Quincy, IL (Sunday, April 9, 2017) - After having their 2017 racing season fall to rain last Sunday, the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois was able to kick-off their season on Sunday. It also marked the debut of the UMP Pro (Crate) Late Model class to a limited schedule for this season.
The 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature was the first to take to the track, with Brandon Lennox and Joey Gower drawing the front row. But it was third place starter Austin Howes who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Gower and Lennox. Jim Gillenwater, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 on lap 4 to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Howes moved back out front, with Lennox over taking Gower for the runner up spot. Two laps later, lap 6, Tim Anders spun off turn 4 and into the wall to bring the yellow light back on for the second time of the race. Once again Howes grabbed the lead on the restart, with Lennox, Austen Becerra, and Tony Dunker battling for the second spot. Howes started to pull away from the battle going on behind him, when the final caution of the race slowed the action. This time Brandon Symmonds slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Howes jumped back out front, with Lennox and Dunker close behind. Dunker went to the top of the track to clear Lennox for second on lap 16, and then set his sights on Howes, who was running the bottom, for the top spot. But Howes was able to hold him off at the line to claim the win. Dunker was 2nd, Lennox was 3rd, Justin Ebbing, who was suppose to start 9th, had to go to the rear after being pushed out of staging climbed his way up to finish 4th, with Becerra rounding out the top 5.
Up next was the 20 lap UMP Pro Late Model feature, with AJ May, the 2016 UMP Pro Late Model National Champion, and Tommy Elston leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Elston would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over May and Denny Woodworth. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first caution appeared, as Derek Sammons spun off turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Sam Halstead, who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Elston move back out front, with Woodworth over taking May for second. Elston then started to pull away from the battle behind him, when he encountered a couple of lapped cars racing side-by-side. This would allow Woodworth and May to cut into his straight-away lead. In fact Woodworth was able to pull up next to Elston down the front stretch on lap 17. But Elston would slice his way through the lapped cars coming off turn 2, and was able to hold on over the final laps to pick up the win. Woodworth was 2nd, May was 3rd, Tommy Sheppard Jr was 4th, with Halstead recovering from his spin on the lap 1 restart to come back up to 5th.
Russ Coultas and Rick Conoyer made up the front row for the 20 lap UMP Modified feature, when Ray Bollinger, who won the first heat race, rolled a 6 to invert the first 3 rows of the feature. Conoyer would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Coultas and Shawn Deering. While everyone went to the bottom of the track, Jason Frankel, who started 5th, decided to try the top. The move would pay off early, as he moved into second on lap 4. But on lap 12 he slipped over the track in turn 1 and fell back to 4th. After seeing how well the top worked for Frankel, Bollinger and Dave Wietholder, who started 7th, went to the top to try and work their way towards the front. On lap 15 Bollinger pulled into the runner up spot, but was a full straight-away behind Conoyer for the lead. Coming off turn 4 on the white flag lap, Bollinger was able to slip past Conoyer for the lead, and then held him off on the final lap to pick up the win. Conoyer was 2nd, Wietholder was 3rd, Deering was 4th, with Frankel coming home in 5th.
The 25 lap UMP Super Late Model feature was up next, with Rusty Schlenk and McKay Wenger leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Schlenk jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Jason Perry and Wenger. Wenger used the top of the track to over take Perry for the runner up spot on lap 2, and then tried to keep pace with Schlenk. Even though Schlenk entered lapped traffic on lap 11, and with out a caution to slow him down, there was no catching Schlenk on this night. He would cruise to an easy win. Followed by Wenger in 2nd, Denny Woodworth in 3rd, Alan Westling started 7th and finished 4th, with Justin Reed coming from 8th to round out the top 5.
Despite the IMCA Stock Car field only having four start the race, after Rudy Zaragoza hit the wall hard in the heat race and had to scratch from the feature, the action up front was very entertaining for the first half of the 12 lap race. Jerry Jansen and Abe Huls drew the front row, with Jansen edging out Huls at the line to lead lap 1. Jansen then held the lead until lap 3, when Huls used the top of the track to take over the top spot. This would leave Jansen to have to defend off Michael Larsen and Brian Hoener, for the runner up spot. While Huls started to pull away, the battle for second went two and three wide at times. That was until late in the race when Larsen pulled off with a right rear flat. This would leave Jansen and Hoener left to battle for second, as Huls held on to claim the win. Hoener edged out Jansen at the line by inches for 2nd, Jansen was 3rd, Larsen was credited with 4th, with Zaragoza credited with 5th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Colton Kleck and Wesley Talley leading the field to green, after outside front row starter Andrew Hughes was a scratch. But it was fourth place starter Barry Taft who shot out into the lead on lap 1 over Craig Bangert, who started 6th, and Darin Weisinger Jr., who started 7th. Weisinger Jr.'s run up front came to an end on lap 4, when he pulled off with a right front flat. The action was slowed for the first and only time on lap 8, when Brandon Lambert slowed to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Taft jumped back out front, with Bangert and Brandon Reu, who started 10th, now running third. While Bangert tried to work under Taft over the final laps, Reu had to fight off Jake Dietrich for the third spot. But Taft was able to hold off Bangert at the line to pick up the win. Bangert settled for 2nd, Dietrich edged out Reu at the line for 3rd, giving Reu 4th, with Kimberly Abbott coming from 11th to finish in 5th.
Notes from Quincy: 17 IMCA Sport Compacts, 15 IMCA SportMods, 14 UMP Pro Late Models, 12 UMP Super Late Models, 11 UMP Modifieds, and 5 IMCA Stock Cars made up the 73 cars signed in on opening night......Jim Gillenwater recovered from his spin on lap 4 of the SportMod feature to come back up to finish 6th....Chuck Ancell climbed back into a race car after several years, and finished 9th after starting in 15th....Nathan Anders had troubles after his heat race to for him to scratch from the feature......Brandon Savage moved out of the Stock Car class to the Pro Late Models for 2017. He looked real racy in finishing in 7th....Josh Jackson started 11th and finished 8th....Trent Grotz started 12th and finished 9th......Donovan Lodge finished 7th in the Modified feature after starting in 11th......Clint Kirkham drove a car for Charles VanZandt in the Super Late Model feature. Where he started 12th and finished 9th....Rickey Frankel had troubles in the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Casey Lambert started 9th in the Sport Compact feature and finished 6th....Mike Hornung Jr. came from 13th to finish in 9th....Ashton Blain finished 10th after starting in 14th....Andrew Hughes, Josh Barnes and Jeffrey DeLonjay all had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature....While Aylssa Steele rolled a couple time in her heat race to force her to scratch from the feature. She did climb from the car okay.
This Friday the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa will try for the third time to get their 2017 racing season started, as the two day Spring Extravaganza fell to rain. This will also mark the first night that the Crate Late Models will be sanctioned by UMP. Also racing will be the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and IMCA Sport Compacts. If you haven't been to the Lee County Speedway, then I would encourage you to come check it out. The racing is always entertaining, and at a cheap price of $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, students 11-17 $5, and kids 10 & under FREE to get into the grandstands with Late Models racing weekly. The fairboard has also did some upgrades over the winter, with a new kitchen and bathrooms put up in the pits. As well as a new PA system being installed.
Then on Saturday is the event everyone looks forward to every year, that is the "Slocum 50" at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. This is the 9th year friends and family have put together this race to honor Brent Slocum, who lost his life in a pit accident several years ago at the track. With the help of many sponsors and contributors the Open Late Model purse will again pay $10,555 to win. But the to start the 50 lap feature it has been raised to $750. The 305 Sprints will be going for $1,555 to win, while the IMCA Stock Cars will race for $1,055 to win.
We need everyone to think go vibes for the weekend, as mother nature keeps hinting on the "R" word for the next 3 days. Let's hope to go racing this weekend!!!
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