Monday, May 16, 2016

"Scottie 42" at Quincy Raceways Goes Back to Fairbury With Wenger

Quincy, IL (Sunday, May 15, 2016) - With mother nature not being to kind on Friday night and cancelling all tracks within a couple of hours drive from me, and more than unfavorable weather on Saturday keeping me home. I decided to make the trip south to the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL on Sunday. That decision paid off with 26 UMP Late Models signed in to battle for the $2,000 to win Midwest Big Ten Series.

The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Rodolfo Zaragoza and Jake Powers making up the front row. Zaragoza took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Powers and Abe Huls, who started 6th. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 4, Huls would power past Zaragoza on the top of the track to take over the top spot. While Huls set the pace out front, a three and four wide battle for third was going on between Beau Taylor, Brandon Savage, who started 7th, Dean Kratzer, who started 9th, and Chase Klenk, who started 11th. Without a caution there was no catching Huls on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Zaragoza finished 2nd, Savage crossed the line in 3rd despite having a broken left front for must of the second half of the race, Kratzer was 4th, with Klenk rounding out the top 5.
Abe Huls won the IMCA Stock feature on Sunday, May 15th at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL.

Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Ray Bollinger and Michael Long leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Long would use the momentum off the top of the track to edge out Bollinger for the lead on lap 1. Just as Long put a little distance on the rest of the field, the first caution appeared on lap 2. Spencer Havermale came to a stop down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Long moved back out front, with Kenny Wallace and David Wietholder both over taking Bollinger for the second and third spot. The main reason for that, is Bolinger jumped the cushion in turn 4 and went over the track to bring out the yellow. Bollinger then had to pit for a right front flat. He was given two curiosity laps to get the tire changed, before the light would go out and go back to racing. Just as the field came off turn 2 to go down the backstretch for the restart, Bollinger charged back onto the track to try and catch up to the field. But when the field came out of turn 4 to take the green, Bollinger spun down the backstretch to bring out the yellow. The following restart saw Long jump back out front, with Wietholder and Wallace racing for the runner up spot.

Wallace's run up front came to an abrupt end on lap 16, when several studs broke off the right rear wheel going into turn 3. Which resulted in Wallace rolling 4 or 5 times, before coming to a stop on it's lid. Just as the safety crew and several drivers went to roll the car back onto it's wheels the car caught fire. The fire crew reacted fast to put out the flames, while Wallace climbed from his mangled car okay. On the restart Long moved back out front, with Bollinger working his way back into second. One lap later, lap 17, Wietholder would jump the cushion in turn 2 and went off the track to bring out the yellow. Long again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Bollinger looking under him for the lead. But Long would pull away over the final 7 laps to remain unbeaten at Quincy. Bollinger settled for 2nd, Wietholder recovered from his caution on lap 17 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Shawn Deering started 9th and finished 4th, with Russ Coultas coming home in 5th.
Michael Long remains unbeaten in the UMP Modified division at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL Which brings the bounty to beat Long next week up to $500.

Dustin Griffin and Denny Woodworth led the field to green in the 42 lap "Scottie 42" Midwest Big Ten Series UMP Late Model feature. Woodworth would edge out Griffin at the line by inches to lead lap 1. But Griffin used the low groove to take the top spot away from Woodworth on lap 2. The side-by-side battle for the lead was slowed on lap 3, when a tire in turn 2 was clipped onto the racing surface to bring out the yellow. On the restart Justin Reed used the momentum off the top of turn 4 to go from third to first. Just after the completion of lap 4, another caution appeared. This time David Wietholder, who was driving Jim Moon's back up car, spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Reed grabbed the lead on the restart, with Griffin and Jason Perry, who started 7th, close behind. Reed then started to pull away from the field, until McKay Wenger closed in on his back bumper by lap 15. Reed, who mostly used the top of the track, and Wenger, who was using the bottom, split lapped traffic, and raced side-by-side over the next 6 laps. Wenger was able to clear Reed for the lead on lap 22.

The action up front was slowed for the third time on the completion of lap 22, as Clint Kirkham and DeWayne Kiefer collided in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Perry, who was running inside the top 6, spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Wenger move back out front over Reed and Griffin. While all eyes were on Wenger, Mark Burgtorf, the 16 time track champion at Quincy Raceways who started 11th, was working his way towards the front. On lap 28 Burgtorf over took Reed for 2nd, with Reed coming back on lap 29 to grab the spot back. But Burgtorf wouldn't give up, as he finally cleared Reed on lap 30 and then went to work on chasing down Wenger for the lead. Burgtorf was able to close within a few cars lengths of Wenger. But Wenger was able to hold on to pick up his biggest Late Model feature win of his career. Burgtorf was 2nd, Reed was 3rd, Woodworth was 4th, with Griffin rounding out the top 5.
McKay Wenger of Fairbury, IL won his biggest Late Model feature of his career to date on Sunday, May 15th at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL during the "Scottie 42".

Up next was the 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Hunter Gainer and Kenneth Bringer making up the front row for the event. But it was third place starter Wesley Mayfield who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Nathan Bringer, who started 8th, and Gainer. Brandon Lennox, who started 11th, used the top of the track to take the top spot away from Mayfield on lap 5. Just after the completion of lap 5, Gainer would spin in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Mayfield, who was running second, spun in turn 2 and collected Dakota Anderson and Robert Thompson to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Joey Gower, who started 9th and was running 4th, slow to a stop in turn 4 with a broken right front to bring the caution back out. A third attempt of a restart had Lennox move back out front, with Tony Dunker, who started 10th, and Austin Howes, who graduated high school earlier in the day and started 13th, close behind. Dunker would look high and low to try and get around Lennox for the lead over the next 6 laps, but each time Lennox was able to hold him off.

The action up front was slowed on lap 12, when Anderson spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Once again Lennox jumped out into the lead on the restart, with Dunker and Howes close behind. Again Dunker tried everything to get the lead away from Lennox, only to have the red light come on at lap 14. Jim Lynch, who started 12th and was running 6th, had a fire that required the fire crew to put out. Disaster would strike four of the top running cars on the restart, as Dunker got into the back of Lennox. Which sent Lennox spinning in turn 4 and collected Austen Becerra, who started 14th and was running 4th, and Mayfield. Howes inherited the lead on the following restart, with Nathan Bringer and Justin Ebbing, who started 7th, close behind. Howes looked to be heading to his first win of the season, until lap 16 when he dropped a drive shaft in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Bringer grabbed the lead and then held off Ebbing at the line to pick up his first career win. Ebbing was 2nd, Levi Long was 3rd, Dunker recovered from his involvement on lap 14 to come back up to finish 4th, with Mayfield also recovering from the wreck on lap 14 to come back up to finish 5th.
Nathan Bringer won his first career IMCA SportMod feature on Sunday, May 15th at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL.

The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Brandon Herron and Jeffery DeLonjay leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But it was eighth place starter Brandon Lambert who quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over DeLonjay and Seith Woodruff. Lambert then held the top spot until lap 6, when Brandon Reu slipped under him coming of turn 4 to take over the top spot. Despite a late race challenge from Lambert, Reu was able to hold on to claim his first win of the season. Lambert settled for 2nd, Casey Lambert came from 10th to finish in 3rd, DeLonjay was 4th, with Kimberly Abbott coming back up to finish 5th after she fell to the rear on the start.
Brandon Reu got the bad luck of his back so far during the 2016 racing season by winning the IMCA Sport Compact feature at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL on Sunday, May 16th.

Notes from Quincy: Jake Wenig had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the IMCA Stock Car feature......Frankie Wellman had troubles in Modified time trials that forced him to scratch from the rest of the night......Gordy Gundaker started the Late Model feature in 17th and passed 11 cars to come home in 6th....Jim Moon started 13th and finished 7th....Greg Kimmons passed 13 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish in 8th....Bo Brockway came from 18th to finish in 10th....Reid Millard started 19th and finished 11th....Derek Fetter and Cliff Powell had troubles in time trials that forced them to scratch for the night......Brandyn Ryan started the SportMod feature in 15th and passed 8 cars to finish 7th....Kody Dark came from 18th to finish in 9th....Tanner Klingele had troubles in hot laps with his primary car and was going to be forced to watch from the trailer. But Jon Lear would loan him his car for the night, and after being involved in a wreck in the heat race. He only made a few laps in the feature to be credited with 18th......Cory Baze started the Sport Compact feature in 11th and finished 8th....Alyssa Steele had troubles in her heat race that forced her to scratch from the feature.

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