Memphis, MO (Saturday, March 18, 2017) - Saturday night was the final night of the "Memphis Spring Nationals" at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri presented by J&J Ag. And with temperatures expected to fall in the 30's, the nights action was moved up an hour from the scheduled time. That move paid off with a fast paced show, as the first green flag waved at 5:55 PM and the final checkered flag falling at 8:20 pm.
The 14 lap Hobby Stock feature was the first to take to the track, with Scott Shull and Daniel Wauters drawing the front row. Wauters would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Nathan Ballard, who started 4th, and Shull. But his lead only last for 1 lap, as Ballard went to the very top of the track coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot on lap 2. Ballard then started to pull away, as Wauters, Shull and Damon Murty, who won Friday nights feature in Bill Bonnett's #19, battled for the runner up spot. Without a caution there was no catching Ballard, who cruised to an easy win. Shull won the battle for 2nd, Wauters held on for 3rd, Murty was 4th, with Mike Kincaid coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap SportMod feature, with Jason McDaniel and Tyler Soppe leading the field to the drop of the green flag. McDaniel jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Soppe and Carter VanDenBerg. Just as McDaniel started to put some distance on the battle behind him, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 5. Brandon Symmonds would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart VanDenBerg slid up in front of McDaniel coming off turn 2 to grab the lead going down the backstretch. But third place runner Soppe would drive it hard into turn 3 on the bottom and slid up in front of VanDenBerg coming off turn 4 to take the lead. Three laps later, lap 9, the second and final caution of race came out for debris in turn 2.
Soppe moved back out front on the restart, while Brandon Lennox, who started 20th and used the bottom of the track to get to the front, over took VanDenBerg for second. Lennox then followed in Soppe's tire tracks over the next 5 laps, when he got sideways in turn 3 and fell back to 3rd. This would allow Soppe to pull away over the final 3 laps to pick up the $1,500 top prize. McDaniel was 2nd, Lennox was 3rd, VanDenBerg was 4th, with Brayton Carter, who won Friday night, rounding out the top 5.
Michael Larsen and Dustin Griffiths drew the front row for the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Griffiths grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Jeff Mueller, who started 4th, and Damon Murty, who started 6th. Griffiths, who was working the top of the track, then held off Mueller, who was working the bottom, until lap 5 when Mueller slipped under him coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot. Just after the completion of lap 5 the first caution of the race appeared, as Cody Washburne spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller jumped back out front, as Murty and Mike Hughes went to the bottom of the track to get past Griffiths for second and third. While the lead trio worked the bottom of the track, Cayden Carter, who started 10th, worked the top of the track to move into fourth by the midway portion of the race.
The action up front was slowed for the second time, as Washburne spun in turn 4 on lap 12 to bring out his second involvement caution to end his night. Mueller once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Murty and Carter glued to his back bumper. Murty and Carter tried to get under Mueller over the next 4 laps, when the final caution appeared on lap 17 to set up a 3 lap shootout. This time Larsen would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller moved back out front, with Carter slipping past Murty for the runner up spot. Despite several challenges from Carter over the final laps, Mueller was able to hold on to claim his second win of the weekend and the $1,500 top prize to go with it. Carter settled for 2nd, Murty was 3rd, Hughes was 4th, with Griffiths holding on for 5th.
Up next was the 14 lap Sport Compact feature, with Brandon Lambert and Steven Struck leading the field to the drop of the green. Struck took advantage of his draw to jump out front on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert and Casey Lambert. While Struck worked the top of the track, with Brandon Lambert following in his tire tracks, Brandon Reu, who started 9th, was working his way towards the front by using the bottom of the track. On lap 8, Reu would slip under Brandon Lambert for the runner up spot and then went to work on Struck for the lead. Struck and Reu would come off turn 4 on lap 11 side-by-side, with Reu grabbing the top spot away from Struck on lap 12. Reu then held off Struck over the final 2 laps of the caution free race to pick up the win. But Reu was later disqualified in tech for a ported cylinder head. This would give Struck the win. Brandon Lambert held off Cody VanDusen, who started 8th, on the final lap to be moved up to 2nd. VanDusen was moved to 3rd, Luke Benischek was moved to 4th, with Levi Heath being moved to 5th after starting in 12th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 25 lap Modifieds, with Friday nights winner Hunter Marriott and Blake Woodruff drawing the front row. Marriott quickly shot out into the lead on the drop of the green flag, with Colt Mather and Cayden Carter close behind. While Marriott was setting a fast pace around the top of the track, Kyle Brown, who started 10th, was using the bottom of the track to work his way towards the front. Marriott started to enter lapped traffic on lap 10, which slowed his pace down. On lap 16, Brown worked his way into the runner up spot and then went to work on chasing down Marriott for the lead. Marriott and Brown came off turn 4 on lap 21 side-by-side, with Brown grabbing the top spot away on lap 22. Brown then held on over the final 3 laps of the caution free race to pick up the win and the $2,000 top prize. Marriott was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Kelly Shryock was 4th, with Kurt Kile coming from 12th, for the second night in a row, to finish in 5th.
The Scotland County Speedway will now sit idol until Thursday, June 1st, when the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models take to the big wide 3/8th mile. Joining the Late Models will be the Modifieds, Stock Cars, SportMods and Sport Compacts. Coming up this weekend, Friday, March 24th and Saturday, March 25th, will be the 5th Annual "Spring Extravaganza" at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. Check out the tracks website at www.leecountyspeedway.com for more information.
Notes from SCS night 2: 23 Modifieds, 23 Stock Cars, 21 Sport Compacts, 20 SportMods, and 10 Hobby Stocks made up the 97 cars signed in for the final night of the "Memphis Spring Nationals"......Dylan Nelson started the Hobby Stock feature in 10th and finished 6th......Brian Efkamp finished 8th in the SportMod feature after starting in 11th....Scott Walker once again drove his son Ryan Walker's #9w car and finished 12th....Brandon Symmonds recovered from his spin on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 14th....Dakota Anderson had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Kyle Frederick from Oconto, Wisconsin finished 7th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Nathan Wood came from 12th to finish in 8th....Jason Cook finished 9th after starting in 16th....Tyler Pickett passed 10 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to come home in 12th....Dean Kratzer started 23rd and finished 18th......Dustin Forbes started the Sport Compact feature in 14th and finished 8th....Travis Tedrow passed 10 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish in 11th....Alvin Cooney finished 12th after starting in 16th....David Prim came from 17th to finish in 13th....Alyssa Steele started 19th and finished 14th....Cameron Poci had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Andrew Schroeder started the Modified feature in 11th and finished 6th....Tyler Droste charged from 22nd to finish in 8th....Jeff Waterman finished 9th after starting in 14th....Jason Murray passed 13 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 10th....Jardin Fuller started 16th and finished 12th....David Wietholder for the second night in a row had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Marriott, Mueller, Carter, Murty, and Barnes Score "Memphis Spring Nationals" Opening Night Wins
Memphis, MO (Friday, March 17, 2017) - St. Patrick's Day 2017 turned out to be the season kick-off for the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. As J&J Ag helped present the "Memphis Spring Nationals", on what started out to be a decent night and turned into somewhat of a brisk cool evening.
The 14 lap Sport Compact feature started the night off, with Brandon Reu and Levi Heath drawing the front row for the event. But it was fourth place starter Josh Barnes who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Reu and Brandon Lambert. Just after the completion of lap 1, Casey Lambert slowed to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Barnes moved back out front, with Reu and Brandon Lambert close behind. Three laps later, on lap 5, Brandon Lambert's night came to an abrupt stop. As he came to a stop in turn 3 with fire coming out of the rear of the car. Barnes once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Reu and now Jake Benischek, who started 14th, following close behind. Neither Reu nor Benischek could find away around Barnes, who held on to pick up the win. Reu settled for 2nd, Luke Benischek was 3rd, Heath was 4th, with Kenny Smith rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Cayden Carter and Jeff Mueller drawing the front row. Mueller would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Hughes and John Oliver Jr. The action up front was slowed only 1 time, as Tyler Pickett spun in turn 4 on lap 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller jumped back out front, with Hughes and Carter following close behind. Hughes and Carter would follow in Mueller's tire tracks around the top of the speedway over the final 17 laps, and was waiting for him to make a mistake. But Mueller would hold them off to pick up the $1,000 top prize. Hughes was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Damon Murty started 10th and finished 4th, with Todd Reitzler coming from 12th to finish in 5th.
The SportMod 18 lap feature was next to take to the track, with Brayton Carter using his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Tyler Soppe and Brandon Lennox. Just after the completion of lap 1, the caution would appear to slow the action down. As Jake Whittington and Kevin Dickey spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Carter moved back out front, with Lennox getting by Soppe for the runner up spot. Carter then started to pull away from the battle behind, when a second caution appeared on lap 7. This time Brian Efkamp spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Carter jumped out front on the restart, with Lennox and Carter VanDenBerg, who started 11th, moving into third. Two laps later, on lap 9, Jason McDaniel spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on.
Carter would grab the lead on the restart, with Lennox, VanDenBerg, Soppe, Austin Luellen battling for the runner up spot. With the battle going on behind him, Carter started to pull away. Carter's almost straight-away was erased on lap 13, when Jami Ritter spun in turn 1 and collected Whittington to bring out the final caution of the race. On the restart Carter moved back out front, with Soppe going from fourth to second to get around Lennox and VanDenBerg. There was no catching Carter, as he pulled away over the final 7 laps to pick up the $1,000 top prize. Soppe held on for 2nd, Lennox was 3rd, VanDenBerg was 4th, with Luellen coming home in 5th.
Only 9 Hobby Stocks showed up for night 1, with Damon Murty, who was driving Bill Bonnett's #19 car, moving out front on the drop of the green flag in the 14 lap race. Just like the Stock Car feature, August Bach and Scott Shull followed in Murty's tire tracks around the top of the speedway and was waiting for him to make a mistake. But disaster would strike Bach on lap 12 when he got into the backstretch guardrail and rolled to bring out the red. Bach would climb from his car okay. On the restart Murty jumped back out front, with Shull and Mike Kincaid close behind. Murty would hold off a last lap challenge from Shull to claim the win. Shull settled for 2nd, Kincaid was 3rd, Dylan Nelson was 4th, with Daniel Wauters rounding out the top 5.
The 25 lap Modified feature was the last to take to the track, with Cayden Carter and Michael Dotson leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag waved the yellow light would come on, as David Snyder lost a drive shaft down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Carter would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Hunter Marriott and Shawn Ritter. Marriott would slid up in front of Carter coming off turn 4 to take the lead away on lap 2. The trio would then start to pull away from the rest of the field. Carter was able to get up beside Marriott for the top spot, as they entered lapped traffic on lap 13. But when Dotson spun in turn 4 on lap 14 that would slow the action down and bring the field back to the top two's back bumper.
On the restart Ritter spun in turn 1 and collected Johnny Wyman to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Marriott jump back out front, with Carter, Kelly Shryock, who started 9th, and Clint Luellen battling for the runner up spot. Just like before the caution appeared, Marriott and Carter started to pull away from the battle behind them. And once again they would enter lapped traffic on lap 22, which allowed Carter to get up beside Marriott. But Marriott was able to hold him off over the final lap to pick up the $1,000 check. Carter was 2nd, Luellen was 3rd, Kurt Kile started 12th and finished 4th, with Shryock coming home in 5th.
Notes from SCS night 1: 26 Modifieds, 26 Stock Cars, 23 Sport Compacts, 20 SportMods, and 9 Hobby Stocks made up the 104 cars signed in for competition......Travis Tedrow passed 12 cars from his 20th place starting spot in the Sport Compact feature to come home in 8th....Alyssa Steele started 13th and finished 9th....Ashton Blain came from 17th to finish 11th....Mike Hornung Jr. finished 12th after starting in 21st....Jaden DeLonjay came from 23rd to finish 15th....Jake Benischek was running 3rd when he pulled off on the last lap to finish 16th....Jeffrey DeLonjay was suppose to start 12th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Dustin Griffith started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 6th....Kyle Frederick, who made the long pull down from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, finished 9th after starting in 15th....Tyler Pickett, who spun on lap 3 to bring out the caution, recovered to come home in 14th....Dallon Murty, Damon Murty's 13 year old son, raced his dads back-up car and elected to start from the rear. He would come up to finish in 15th....Chase Exline started 22nd and finished 16th....Odie Cook, Dan Gordon, and Greg Harsch all had troubles in the heat that forced them to scratch from the B-Main for a chance to move onto the feature......Brandon Dale finished 8th in the SportMod feature after starting in 12th....Scott Walker, who drove his son's Ryan Walker's #9w, started 18th and passed 9 cars to come home in 9th....Kevin Dickey recovered from being involved in the lap 1 caution to come back up to finish 10th....Colton Livezey, Andrew Swailes, and Austen Becerra all had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Colt Mather started the Modified feature in 11th and finished 7th....Jardin Fuller passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Matt Fulton finished 10th after starting 13th....Blake Woodruff passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish 9th....Zach Rawlins started 21st and finished 13th....Andrew Schroeder, who started 7th and was up to 3rd, pulled off under the lap 14 caution with right front troubles to end his night in 16th....Michael Long had engine troubles in hot laps and scratched for the night....David Wietholder also had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night.
The 14 lap Sport Compact feature started the night off, with Brandon Reu and Levi Heath drawing the front row for the event. But it was fourth place starter Josh Barnes who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Reu and Brandon Lambert. Just after the completion of lap 1, Casey Lambert slowed to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Barnes moved back out front, with Reu and Brandon Lambert close behind. Three laps later, on lap 5, Brandon Lambert's night came to an abrupt stop. As he came to a stop in turn 3 with fire coming out of the rear of the car. Barnes once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Reu and now Jake Benischek, who started 14th, following close behind. Neither Reu nor Benischek could find away around Barnes, who held on to pick up the win. Reu settled for 2nd, Luke Benischek was 3rd, Heath was 4th, with Kenny Smith rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Cayden Carter and Jeff Mueller drawing the front row. Mueller would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Hughes and John Oliver Jr. The action up front was slowed only 1 time, as Tyler Pickett spun in turn 4 on lap 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller jumped back out front, with Hughes and Carter following close behind. Hughes and Carter would follow in Mueller's tire tracks around the top of the speedway over the final 17 laps, and was waiting for him to make a mistake. But Mueller would hold them off to pick up the $1,000 top prize. Hughes was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Damon Murty started 10th and finished 4th, with Todd Reitzler coming from 12th to finish in 5th.
The SportMod 18 lap feature was next to take to the track, with Brayton Carter using his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Tyler Soppe and Brandon Lennox. Just after the completion of lap 1, the caution would appear to slow the action down. As Jake Whittington and Kevin Dickey spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Carter moved back out front, with Lennox getting by Soppe for the runner up spot. Carter then started to pull away from the battle behind, when a second caution appeared on lap 7. This time Brian Efkamp spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Carter jumped out front on the restart, with Lennox and Carter VanDenBerg, who started 11th, moving into third. Two laps later, on lap 9, Jason McDaniel spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on.
Carter would grab the lead on the restart, with Lennox, VanDenBerg, Soppe, Austin Luellen battling for the runner up spot. With the battle going on behind him, Carter started to pull away. Carter's almost straight-away was erased on lap 13, when Jami Ritter spun in turn 1 and collected Whittington to bring out the final caution of the race. On the restart Carter moved back out front, with Soppe going from fourth to second to get around Lennox and VanDenBerg. There was no catching Carter, as he pulled away over the final 7 laps to pick up the $1,000 top prize. Soppe held on for 2nd, Lennox was 3rd, VanDenBerg was 4th, with Luellen coming home in 5th.
Only 9 Hobby Stocks showed up for night 1, with Damon Murty, who was driving Bill Bonnett's #19 car, moving out front on the drop of the green flag in the 14 lap race. Just like the Stock Car feature, August Bach and Scott Shull followed in Murty's tire tracks around the top of the speedway and was waiting for him to make a mistake. But disaster would strike Bach on lap 12 when he got into the backstretch guardrail and rolled to bring out the red. Bach would climb from his car okay. On the restart Murty jumped back out front, with Shull and Mike Kincaid close behind. Murty would hold off a last lap challenge from Shull to claim the win. Shull settled for 2nd, Kincaid was 3rd, Dylan Nelson was 4th, with Daniel Wauters rounding out the top 5.
The 25 lap Modified feature was the last to take to the track, with Cayden Carter and Michael Dotson leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag waved the yellow light would come on, as David Snyder lost a drive shaft down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Carter would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Hunter Marriott and Shawn Ritter. Marriott would slid up in front of Carter coming off turn 4 to take the lead away on lap 2. The trio would then start to pull away from the rest of the field. Carter was able to get up beside Marriott for the top spot, as they entered lapped traffic on lap 13. But when Dotson spun in turn 4 on lap 14 that would slow the action down and bring the field back to the top two's back bumper.
On the restart Ritter spun in turn 1 and collected Johnny Wyman to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Marriott jump back out front, with Carter, Kelly Shryock, who started 9th, and Clint Luellen battling for the runner up spot. Just like before the caution appeared, Marriott and Carter started to pull away from the battle behind them. And once again they would enter lapped traffic on lap 22, which allowed Carter to get up beside Marriott. But Marriott was able to hold him off over the final lap to pick up the $1,000 check. Carter was 2nd, Luellen was 3rd, Kurt Kile started 12th and finished 4th, with Shryock coming home in 5th.
Notes from SCS night 1: 26 Modifieds, 26 Stock Cars, 23 Sport Compacts, 20 SportMods, and 9 Hobby Stocks made up the 104 cars signed in for competition......Travis Tedrow passed 12 cars from his 20th place starting spot in the Sport Compact feature to come home in 8th....Alyssa Steele started 13th and finished 9th....Ashton Blain came from 17th to finish 11th....Mike Hornung Jr. finished 12th after starting in 21st....Jaden DeLonjay came from 23rd to finish 15th....Jake Benischek was running 3rd when he pulled off on the last lap to finish 16th....Jeffrey DeLonjay was suppose to start 12th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Dustin Griffith started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 6th....Kyle Frederick, who made the long pull down from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, finished 9th after starting in 15th....Tyler Pickett, who spun on lap 3 to bring out the caution, recovered to come home in 14th....Dallon Murty, Damon Murty's 13 year old son, raced his dads back-up car and elected to start from the rear. He would come up to finish in 15th....Chase Exline started 22nd and finished 16th....Odie Cook, Dan Gordon, and Greg Harsch all had troubles in the heat that forced them to scratch from the B-Main for a chance to move onto the feature......Brandon Dale finished 8th in the SportMod feature after starting in 12th....Scott Walker, who drove his son's Ryan Walker's #9w, started 18th and passed 9 cars to come home in 9th....Kevin Dickey recovered from being involved in the lap 1 caution to come back up to finish 10th....Colton Livezey, Andrew Swailes, and Austen Becerra all had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Colt Mather started the Modified feature in 11th and finished 7th....Jardin Fuller passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Matt Fulton finished 10th after starting 13th....Blake Woodruff passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish 9th....Zach Rawlins started 21st and finished 13th....Andrew Schroeder, who started 7th and was up to 3rd, pulled off under the lap 14 caution with right front troubles to end his night in 16th....Michael Long had engine troubles in hot laps and scratched for the night....David Wietholder also had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch for the night.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
A Look Back at 2016
Monmouth, IL (Thursday, March 16, 2017) - For the many of you who know me, know how much I spend my time trying to make sure the sport we all enjoy survives for years to come. But during the 2016 racing season I discovered how hard it is to please everyone, and how much social media is going to kill off this sport.
Many times during 2016 I contemplated walking away from this sport that has been a part of my life for 30 years. I also found out who my true friends and supporters are through the good and bad times. Thanks to the many good people I have gotten to know through those 30 years, they showed me over the final three months of the season what great times can still be had.
My 2016 number came in with 80 race nights attended, with most of them coming at the three tracks I worked at during the season. The most being at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa with 17 nights, followed by another track I worked most the season at with 11, and then finishing off with 10 at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois. Coming in next was the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa with 6 nights. A track I returned to working at on Friday nights late in the season, and will be returning to again in 2017. Another track coming in with 6 nights was the Boone Speedway in Boone, Iowa, where I attended the week long IMCA Super Nationals. The Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa was next with 5 nights, and was followed by the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri with 4 nights. Also with 4 nights was the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, where I attended the NASCAR weekend. Other tracks with multiple nights include the Dirt Track at Charlotte, North Carolina with 3 nights of the World Finals events, The Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa and the Marshalltown Speedway in Marshalltown, Iowa both with 2 nights. Then my final event of 2016 was taking in the two nights of racing inside the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Finally the tracks I went to on a single night included the West Liberty Raceway in West Liberty, Iowa, the Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Illinois, the LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, Illinois, the Knox County Fair race in Knoxville, Illinois, the Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois, and the Eldon Raceway in Eldon, Iowa. One last track that I made 1 visit to, which was also the first ever visit to this track, was the Beatrice Speedway in Beatrice, Nebraska.
The following subject matter may be controversial to some of you, but it is something that should be talked about. For several years the major sanctioning bodies have awarded national champions in each of their divisions. And each of those sanctioning bodies have a different way in determining who will be crowned national champions. Is there a correct way to go about determining these nationals champions? One can say yes, and another person may say no. But there is one sanctioning body that does it in a way to promote not only winning races, but winning track championships along the way. While another one awards bonus points to a competitor for the car counts they race against. One may ask why I bring this up, well let me fill you in.
Everybody knows the main reason why a racer takes to the track each night, and that is to hopefully end up in victory lane at the end of that night. The UMP DIRTcar Racing uses a driver's best 30 races towards earning points for the national points chase. And in 2016 Michael Long of Fowler, Illinois ended up in victory lane more than 30 times, which one would thought he would have maxed out his best 30 finishes in the national title. But unfortunately he didn't win the UMP National Championship, he came in a close second to Highland, Illinois native Mike Harrison. Harrison only ended up in victory lane 21 times, which was 9 less than what Long won towards the national title. One might ask how is that possible.
Well what made up the difference was the bonus points award for competing against 20 to 25+ cars in an event. Long, who punches a time clock at work, had to hope each weekend race that he showed up at had more than 20 cars to compete against. Unfortunately that wasn't the case many a times during the season. On the other hand Harrison, who is a farmer, was able to pick and choose the races he wanted to compete in during the season. As a result the majority of his wins came with 20 to 25+ cars to earn the maximum points towards the national championship. So one may ask is UMP set up for a weekend racer or for one who can travel throughout the season.
This Friday, March 17th and Saturday, March 18th kicks off the 2017 racing season in my area, as the "Spring Nationals" takes place at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. The Modifieds, Stock Cars and SportMods will race Friday for $1,000 to win. Then if you raced on Friday the Modifieds will have a shot at $2,000 to win on Saturday, the Stock Cars and SportMods will have a chance at $1,500 to win. Otherwise if you can only race Saturday, the Modifieds, Stock Cars, and SportMods will race for $1,000 to win. Both nights will also feature racing in the Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts, with both shooting for a top prize of $300 to win each night. For more information about the "Spring Nationals" you can call Mike Van Genderen at 641-521-0330, or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Scotland-County-Speedway-531042493650646/.
There is plenty of weekly and special events planned for the 2017 season, and to make it easy for one to plan there schedule you are encouraged to check out the calendar page on Positively Racing at http://www.positivelyracing.com/calendar.shtml. But we remind you that schedules are subject to change without notice, so make sure you call or check the tracks website before attending a race.
Many times during 2016 I contemplated walking away from this sport that has been a part of my life for 30 years. I also found out who my true friends and supporters are through the good and bad times. Thanks to the many good people I have gotten to know through those 30 years, they showed me over the final three months of the season what great times can still be had.
My 2016 number came in with 80 race nights attended, with most of them coming at the three tracks I worked at during the season. The most being at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa with 17 nights, followed by another track I worked most the season at with 11, and then finishing off with 10 at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois. Coming in next was the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa with 6 nights. A track I returned to working at on Friday nights late in the season, and will be returning to again in 2017. Another track coming in with 6 nights was the Boone Speedway in Boone, Iowa, where I attended the week long IMCA Super Nationals. The Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa was next with 5 nights, and was followed by the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri with 4 nights. Also with 4 nights was the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, where I attended the NASCAR weekend. Other tracks with multiple nights include the Dirt Track at Charlotte, North Carolina with 3 nights of the World Finals events, The Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa and the Marshalltown Speedway in Marshalltown, Iowa both with 2 nights. Then my final event of 2016 was taking in the two nights of racing inside the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Finally the tracks I went to on a single night included the West Liberty Raceway in West Liberty, Iowa, the Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Illinois, the LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, Illinois, the Knox County Fair race in Knoxville, Illinois, the Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois, and the Eldon Raceway in Eldon, Iowa. One last track that I made 1 visit to, which was also the first ever visit to this track, was the Beatrice Speedway in Beatrice, Nebraska.
The following subject matter may be controversial to some of you, but it is something that should be talked about. For several years the major sanctioning bodies have awarded national champions in each of their divisions. And each of those sanctioning bodies have a different way in determining who will be crowned national champions. Is there a correct way to go about determining these nationals champions? One can say yes, and another person may say no. But there is one sanctioning body that does it in a way to promote not only winning races, but winning track championships along the way. While another one awards bonus points to a competitor for the car counts they race against. One may ask why I bring this up, well let me fill you in.
Everybody knows the main reason why a racer takes to the track each night, and that is to hopefully end up in victory lane at the end of that night. The UMP DIRTcar Racing uses a driver's best 30 races towards earning points for the national points chase. And in 2016 Michael Long of Fowler, Illinois ended up in victory lane more than 30 times, which one would thought he would have maxed out his best 30 finishes in the national title. But unfortunately he didn't win the UMP National Championship, he came in a close second to Highland, Illinois native Mike Harrison. Harrison only ended up in victory lane 21 times, which was 9 less than what Long won towards the national title. One might ask how is that possible.
Well what made up the difference was the bonus points award for competing against 20 to 25+ cars in an event. Long, who punches a time clock at work, had to hope each weekend race that he showed up at had more than 20 cars to compete against. Unfortunately that wasn't the case many a times during the season. On the other hand Harrison, who is a farmer, was able to pick and choose the races he wanted to compete in during the season. As a result the majority of his wins came with 20 to 25+ cars to earn the maximum points towards the national championship. So one may ask is UMP set up for a weekend racer or for one who can travel throughout the season.
This Friday, March 17th and Saturday, March 18th kicks off the 2017 racing season in my area, as the "Spring Nationals" takes place at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. The Modifieds, Stock Cars and SportMods will race Friday for $1,000 to win. Then if you raced on Friday the Modifieds will have a shot at $2,000 to win on Saturday, the Stock Cars and SportMods will have a chance at $1,500 to win. Otherwise if you can only race Saturday, the Modifieds, Stock Cars, and SportMods will race for $1,000 to win. Both nights will also feature racing in the Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts, with both shooting for a top prize of $300 to win each night. For more information about the "Spring Nationals" you can call Mike Van Genderen at 641-521-0330, or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Scotland-County-Speedway-531042493650646/.
There is plenty of weekly and special events planned for the 2017 season, and to make it easy for one to plan there schedule you are encouraged to check out the calendar page on Positively Racing at http://www.positivelyracing.com/calendar.shtml. But we remind you that schedules are subject to change without notice, so make sure you call or check the tracks website before attending a race.
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