipped by to grab the top spot away on lap 2. Just as Erger started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 6. Carson Less spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Decker, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Erger move back out front, with Post and Jeff Davis, who started 5th, following. Erger would pull away over the final 6 laps to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Davis was 2nd, Cole McNeal was 3rd, Tristan Cordes was 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing 5th after starting in 7th.

Notes from Indy: 26 Modifieds, 21 Hobby Stocks, 20 Late Models, 20 SportMods, 18 Stock Cars, and 12 Micro Mods made up the 117 cars signed in on the night......Kevin Hurst started the SportMod feature in 20th and would pass 12 cars to come home in 8th....Ryan King started 13th and finished 9th....Greg Hunter finished 10th after starting in 12th....Kevin Robinson started 14th and finished 11th....John Bates, who started 18th, recovered from his spin on lap 2 to climb back up to finish in 12th....Chris Lewis started 17th and finished 13th......Shawn Randall started the Hobby Stock feature in 13th and passed 7 cars to come home in 6th....Gene Nicklas passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Jerome Wilson finished 10th after starting in 14th....Rob Twaites started 17th and finished 11th....Jim Ball came from 16th to finish in 12th....Kyle Dulin started 15th and finished 13th....Matt Burmeister started 20th and finished 15th....Rod Grother had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Vince Buchhloz had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night......Scott Hogan passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot in the Modified feature to come home in 7th....Ed Thomas passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Patrick Flannagan recovered from the crash on lap 9 to climb his way back up to finish in 9th....Ben Metcalf passed 12 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to finish in 10th....Terry Johnson, who started 21st, recovered from the crash on lap 9 to climb back up to finish in 11th....Austin Bishop started 19th and finished 13th....Jeremiah Hurst had motor troubles in his heat that forced him to drive Tyler Madigan's car for the feature. He would start 24th and had climbed his way to 8th before front end troubles forced him out of the race late to finish in 16th....Scott Fitzpatrick had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night....Jeff Kriz had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature....Tyler Madigan gave up his ride to Jeremiah Hurst......Shane Ebaugh started the Stock Car feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Todd Reitzler passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Scooter Dulin started 12th and finished 8th....Scott Hampton started 15th and finished 11th....Cliff Gray, Rick Milks, and Austin Evens all had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Ryan Dolan started the Late Model feature in 17th and finished 11th....Don Pataska started 16th and finished 13th....Mark Hurst started 19th and finished 17th......Jason Hard started the Micro Mod feature in 10th and finished 8th....Cole Suckow started 11th and finished 9th.

Night of Repeat Winners at the Benton County Speedway

Vinton, IA (Sunday, June 21, 2015) - With my regular Sunday night track getting rained out and add the fact that I didn't have to work Monday, I decided to make the trip northwest to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa. This would be my first ever visit to the track.

The 12 lap Micro Mod feature was the first to take to the track, with Scott Beaty and AJ Witten leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But just as the green flag was waved the red flag would appear. Buster Pate would slow coming off turn 4 and collected Matt Post and Dallon Murty. Post ended up rolling onto the drivers side just under the flag stand. He would be rolled back up right and drove away to continue to race. On the restart Witten grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Beaty and Don Erger, who started 7th. After the completion of lap 1, Post would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Witten jumped back out front on the restart, with Erger and Cole McNeal over taking Beaty for second and third. Witten's run up front came to an end on lap 2, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Erger would inherit the lead on the restart, with Tristan Cordes, who started 11th, over taking McNeal for the runner up spot. Erger then pulled away over the final 10 laps to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Cordes was 2nd, McNeal was 3rd, Jason Hard started 9th and finished 4th, Post recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Dave Schulze and Kyle Bentley making up the front row. Bentley took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Danny Dvorak and Curt Hilmer. After the completion of lap 1 the red flag was displayed, as Dave McCalla rolled softly onto the drivers side off turn 4. On the restart Bentley moved back out front, with Dvorak and Hilmer close behind. Dvorak would use the bottom of the track coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot away from Bentley on lap 3. Just as Dvorak started to pull away from the field, Matt Petrzelka, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Tony Olson, who started 9th, jumped to the top of the track on the restart to take the lead away from Dvorak, with Hilmer following to take over the runner up spot. Olson then pulled away over the final 8 laps to claim his fourth win in a row and fifth overall at the track. Joey Schaefer came from 11th to finish in 2nd, Hilmer was 3rd, Schulze was 4th, with Dvorak rounding out the top 5.

Shane Ebaugh and Scott Beauregard made up the front row for the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Ebaugh grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Mike Galli and Scooter Dulin, who started 6th. The action up front was slowed on lap 5, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Ebaugh moved back out front, with Dulin and Damon Murty, who started 10th, close behind. Scott Pippert, who started 7th, went to work on the bottom of the track to try and get the lead away from Ebaugh. On lap 10 Pippert was able to edge Ebaugh out at the line to take over the lead. But Ebaugh would come back on the top side to grab the lead back on lap 11. When Ebaugh dropped to the bottom in turn 4 coming to complete lap 13, that was all Murty needed to grab the top spot away. Murty would hold off Pippert over the final 5 laps to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Pippert was 2nd, Ebaugh was 3rd, Dulin was 4th, with Justin Stander finishing 5th after starting in 8th.

The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Mike Burbridge and Jerry Dedrick leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as the right front came off Troy Cordes' car down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Corey Dripps spun in turn 2 and collected Robbie Schmuecker and Josh Barta to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Burbridge jump out front to lead lap 1 over Dedrick and Dennis Betzer. Just as Burbridge started to pull away the caution appeared on lap 8. Patrick Flannagan wne tover the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schmuecker came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. The following restart saw Burbridge move back out front, with Dedrick and Scott Hogan, who started 7th, close behind. Burbridge once again started to pull away from the field, when Dedrick's run up front came to an end on lap 17. He would spin off turn 2 to bring out the yellow and bring the field back to Burbridge's back bumper. Burbridge once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hogan and Dripps, who spun on the start, following close behind. Hogan would jump to the top of the track going into turn 3 and used the momentum off turn 4 to grab the lead coming to the white flag. Hogan then held off Burbridge on the final lap to pick up his first win of the season. Burbridge settled for 2nd, Flannagan recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Zach Less passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 4th, with Tysus Pattee finishing 5th after starting in 10th.

Dirk Hamilton and Jon Passick drew the front row for the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Passick grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Hamilton and Sean Johnson. The action up front was slowed on lap 4, when Mark Hurst spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Todd Cooney, who was running 4th, pitted with a left rear flat tire. On the restart Passick jumped back out front, with Johnson over taking Hamilton for 2nd. Ryan Dolan, who was running 5th, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Paul Nagle, who started 8th, slipped under Passick on the restart to grab the top spot away. One lap later, lap 8, teammates Curtis Glover, who started 14th and was running 7th, and Todd Cooney, who recovered from the flat on lap 4 to climb back up to 8th, made contact in turn 1 which caused Cooney to spin and bring out the yellow. On the restart Chris Snyder spun down the front stretch and collected Hurst to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Nagle jump back out front, with Passick and Johnson close behind. Nagle then pulled away to a straight-away lead over the next 13 laps, when disaster struck him on lap 22. Nagle would pull into the infield with motor troubles to end his hopes of a win. This would give Passick the lead back. The final caution of the event appeared on lap 23, when Ben Seemann slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Passick moved back out front, but now had Charlie McKenna, who started 13th, challenging him. Coming to the white flag McKenna would get under Passick to race side-by-side down the front stretch. But Passick would use the momentum off the top of the track to hold off McKenna coming to the checkered flag to claim his first win of the season. McKenna settled for 2nd, Johnson was 3rd, Jerry King was 4th, with John Emerson coming from 11th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks, with Zach Swanson and Kyle Dulin leading the field to green. Swanson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Matt Brown and Leah Wroten. Swanson then held on to the top spot until lap 5 when he bobbled in turn 4, which allowed Brown to shoot under him for the lead. Nathan Ballard, who started 11th, quickly moved through the field to move into the runner up spot by lap 10. Going into turn 3 on the final lap Ballard was able to get under Brown, as the two raced off turn 4 side-by-side. Ballard was able to edge Brown out at the line in a caution free race to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Swanson was 3rd, Justin Wacha started 9th and finished 4th, with Brett Vanous coming home in 5th.

Notes from Vinton: 17 Late Models, 16 Modifieds, 15 SportMods, 14 Hobby Stocks, 13 Stock Cars, and 13 Micro Mods made up the 88 cars signed in on the night......Tyler Inman started the Micro Mod feature in 12th and finished 7th....Carson Less started 10th and finished 8th......Matt Petrzelka recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 6th....Jake Salisbury started 13th and finished 8th....Dawn Krall and Dan Drury both had troubles after the heat race that forced them to scratch from the feature......Les Blakley finished 9th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Michael Peterson started 12th and finished 10th....Cliff Gary had troubles on the parade lap and was pushed back to the pits......Colby Heishman passed 9 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home 6th in the Modified feature....Jerry Dedrick finished 10th after spinning on lap 17....Brandon Maitland  moved up from the Micro Mods to the Modifieds and would come home in 11th....Corey Dripps, who spun on the start and had climbed back up to 3rd by lap 17, spun in turn 2 on the last lap to be credited with 12th......Curtis Glover recovered from involvement in the lap 8 caution to come back up to finish 7th in the Late Model feature....Todd Cooney recovered from his spin on lap 8 to climb back up to finish 8th. He would even cross the line with another left rear flat....Ben Seeman recovered from his spin on lap 23 to come back up to finish in 10th....Paul Conrad started 15th and finished 11th....Jason Seegmiller started 17th and finished 12th......Jim Ball started the Hobby Stock feature in 14th and finished 7th....Mike Kimm started 13th and finished 9th....Rod Grother started 12th and finished 10th....Bill Bonnett was suppose to start 6th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.

I would like to thank Mick Trier, Mike Van Genderen and the entire staff at the Benton County Speedway for the warm welcome. I hope to make another trip up to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa sometime in the near future!

Kay Continues Winning Streak at the Davenport Speedway

Davenport, IA (Friday, June 19, 2015) - A Friday night and beautiful weather, put those two together and it meant it was race night. My adventure took me north to the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA. It was another weekly night of racing, their fifth night in ten attempts this year.

The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap 4 Stocks, with Josh Riley and Zach Dahl drawing the front row for the event. Riley took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Zach Dahl and Scott Powell. Zach Dahl would look under Riley for the lead over the next 8 laps, until he tried the middle to get around Riley. That move would cost his a few spots, as Powell and Brandon Dahl, who started 6th, slipped under him for second and third. Powell then tried to get under Riley over the final 4 laps, but Riley was able to hold him off in a caution free race to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Powell settled for 2nd, Brandon Dahl was 3rd, Zach Dahl was 4th, with Luke Benischek coming from 9th to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap Street Stock feature, with Phil Anderson and Cary Brown leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Anderson jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Brown and Josh Neal. Anderson then had to work to hold off Brown over the next 4 laps, when the first caution of the race slowed the action down. Chance Huston spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Randy Lamar spun in turn 3 and collected Jacob Whittington and Huston to bring the caution light back on. Debris down the front stretch on the next restart would bring out another caution. A third attempt of a restart saw Anderson grab the lead, with Brown and Neal glued to his back bumper. While Anderson paced the field out front, Brown and Neal raced side-by-side for the runner up spot on laps 10, 11 and 12, with Brown gaining the spot on lap 13. Coming to the white flag Brown was able to get under Anderson going into turn 1 and then cleared him off turn 2 to take over the top spot. Brown then held off Anderson coming out of turn 4 to claim his first win of the season at the track. Anderson settled for 2nd, Neal was 3rd, Nick Claussen was 4th, with Keith Blum coming home 5th after starting in 9th.

Austin Moyer and Mike McGarry drew the front row for the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Moyer grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Tony Olson, who started 5th, and McGarry. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 3, when Randy Farrell spun in turn 1 and collected Rance Powell to bring out the caution. On the restart Moyer jumped back out front, with Olson and Jarrett Franzen, who started 8th, close behind. Moyer would start to pull away from the field, when the second and final caution brought the field back to his back bumper on lap 11. This time McGarry spun off turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Once again Moyer grabbed the lead on the restart, with Olson and Franzen battling for second. Moyer would go on to lead the final 4 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Olson was 2nd, Franzen was 3rd, Bryce Garnhart started 7th and finished 4th, with Tyler Soppe passing 8 cars from his 13th place starting spot to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Mitch Morris and Rick Hixson leading the field to the green flag. Morris would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chris Zogg and Milo Veloz Jr., who started 5th. While Morris worked the bottom of the track, Veloz Jr. worked the middle, which paid off with the pass for the lead on lap 7. One lap later, lap 8, the first caution appeared to slow the action. Todd Dykema spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kevin Blum spun in turn 2 and collected Chris Lawrence to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Veloz Jr. jump back out front, with Zogg over taking Morris for the runner up spot. Veloz Jr. would pull away over the final 12 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Zogg was 2nd, Tony VonDresky finished 3rd after starting in 10th, Morris was 4th, with Craig Crawford passing 12 cars from his 17th 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 Todd Malmstrom and Brian Harris drawing the front row for the event. Harris used his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Justin Kay and Malmstrom. Just after lap 1 was scored complete the first caution appeared, as Chuck Hanna got into Sam Halstead, who spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Harris moved back out front, with Kay and Ray Guss Jr. close behind. Kay would work the middle of the track to grab the top spot away from Harris on lap 3. Ryan Claeys would spin in turn 2 on the completion of lap 3 to bring out the caution. Kay would jump back out front on the restart, with Harris and Guss Jr. following. Another lap in the books produce another caution, as Mike Zemo Jr., who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 from contact from Matt Ryan, who was running 5th after starting in 11th, to bring out the yellow. Once again Kay grabbed the lead on the restart, with Harris and Andy Nezworski, who started 16th, close behind. While Kay set a fast pace out front, Harris and Nezworski battled for the runner up spot. Nezworski would slip past Harris on lap 9 to take over the second spot, but was a full straight-away behind Kay for the top spot. Kay would enter lapped traffic on lap 15, which allowed Nezworski to close in. When Claeys spun in turn 2 on lap 21, for his second solo caution to end his night, this would put Nezworski on Kay's back bumper for the restart. Kay grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 4 laps to pick up his third win in a row at the track. Nezworski settled for 2nd, Hanna recovered from his involvement in the lap 1 caution to come back up to finish in 3rd, Harris was 4th, with Nate Beuseling coming home 5th.

Notes from Davenport: 35 Modifieds, 30 SportMods, 19 Street Stocks, 18 Late Models, and 11 4 Stocks made up the 113 cars signed in on the night......Greg Benischek started 10th in the 4 Stock feature and finished 6th....Brandon Setser finished 7th after starting in 11th......Perry Gellerstedt started the Street Stock feature in 11th and finished 6th....Shawn Flagel finished 7th after starting in 12th....Donnie Louck passed 10 cars from is 18th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Randy Lamar recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish in 9th....Jesse Owen started 16th and finished 11th....Cord Williams gets my add-a-boy of the night award, as he spun in 4 on lap 7 and did a complete 360 to keep going. He was running 8th at the time and fell back to 13th, only to recover to finish in 12th......Dalton Simonson finished 7th in the SportMod feature after starting in 15th....Dustin Crear finished 8th after starting in 12th....Henry Carson started 17th and finished 11th....Jacob Beal passed 8 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 12th....Erik Arensdorf came from 19th to finish in 13th....Andre LaPorte, Gage Neal, Dave Engelkens, Jade Davis, Gary Rentfro, Kyle Eller, Dawson Edwards, Emily Gade, Doug Burkhead, and Brian Wendel were among the drivers who didn't qualify for the SportMod feature......Bruce Hanford started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 6th....George Spence III passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Jake Bowman passed 13 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 8th....Justin Veloz passed 13 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 10th....Todd Dykema recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 12th....Brian Bushong passed 11 cars from his 24th place starting spot to come home in 13th....Dakota Hayden started 19th and finished 14th....Doug Crampton finished 16th after starting in 22nd....Tom Pestka, Hunter Wilson, Jarrod Struss, Paul Howard, TJ Patz, Kyle Montgomery, Blake Woodruff, Dave Hammond, Rob Dominacki, Bruce Fosdyck, and Rich Smith were among the drivers who didn't qualify for the Modified feature......Matt Ryan, who started 11th in the Late Model feature, recovered from his involvement in the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish in 7th....Marty Scheckel started 14th and finished 11th....Sam Halstead recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish in 12th....Rick Wages started 17th and finished 13th.

I would like to thank Bob Wagoner, Carrie Rouse and all the gang at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA for the great hospitality!

Hurst Edges Out First Career HDT Win at Jackson County

Maquoketa, IA (Tuesday, June 9, 2015) - Since I didn't have to get up real early Wednesday morning to go to work, I decided to make the trip north to the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa on Tuesday night to take in the nights racing events. On tap for the night was the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models, the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds, along with the IMCA SportMods.

The 29 field of IMCA Modifieds was divided into 4 heat races, in which the top 3 were locked into the 25 lap A Main. The remainder would move into the 2 B Mains, in which the top 5 out of those would move into the A Main. The final 2 spots of the 24 car field would be filled by 2 provisional starters, the 2 highest in HDT points that didn't qualify out of the 2 B Mains.

Ryan Maitland and Ben Chapman drew the front row of the 25 lap HDT IMCA Modified feature, with Maitland grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Chapman and Steve Johnson. Chapman would look under Maitland for the top spot over the next 8 laps. But Maitland was able to hold off all challenges from Chapman every lap. While the battle out front was happening, Jeremiah Hurst, who started 7th, was working his way to the front. On lap 13, Hurst would move into 3rd and then set his sights on the two car battle in front of him. Six laps later, lap 19, Hurst would slip under Chapman to grab the runner up spot and then went to work on Maitland for the lead. Maitland, who was glued to the bottom of the speedway, entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 20. With 2 laps to go Hurst decided he would have to use a different groove then the bottom to get around Maitland for the lead, so he decided to try the top of the track. The move would work coming off turn 2, as he edged out front. But Maitland was able to get the lead back coming off turn 4 to take the white flag. The two would race the final lap side-by-side, with Hurst using the momentum off turn 4 on the top side to edge out Maitland at the line by inches to claim his first career Hawkeye Dirt Tour win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Maitland settled for 2nd, Justin Kay started 16th and used the middle of the track to climb his way to 3rd, Chapman was 4th, with Mike Van Genderen coming from 8th to finish in 5th.

Thirty IMCA Late Models were divided into 4 heat races, in which the top 3 were locked into the 40 lap A Main. The remainder would move into the 2 B Mains, in which the top 4 out of those would move into the A Main. The final 4 spots of the 24 car field would be filled by 3 provisional starters, the 3 highest in Deery Brothers Summer Series points that didn't qualify out of the 2 B Mains and 1 hard charger.

Dan Shelliam and Justin Kay would lead the field to the green flag in the 40 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Shelliam jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Jon Merfeld and Kay. The top three cars would stay glued to the bottom of the track, until they started to enter lapped traffic on lap 11. Kay was the first to try the middle of the track on laps 13 & 14 to get by Merfeld for 2nd. He would finally make the pass on lap 15, and then went to work on Shelliam for the top spot. Coming off turn 4 on lap 17, Kay would take over the lead from Shelliam. Just as Kay started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 21. Matt Ryan would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Shelliam working to hold off Tyler Droste, who started 5th, for the runner up spot. Kay once again started to pull away from the field, even as he entered lapped traffic on lap 30. But when Andy Eckrich dropped a drive shaft in turn 2 on lap 32, that would bring out a caution and brought the field back to Kay's back bumper. Once again Kay jumped out front on the restart, with Droste over taking Shelliam for second. It looked like Kay was going to pull away from the field over the final 8 laps to cruise to an easy win, that was until the final caution waved on lap 37 to set up a 3 lap dash to the finish. This time John Emerson and Stephan Kammerer collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Kay grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the final 3 laps to claim his third Deery Brothers Summer Series win of the season and the $3,000 top prize to go with it. Shelliam over took Droste on the final restart to finish in 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Joe Zrostlik started 11th and finished 4th, with Jeff Aikey using the top of the track to climb from 8th in the final laps to round out the top 5.

Notes from JCS: Matt Irwin, George Spence III, Josh Star, Hunter Wilson, and Derek Thompson were the 5 IMCA Modifieds would didn't qualify for the A Main....The 25 lap A Main was ran off caution FREE!!!....Patrick Flannagan started 13th and finished 11th....Joel Rust finished 16th after starting in 21st....Dennis Betzer started 23rd and finished 19th....TJ Patz started 22nd and finished 20th......Jon Poll, Jeff Tharp, Brian Beaudry, Chuck Hanna, Darrel DeFrance, and Ryan Claeys were the 6 IMCA Late Models who didn't qualify for the A Main....Andy Nezworski passed 11 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 6th....Jason Rauen started 9th and finished 7th....Don Pataska passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finished in 8th....Ryan Dolan started 24th and passed 15 cars to come home in 9th....Todd Malmstrom passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Jeremy Grady started 23rd and passed 11 cars to finish in 12th....Scott Fitzpatrick, who started 19th and had worked his way to 8th, pitted on lap 37 caution with a right rear flat to end his run up front......The 19 car field in the IMCA SportMods will have to wait until Saturday, June 27th to run their feature, as the curfew time limit didn't allow then to get the feature race in.

I would like to thank Ryan Duhme and Tim Current for allowing me to come up to the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa to cover the nights racing action. If you haven't made the trip to the track, I would encourage you to make the trip over there on a Saturday night to take in the action!

Night of First Time Winners at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, May 31, 2015) - Mother nature continues to play havoc on the 2015 racing season, as Sunday's temps hoovered around the low 60's. With this kind of weather you would have thought it was late March instead of late May. But the crew at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois didn't let the cool temps and the brisk north winds stop them from racing on Sunday night. At the end of the night there were five new winners standing in victory lane for the first time in 2015 at the track.

The IMCA SportMod feature this week was highlighted by a draw / redraw format, with $500 going to the feature winner. An added bonus of $200 from Dunker Concrete, Patrick "Skipp" Dunker, was posted for any two drivers who redrew in the top 10 to go to the rear at the start of the race. Then if one of those drivers could drive through the field and pick up the win, they would earn a total of $700 for there efforts. Before the drop of the green flag the field was brought to a stop on the front stretch, then they started with the front row and asked them if they wanted to start in the rear. The first driver to accept the challenge was fifth place starter Wesley Mayfield. The next driver to accept the challenge was eighth place starter Brandon Lennox.

Darin Munzinger and Adam Birck would draw the front row for the 27 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Birck jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Munzlinger and Nathan Bringer. The first caution of the race appeared on lap 2, when Cody Henderson went over the track in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Todd Reed spun in turn 1 and collected Mike Goodwin to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Tony Dunker slip under Birck to grab the top spot away on lap 3. The third caution of the race appeared on lap 4, when Goodwin spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Dunker moved back out front on the restart, with Birck and Jim Gillenwater close behind. Gillenwater's run up front ended on lap 8, when he spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Dunker jumped out front on the restart, with Birck and Tanner Klingele, who started 7th, close behind. Two more laps complete, lap 10, and another caution appeared, as Munzinger spun in turn 1 and collects Goodwin to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker moved back out front, with Birck and Klingele still close behind. While the battle up front continued, all eyes were on Brandon Lennox, who accepted the back row challenge and was quickly working his way towards the front. The action up front was slowed on lap 14, when Jared Wiemelt spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Lennox jumped to the top of the track to grabbed the lead away from Dunker to complete his run from last to first in 15 laps. Dunker would try to work under Lennox, until the action up front was slowed again on lap 20. Once again Wiemelt spun in turn 2 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night.

On the restart Wesley Mayfield spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. Debris in turn 2 on the next restart would bring the caution back out. The following restart saw Bringer, who was running 4th, get sideways in turn 1 and made contact with Austin Howes, who started 15th and was running 8th, as a result Howes would come to a stop in turn 3 with a right front flat to bring out the yellow. Once back to green Lennox moved back out front, with Dunker and Patrick Phillips, who started 11th, close behind. Two more laps complete, lap 22, and another caution, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. Lennox once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dunker and Phillips close behind. Phillips run up front came to an end on lap 23, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox moved back out front, with Dunker and Birck following. Coming to complete lap 26 Lennox would slip in turn 4, which allowed Dunker to slip under him to grab the lead away. But before the lap was scored complete Phillips spun in turn 4 and collected Dakota Anderson to bring out the caution. Lennox was giving the lead back for the restart. On the restart Birck, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The final restart saw Lennox grab the lead over Dunker and Bobby Six, who started 10th. Lennox would hold off Dunker over the final 2 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. With the win Lennox would take home $1,100 ($500 from the track, $200 from Dunker Concrete for accepting the back row challenge and winning the race, plus another $400 from 5 fans in the stands who added to the back row challenge). Dunker settled for 2nd, Six was 3rd, Klingele was 4th, with Cody Henderson, who started 14th, recovering from his spin on lap 2 to come back up to finish 5th.

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Brandon Savage and Trevor Hagerbaumer leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Savage took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Hagerbaumer and Andrew Hustead. Jerry Jansen would go over the track in turn 1 and came to stop in turn 2 on lap 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage moved back out front, with Hagerbaumer and Hustead close behind. Two laps later, lap 4, Jim Lynch slowed to a stop in turn 2 with a right front flat to bring out the caution. Savage once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hustead and Michael Larsen over taking Hagerbaumer for second and third. One more lap scored complete, lap 5, and another caution appeared, as Lynch spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage jumped back out front over Hustead and Larsen. Savage then held the lead until lap 6, when he pulled off the track in turn 3 with troubles. This would hand the lead over to Hustead. The final caution of the race appeared on lap 12, when Hagerbaumer stopped in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hustead jumped out front, with Abe Huls, who started 10th, glued to his back bumper. Huls would look under Hustead over the final 6 laps, but Hustead would hold him off to pick up his first career Stock Car feature win. Huls settled for 2nd, Lynch recovered from his spin on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Larsen was 4th, with Beau Taylor coming home in 5th.

Jim Moon and Jamie Wilson led the field to green in the 25 lap UMP Late Model feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Trace Westling stopped in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Keith Pratt spun in turn 4 and collected Alan Westling to bring the caution light back on. Debris in turn 4 on the following restart would bring the yellow back out. A fourth attempt of a start saw Wilson grab the lead on lap 1 over Moon and Denny Woodworth. Wilson, who was setting a fast pace out front, started to enter lapped traffic on lap 7. By the time Justin Reed, who started 6th, slipped into second on lap 10, Wilson had built up a half a track lead. Reed, who was trying to chase down Wilson for the lead, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 15 to bring out the caution and end his run up front. This would also erase the 8 second lead that Wilson had built up. On the restart Wilson moved back out front, with Moon and Woodworth following. Wilson would pull away over the final 10 laps to claim his first win of the season and his first since winning a race 14 years ago at the track. Moon held on for 2nd, Mark Burgtorf started 7th and finished 3rd, Woodworth was 4th, with Matt Santel coming from 10th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Steven DeLonjay and Rusty Griffaw on the front row. Just after the green flag was waved the caution light came on, as the start was called back. At the same time Michael Long, who had won the first four features at the track, stopped in turn 1 with motor troubles to end his run. On the restart Griffaw jumped out front on lap 1 over David Wietholder and DeLonjay. The action up front was slowed on lap 2, when Frankie Wellman spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Griffaw once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Wietholder and DeLonjay close behind. While Griffaw started to pull away, Wietholder, Kelly Koviski and DeLonjay had a three car battle going for second. That was until lap 17, when DeLonjay slowed down the backstretch with rear end troubles to end his night and bringing out the caution. On the restart Griffaw moved back out front, with Koviski and Jared Schlipman over taking Wietholder for second and third.. Two laps later, lap 19, Spencer Havermale spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Griffaw grabbed the lead on the restart, with Koviski and Wietholder close behind. Another lap was scored complete, when Shawn Deering, who was running 5th, slowed down the front stretch with a right front flat to bring out the caution. Once again Griffaw jumped out front on the restart, with Wietholder and Schlipman close behind. Coming to complete lap 23 Wietholder was able to get up beside Griffaw for the top spot. But Griffaw was able to hold off Wietholder over the final 2 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Wietholder settled for 2nd, Koviski was 3rd, Shane Lewis started 12th and finished 4th, with Russ Coultas coming from 10th to finish in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Anthony Grossman and Cliff Spencer making up the front row. Grossman would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert and Barry Taft. Lambert jumped to the top of the track coming off turn 4 to complete lap 4 to grab the top spot away from Grossman. Just after the completion of lap 4 the first caution of the race appeared, as Jerry Bown spun in 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lambert moved back out front over Taft and Grossman. Taft's run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he rolled in turn 4 and collected Grossman and Bill Carter to bring out the red. Taft would climb from his car okay. Lambert grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 10 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Kimberly Abbott started 6th and finished 2nd, Jeffery DeLonjay was 3rd, Bown recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 4th, with Spencer Coats coming from 11th to round out the top 5.

Notes from Quincy: Mike Goodwin recovered from his involvement in the lap 10 caution of the SportMod feature to come back up to finish 6th. Darin Munzlinger also recovered from his spin on lap 10 to come back up to finish in 7th....Wesley Mayfield, who elected the rear challenge, recovered from his spin on lap 20 to come back up to finish in 8th....Adam Birck recovered from his spin on lap 25 to come back up to finish in 9th....Justin Bartz started 18th and finished 11th....Austen Howes recovered from his flat on lap 20 to come back up to finish 12th....Gene Kay passed 8 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 13th....Jon Lear started 17th and finished 14th....Dakota Anderson, who started 22nd, finished 16th....Joey Gower, who started 9th and was up to 5th, pulled off under the lap 10 caution with front end troubles to end his night in 19th......Trevor Hagerbaumer recovered from the lap 12 caution in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish 7th....Jerry Jansen recovered from his caution on lap 2 to come back up to finish 8th....John Oliver Jr. broke a power steering pump in hot laps and made one lap in the feature to be credited with 11th....Jake Powers had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Keith Pratt recovered from his spin on the start of the Late Model feature to come back up to finish 6th....Mike Hammerle started 13th and finished 7th....Charles VanZandt made his debut in the Late Model class after moving up from the SportMods. He started the feature in 19th and finished 15th....Chuck Mitchell and Ron Elbe had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Cory Brown started the UMP Modified feature in 11th and finished 6th....Spencer Havermale recovered from his spin on lap 19 to come back up to finish in 7th....Charles Baker started 13th and finished 8th....Jared Schlipman, who was running 4th, pulled off on lap 23 with a broken left front to end his night in 9th......Nick DeJaynes started the Sport Compact feature in 9th and finished 6th....Casey Lambert had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.