Donnellson, IA (Friday, May 25, 2018) - What else can be said about mother nature, as it seems like the Pepsi Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa has battled thru some kind of weather condition for most of the 2018 racing season. And that was no different on this Friday night, as rains showers moved in and around the area. But the track would survive this round of rains, with another front building to the northwest and moving towards the track. Thankfully all the nights events, that were being presented by Roberts Tire Center, were completed before the front made it to Donnellson. When the night was over three driver's claimed their first wins of the season, while two others picked up multiple wins.
Up first to take to the track was the 18 lap Discount Tire & Service IMCA SportMods, with Bob Cowman and Ron Kibbe making up the front row. Kibbe took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Austen Becerra, who started 5th, and Brandon Lennox, who stated 7th. The lead for Kibbe lasted for 2 laps, as Lennox slipped past on lap 3 to take over the top spot. Then just after the lap was scored complete the first caution appeared, as Dakota Sapp spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox jumped back out front, with Becerra over taking Kibbe for second. Disaster would strike Kibbe on lap 7, as he spun in turn 1 and collected Adam Niekamp to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox went into turn 3 high, which opened the bottom for Becerra to slid him coming off turn 4 to grab the lead. But Lennox would slip back under Becerra coming off turn 4 to take the top spot back on lap 9. The action up front was slowed on lap 10, as Kyle Hamelton spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Lennox jumped back out front on the restart, with Becerra holding off Brandon Dale, who started 6th, in the battle for second.
One lap later, lap 12, Bob Cowman spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox moved back out front, with Dale over taking Becerra for second. Then just after the lap was scored complete the caution appeared, as Colton Pohren spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. Lennox once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dale and Becerra close behind. Just as Lennox started to pull away, the final caution of the race appeared on lap 17. This time Brandon Niekamp spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow, and set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish. On the restart Lennox jumped back out front, with Dale and Becerra following. Despite a few challenges from Dale over the final laps, Lennox was able to hold on to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Dale was 2nd, Adam Birck, who started 8th, over took Becerra on the final lap to finish 3rd, Becerra was 4th, with Tyler Burton, who started 11th and was making his first appearance of the season at the track, coming home in 5th.
The 20 lap Donnellson Tire & Service IMCA Stock Car feature was up next, with Les Blakley and Cody Washburne leading the field to green. But it was third place starter Ray Raker who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Dean Kratzer, who started 4th, and Jeremy Pundt, who started 6th. Kratzer would use the momentum off the top of the track coming off turn 4 to edge out Raker at the line by inches to lead lap 2. Then just after the lap was scored complete the first and only caution of the race appeared, as Eric Glass spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kratzer jumped back out front, with Pundt and John Oliver Jr., who started 7th, close behind. One lap later, lap 4, Pundt used the bottom of the track to take the top spot away from Kratzer. While Pundt worked the bottom, Oliver Jr. used the top to try and wrestle the lead away from Pundt. Pundt would hold him off until lap 7, when Oliver Jr. was able to complete the pass. While Oliver Jr. set the pace out front, Jason Cook, who started 8th, and Abe Huls, who started 9th, were working there way towards the front. Cook took second on lap 12, as Huls moved into third on lap 15. These two would close in on Oliver Jr. over the final laps, but without a caution to bunch the field up Oliver Jr. would go on to claim his first win of the season at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway. Cook was 2nd, Huls was 3rd, Pundt was 4th, with Raker finishing in 5th.
Levi Smith and Mitch Boles led the field to green in the 20 lap Budweiser IMCA Modified feature, with Smith grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Kelly Buckallew and Boles. Then disaster struck Buckallew after the completion of lap 1, as he spun in turn 1 from his second place running spot to bring out the yellow. On the restart Smith jumped back out front, with Austin Emry and Bill Roberts Jr., who started 9th, close behind. Smith then held the top spot until lap 5, when Roberts Jr. slipped under him coming off turn 4 to take over the lead. Then just after the lap was scored complete a tire was clipped in turn 4 and shoved onto the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Roberts Jr. moved back out front, with Jeff Waterman, who started 8th, over taking Smith for the runner up spot. With two more laps complete Logan Anderson would spin in turn 1 to bring out the final caution of the race. Roberts Jr. once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Waterman and Larry Herring, who started 12th and was making his first visit to the track this season, following close behind. Waterman and Herring tried low and high to get the lead away from Roberts Jr. over the final laps. But Roberts Jr. would hold on to pick up his second win in a row and third of the season at the track. Waterman was 2nd, Herring was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Anderson, who started 14th, recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish 5th.
Up next was the 25 lap Sprint Invaders feature, with Jamie Ball and Justin Buchholz making up the front row. Ball used his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over John Schulz and Brayden Gaylord. The action was slowed for the first time on the completion of lap 1, as Ryan Jamison spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball jumped back out front, with Schulz and Cody Wehrle glued to his back bumper. The second caution of the race slowed the action on lap 5, as McKenna Haase spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Ball once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Schulz and Josh Schneiderman, who started 7th, following close behind. Two laps later, lap 8, Buchholz lost an engine down the front stretch and came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball jumped back out front, with Schulz and Bill Balog, who started 17th, now following closely. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 11 Schulz slid from the bottom to the top to take over the top spot from Ball. Then just when it looked like Schulz would hold on to claim the win, the red flag appeared on lap 22 to set up a three lap shoot out to the finish. Jon Agan, who was running 6th, got upside down in turn 2 to bring out the red. He would climb from his car okay. On the restart Schulz moved back out front, with Balog and Ball close behind. Despite a last lap challenge from Balog, Schulz would hold on to pick up the win. Balog settled for 2nd, Ball was 3rd, Mason Daniel finished 4th after starting in 8th, with Gaylord finishing in 5th.
Kenny Smith and Jake Dietrich led the field to green in the 14 lap Armstrong Tractor IMCA Sport Compact feature, with Dietrich using his starting spot to lead lap 1 over Smith and Mike Reu. Dietrich then started to pull away from the battles going on behind him, and even looked like he might go on to pick up a win. But troubles on lap 5 forced Dietrich to the infield, which handed the lead over to Kimberly Abbott, who started 8th. With Abbott out front, Brandon Reu, who started 7th, and Barry Taft, who started 9th, were battling for second and trying to close on Abbott for the lead. Taft over took Brandon Reu for second on lap 10 and then tried to chase down Abbott for the top spot. But Abbott would hold on to score her first win of the season at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway, and also broke Taft's three race winning streak. Taft settled for 2nd, Brandon Reu was 3rd, Mike Reu was 4th, with Craig Bangert coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
The final feature to take to the track was the 20 lap Steffes Late Models, with Dayton Lynch and Todd Frank on the front row. Frank took advantage of his starting spot to jump out front on lap 1 over Lynch and Jeff Guengerich. Then just after the lap was scored complete Brandon Queen spun in turn 1 to bring out the only caution of the race. On the restart Frank jumped back out front, with Guengerich, Sam Halstead, who started 7th, and Tommy Elston, who started 8th, glued to his back bumper. Halstead would over take Guengerich for second on lap 3, with Elston moving into third on lap 5. Even though Halstead and Elston battled for second, Frank wasn't able to pull away from them. On lap 18 Elston was able to get past Halstead for second, but would run out of laps to mount a challenge on Frank. Who went on to claim his first win of the season at the track, and became the fifth different winner in five races. Elston settled for 2nd, Halstead was 3rd, Ron Boyse was 4th, with Guengerich coming home in 5th.
Notes from LCS: A jammed packed grandstand got to witness some great racing action, on another greatly prepared racing surface......Tony Johnson started the SportMod feature in 9th and finished 6th....Bob Cowman recovered from his spin on lap 12 to come back up to finish 7th....Michael Benjamin finished 8th after starting in 8th....Brandon Niekamp, who started 13th, recovered from his spin on lap 17 to finish in 9th...Kyle Hamelton, who started 15th, also recovered from a spin on lap 10 to finish in 10th....Daniel Fellows had troubles in his heat that forced him to scratch from the feature......Jason See, who returned to the track for the first time after getting upside down back on April 20th, had troubles in his heat that forced him to start the Stock Car feature in 15th. He would pass 9 cars to come home in 6th....Randy Samberg returned to driving a race car after sitting out about 13 years. He would start the feature in 10th and ran as high as 8th before troubles forced him out on lap 10 to give him a 12th place finish......Jarrod Schneiderman passed 12 cars from his 18th place starting spot in the Sprint Invaders feature to come home in 6th....Ryan Jamison recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish 9th....Daniel Bergquist started 15th and finished 12th....John Greenwood finished 13th after starting in 16th......Gunner Frank, who won his first Late Model at the track last Friday, had troubles after his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.
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