Which was set to be held at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA on Friday, March 25th and Saturday, March 26th with the 4th Annual Spring Extravaganza. Despite the sun shining and temperatures reaching the mid 50's on Friday, the track crew wasn't able to get things dried out and was forced to cancel that nights events. More sun and temperatures once again around the mid 50's on Saturday finally helped the track crew to get the grounds dried out enough to go racing.
The first feature to take to the track was the 20 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jason See and Jeff Mueller drawing the front row for the event. See would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mueller, Derrick Agee and Greg Gill. But coming off turn 2, Mueller would slip under See to take the top spot away on lap 2. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, when Jordan Gerling spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jeremy Pundt, Dane Fenton, Abe Huls and Brian Hoener collided coming off turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Mueller jump back out front, with Agee and Gill close behind. Mueller then held the top spot until lap 7 when he lost an engine going into turn 3 to bring out the caution. Gill would inherit the lead on the restart, with Cayden Carter, who started 9th, moving into second. While Carter worked on Gill for the lead, Agee was trying to hold off Damon Murty, who started 7th, for the third spot. The four car battle for the lead was slowed on lap 15, when debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. Gill, who was working the bottom of the track, would edge Carter, who was working the top, at the line on the restart to hold the lead. But Carter used the momentum off the top of the track coming out of turn 4 to take the top spot away from Gill on lap 17. Despite Gill trying to work back under Carter over the final 3 laps, Carter was able to hold on to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize. Gill settled for 2nd, Murty was 3rd, Agee was 4th, with John Oliver Jr., who was driving Dean Kratzer's #4k machine, coming from 12th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 14 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, with Luke Benischek and Jason Breuklander making up the front row. Benischek jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Breuklander and Kimberly Abbott, and then held it until lap 2 when Breuklander took over the top spot. Just as Breuklander took the lead the red light would appear, as Darin Weisinger Jr. rolled in turn 2. After the safety crew got on scene to check on Weisinger Jr., he would fire up the car and drive it to the pits for his crew to check it over. On the restart Breuklander moved back out front, with Benischek trying to hold off Abbott in the battle for second. The action was slowed one lap later, lap 3, when Eric Eye spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Breuklander once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Benischek and Abbott continuing their battle for second. While Breuklander set the pace out front, all eyes were on Brad Chandler, who was driving Josh Barnes' second car and started in the 12th spot. Chandler would work his way into the second spot on lap 10 and the went to work on chasing down Breuklander for the lead. On the white flag lap Chandler was able to pull even with Breuklander coming out of turn 2, and then the two went into turn 3 side-by-side. Coming out of turn 4 for the checkered flag, Chandler was able to hold off Breuklander to pick up the win and the $300 top prize to go with it. Breuklander settled for 2nd, Luke Benischek was 3rd, Josh Barnes started 9th and came home in 4th, with Jake Benischek finishing in 5th.
Colby Springsteen and Richie Gustin drew the front row for the first 20 lap feature event for the LCS Late Models. Springsteen would take advantage of his front row draw to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Gustin and Derek Liles. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first and only caution of the race appeared, as Gunner Frank spun down the backstretch. On the restart Springsteen moved back out front, with Gustin and Liles following. While Springsteen set a fast pace out front, Tommy Elston, who started 6th, would work himself into second on lap 10. But by then Springsteen had built up a full straightaway lead, and without another caution he would cruise to an easy win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Elston was 2nd, Gustin was 3rd, Liles was 4th, with Louis Lynch finishing 5th after starting in 8th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Brett Lowry and Carter VanDenBerg leading the field to the drop of the green flag. VanDenBerg would use his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lennox and Lowry. VanDenBerg then held the top spot until lap 5, when Lennox was able to slip under him coming off turn 4 to edge him out at the line for the lead. But VanDenBerg didn't give up, as he used the top of the track coming off turn 2 to grab the lead back on lap 6. Despite several challenges from Lennox over the final 12 laps, VanDenBerg was able to hold on in a caution free race to claim the win and the $1,000 top prize. Lennox was 2nd, Austen Becerra started 6th and finished 3rd, Lowry was 4th, with Sam Wieben coming home in 5th after starting in 11th.
Kyle Brown and Hunter Marriott drew the front row for the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature. But just after the green flag was waved the red light would come on, as Brandon Brinton, Kory Meyer, Tim Hamburg, Scott Hogan, Ray Guss Jr., Blake Woodruff, and Jardin Fuller were piled up under the flag stand. All drivers were okay, with Woodruff the only car able to continue. On the restart Marriott moved out front to lead lap 1 over Kyle Brown and Ryan Maitland. The action up front was slowed for the second time on lap 2, as David Brown lost a left rear wheel in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Marriott once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Kyle Brown and Cayden Carter close behind. The third caution of the race appeared on lap 7, when debris in turn 2 brought out the yellow. On the following restart the yellow light would come back on, as debris in turn 1 slowed the action. The following restart saw Josh Foster shoot to the bottom of the track to over take Marriott for the top spot. But Marriott wouldn't give up, as he used the momentum off the top of turn 4 on lap 9 to grab the lead back. Debris in turn 4 on lap 13 would bring the great battle up front to a slow. Marriott jumped back out front on the restart, with Foster and Carter following close behind. Foster worked the low side of the track coming off turn 2 to slip past Marriott for the lead on lap 16. Just as that lap was scored complete the caution appeared for debris in turn 1. Which was a break for Foster, as Marriott over took him for the lead going into turn 1. The final restart saw Foster move back out front, with Marriott and Kyle Brown battling for the runner up spot. Foster would go on to lead the final 4 laps to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Kyle Brown won the battle for 2nd, Marriott was 3rd, Carter was 4th, with Kelly Shryock coming home in 5th after starting in 10th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 14 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks, with Shannon Anderson and John Irwin drawing the front row for the event. But it was fourth place starter Nick Ulin who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Anderson and Eric Stanton. Anderson then followed in Ulin's tire tracks for the next 7 laps, until he slipped under Unlin going into turn 3 to grab the top spot away on lap 8. Anderson then held off Ulin over the final 6 laps of a caution free race to pick up the win and the $500 top prize. Ulin settled for 2nd, Stanton was 3rd, August Bach came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Brandon Symmonds rounding out the top 5.
Notes from LCS: 32 Sport Compacts, 31 SportMods, 28 Modifieds, 18 Stock Cars, 12 Hobby Stocks, and 10 Late Models signed in for the nights action......Abe Huls, who started the Stock Car feature in 10th, recovered from the lap 4 crash to come back up to finish in 6th....Jeremy Pundt, who was also involved in the lap 4 crash, recovered to come home in 7th....Derrick Rohe, who traveled almost 4 hours from Audubon, IA, started the feature in 13th and passed 5 cars to finish in 8th....Shane Paris started 14th and finished 10th....Terry "Scooter" Dulin finished 12th after starting in 15th....Dane Fenton started 17th and finished 13th....Cody Clark made the almost 4 hour trek over from Yorktown, IA to finish 16th....Donovan Nunnikoven was a scratch for the feature......Brandon Setser started the Sport Compact feature in 15th and passed 8 cars to come home in 7th....Ron Kibbe, who won the B Main, passed 13 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish in 8th....Brandon Reu started 18th and finished 12th....Darin Weisinger Jr., who started 22nd, recovered from his roll over on lap 2 to come back up to finish in 14th....Bryan Vannausdle made the 4.5 hour pull over from Nebraska City, Nebraska to finish 17th....Ryan Bryant pulled 3.5 hours down from Mason City, IA to finish in 20th......The much anticipated LCS Late Models only produced 10 cars, with I believe only 1 of those being an IMCA Spec Motor car......Austin Luellen, who is in his first full year behind a SportMod after moving up from the Hobby Stocks, started the feature in 10th and finished in 6th....Clint Luelle, who would have loved a caution, passed 11 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finish in 7th....Jim Gillenwater came from 13th to finish in 8th....Josh Appel, who pulled down 3.5 hours from Mason City, IA, finished 9th after starting in 12th....Tony Olson, who won the B Main, passed 11 cars from his 21st starting spot to come home in 10th....Dan Drury, who pulled 3 hours from Eldora, IA, started 23rd and passed 11 cars to come home in 12th....Joe Gower finished 13th after starting in 17th....Brayton Carter, who got the final transfer spot out of the B Main, started 24th and passed 9 cars to finish in 15th....Ryan King started 20th and finished 16th....Craig Garner made the 3.5 hour pull over from Clarinda, IA to finish in 17th......Josh Foster use to be a weekly competitor in the Modified division for many years at LCS, where he won many feature events and entertained the crowds with his exciting driving style. That was until a few years ago when he made a career change. He, along with wife Jodi, packed up there belongings and moved from Montrose, IA to Newton, IA. After sitting out of racing the past couple years, Foster has returned to the seat full time in 2016. He would return to LCS on Saturday, March 26th, where he raced to his first Modified victory of 2016....Richie Gustin drove Shawn Riter's #7sr Modified to a 6th place finish after starting in 9th....Johnny Walker started 17th and passed 10 cars to finish in 7th....RC Whitwell from Tucson, Arizona piloted one of Mike Wedelstat's MB Custom Modifieds to a 8th place finish after staring in 12th and battling in the top 5 until the last restart....Blake Woodruff recovered from the pile up on the start of the feature to come back up to finish in 16th......Bryce Sommerfeld made the almost 4 hour pull down from Fort Dodge, IA to finish 5th in the Hobby Stock feature....Chris Hovden made the 3.5 hour drive down from Cresco, IA to finish 11th.
A busy schedule is planned for March 30th through April 3rd, that is if mother nature allows. The week will kick off on Wednesday, March 30th with night one of the "Frostbusters" kicking off at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA. Then night two will take place at the Benton Countu Speedway in Vinton, IA on Thursday, March 31st. From there it moves to the Marshalltown Speedway in Marshalltown, IA on Friday, April 1st for night three. On Saturday, April 2nd it's the season opener at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA. Where the Sprint Invaders will also kick off there 2016 season. Finally on Sunday, April 3rd it is the season opener at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL. Perhaps I will see you at a few, if not all of these shows.
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