Kile Family Brings Hope Back to Racing at the West Liberty Raceway

West Liberty, IA (Saturday, August 11, 2018) - Back during the off season when many tracks were releasing their 2018 racing schedules, many people wondered why there was no scheduled put out for the West Liberty Raceway in West Liberty, Iowa. Everyone would speculate, and many even thought they knew the reasons, but nothing was ever published by the group that held the lease for the track in 2018 on the reasons why there would be no racing at the West Liberty Raceway.

Just when it looked like the track located on the Muscatine County Fairgrounds would sit idol for the 2018 season, along came Eldon, which most know as "Bud", Kile. He owns and operates Kile Motorsports, which sells many parts and accessories for all your racing needs, stepped up and put together a one race deal. The original date that was released for the event was in conflict with another event, so they pushed it back to Saturday, August 11th. He would offer a $2,000 top prize to the Modifieds, $1,000 to win the Late Models, $700 to win for the Stock Cars and SportMods, and $300 to win the Sport Compacts.

The efforts of the Kile family and everyone else associated with this event paid off. As 143 race teams and more than 3,000 people in the grandstands packed into the fairgrounds to show their support. After 17 heat races and 4 B-Mains to help set the fields, it was time to go feature racing.

Up first was the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Matt Picray and Brad Tyler leading the field to green. Picray took advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Damon Murty and Tyler. The lead for Picray only lasted for 1 lap, as Murty slipped under him to take over the top spot on lap 2. While Murty set a fast pace out front, John Oliver Jr., who started 7th, Tyler, Tom Cannon, and David Brandies, who started 8th, raced two wide for positions third thru sixth. Without a caution to bunch the field up, there was no catching Murty. As he cruised to an easy win and picked up the $700 top prize. Picray was 2nd, Oliver Jr. was 3rd, Brandies was 4th, with Corey Strothman coming home in 5th.

Alex Hayes and Shawn Slaughter made up the front row for the 15 lap Sport Compact feature. But it was third place starter Cody VanDusen who edged out the lead on lap 1 by inches over Hayes and Steven Struck, as the three raced down the front straightaway three wide. Hayes would get past VanDusen to take the top spot on lap 2. But that only lasted for 1 lap, as Struck got under him coming off turn 4 to lead lap 4. The action was slowed for the first time of the race on the completion of lap 3, as VanDusen slowed to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Struck jumped back out front, with Hayes and Cody Phillips following close behind. Another lap scored complete, lap 4, another caution appeared, as Ashley Reuman stopped in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Struck moved back out front on the restart, with Phillips and Ryan Walker, who started 9th, close behind. While Struck set the pace out front, Kyle Boyd over took Phillips and Walker to move into the runner up spot on lap 6. Then just after lap 6 was scored complete, Hayes would slow to a stop down the front stretch to bring out the final caution of the race. On the restart Struck jumped back out front, with Boyd and Phillips following. Boyd tried to keep pace with Struck, but Struck was to strong on this night as he pulled away for the $300 victory. Boyd was 2nd, Darin Smith started 7th and finished 3rd, Walker was 4th, with Phillips holding on for 5th.

The 25 lap SportMod feature was next, with Cody Harris and Charlie Weber drawing the front row. Harris would take advantage of his starting spot to jump out front on lap 1 over Jarrett Franzen and Weber. While Harris paced the field out front, Dalton Simonsen, who started 7th, and Brayton Carter, who started 12th, were working their way towards the front. Simonsen would slip under Harris coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot away from him on lap 13. Two laps later, lap 15, Carter would work himself into second. But before the lap was scored complete the first and only caution of the race appeared to put him back in third for the restart. Kyle Eller spun in turn 1 on lap 14 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Simonsen moved back out front, with Carter and Kurt Kile, who was driving Troy Philpott's #11B car, close behind. Carter would follow in Simonsen's tire tracks over the next 5 laps. Then coming off turn 2 to complete lap 21, Carter was able to slip under Simonsen to take over the top spot. Carter then held off Simonsen over the final laps to pick up the win and the $700 top prize to go with it. Simonsen settled for 2nd, Kile was 3rd, Logan Anderson was 4th, with Tim Plummer rounding out the top 5.

Chris Horn and Chad Holladay made up the front row for the 30 lap Late Model feature, with Holladay jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Horn and Nick Marolf. The action was slowed for the first time of the event on lap 2, as Jay Johnson slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Holladay, who was running the low to middle groove, and Andy Eckrich, who was up top, raced side-by-side around the 1/2 mile, with Holladay leading by inches at the line. Eckrich would finally use the momentum off the top of the track to grab the top spot on lap 5 by inches. The pace that Eckrich was setting would put him into lapped traffic by lap 10. One lap after entering lapped traffic, lap 11, Eckrich would be slowed for a caution. Curran Becker slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Holladay used the top of the track to get up beside Eckrich for the lead. But at the strip Eckrich would hold the top spot, that was until lap 13. Holladay was able to use the momentum off the top of turn 2 to take over the lead. On lap 19 Holladay would enter lapped traffic, and then on lap 21 he went low going into turn 3 to lap Aric Becker. I couldn't tell if there was any contact between the two, as Becker spun to the top of the track and was hit by Justin Kay, who was running 4th after starting in 10th, to bring out a yellow. Holladay grabbed the lead on the restart, with Eckrich and Horn close behind. Eckrich would stay close to Holladay over the final laps, but Holladay was able to hold on to pick up the win and the $1,000 check to go with it. Andy Eckrich was 2nd, Horn was 3rd, Denny Eckrich started 11th and finished 4th, with Marolf coming home in 5th.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 30 lap Modified feature, with Jeff Larson and Chris Zogg leading the field to green. Larson took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Zogg, and Dan Brockert. The action was slowed for the first time of the race on lap 3, as Jacob Murray slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kurt Kile, Brad Dierks, Larry Herring, Steve Johnson, Gus Hughes, Derrick Stewart, and Bruce Hanford were collected in a wreck in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Larson jump back out front, with Jarrett Brown, who started 5th, and Chad Holladay, who started 7th, close behind. While the top three battled, Justin Kay, who started 8th, was working his way into the battle. On lap 9 Brown used the bottom of the track coming off turn 4 to grab the lead away from Larson. But that lead only lasted until turn 2, as Kay slipped under him coming off turn 2 to come around to lead lap 10. Kay then started to pull away from the field, when he entered lapped traffic on lap 20. This would slow his process enough to allow Brown and Holladay to close in on him on lap 25. But Kay would use a couple of other lapped cars to hold them off and claim the $2,000 victory. Brown was 2nd, Holladay was 3rd, Zogg was 4th, with Kenny Kostenbader crossing the line in 5th. But when the final results came out, it showed Kostenbader credited with 26th. After doing some checking, I found out that he was disqualified for being light at the scales. This would move Chris Simpson up to 5th, after starting in 13th.

Notes fro WL: 40 SportMods, 39 Modifieds, 25 Sport Compacts, 21 Late Models, and 18 Stock Cars made up the 143 cars signed in for the night......Jesse Owens started the Stock Car feature in 10th and would finish 7th....John Hemsted came from 16th to finish in 9th....Brandon Jay finished 10th after starting in 14th....Scott Jordan was a scratch......Seth Keiser started the Sport Compact feature in 12th and would come home in 7th....Tyler Rock finished 10th after starting in 15th....Dustin Frymoyer started 14th and finished 11th....Cody Bowman finished 12th after starting in 20th....Cody VanDusen returned to the track one lap down after bringing out the caution on lap 3. He would be credited with a 13th place finish....Chris Maxwell started 23rd and finished 14th......Blaine Webster finished the SportMod feature in 6th after starting in 11th....Shane Paris, who won one of the B-Mains, started 14th and finished 7th....Mitch Monternanch came from 16th to finish in 9th....Brandon Dale charged from his 25th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Austin Heacock started 20th and finished 11th....Brandon Banks, who was driving Andrew Swailes #13s car, finished 14th after starting in 18th....Sklyer Harroun finished 16th after starting in 19th....Jarrett VanDenBerg charged from 26th to finish in 17th....Brandon Schulties finished 18th after starting in 24th....Scott Brau started 22nd and finished 19th......Ron Boyse finished 7th in the Late Model feature after starting in 13th....Derrick Stewart drove Nick Marolf's back-up car and would start the feature in 19th. He then passed 10 cars to come home in 9th....Tim Simpson started 17th and finished 12th....Steve Hunter finished 15th after starting in 18th....Cord Williams, who moved up from the Street Stock class, started 21st and finished 16th....Nick Marolf started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 7th....Eric Barnes charged from 20th to finish 8th....Logan Anderson came from 17th to finish in 10th....Dakota Hayden finished 11th after starting in 16th....Jeff Waterman started 21st and finished 12th....Jerry Luloff came from 26th to finish in 14th....Derek Walker finished 15th after starting in 25th.

The only down fall on the night was that the final checkered flag waved at around 12:30 AM. Could there be a few things done to help speed up the night? Maybe some of them would include cutting the laps given for hot laps, adopting a "one spin an your in" rule in the heat and B-Mains, divide the classes up to separate those who ran two classes. Yeah, I know that is tough because you had drivers running SportMods and Modifieds, and drivers who ran Late Models and Modifieds. Even though the wait time between the Late Model feature ending and the Modified feature beginning was only about 15 minutes, any saved time is big. Finally one other thing maybe to cut time from victory lane photos. Again I know it is nice to let the crowd come out and join the winner's for pictures is important. But to allow them to stand and chat is valuable down time lost.

With the great turn out does this mean West Liberty is showing this is the kind of support you could get on a weekly program? I am not certain of that, as a nice payout was posted to attract the drivers. What would happen if a weekly payout was offered weekly or bi-weekly? Could you attract the same support? Do you sanction the track? Or go non sanctioned and offer a draw / redraw program? I think if you have a positive and friendly staff, like Kile put together, that would help to keep the momentum going for how long who knows.

For the drivers in and around the West Liberty Raceway, let's hope this night shows what the future may have to offer for somebody in 2019!!!