Maquoketa, IA (Saturday, May 25, 2019) - With everything getting rained out on Friday night in my area, I decided to find a place that might happen to race on Saturday night. But with more rains over night Friday the choices were getting narrowed down. I did find a track within 100 miles of me racing, and it was a track that I haven't been to for a couple of years. So I decided to make the trip up to the Maquoketa Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa.
After seeing the pictures of what the track looked like after heavy rains moved through the grounds on Friday, one would have thought there was no chance of them being able to race. But the crew worked into the night Friday and Saturday morning to pump the water that was standing on the bottom half of the track off. And with all the water that was standing, one would assume after they pumped it all off it would be rough down there. But that was far from the case, as the race track was nice and smooth from top to bottom. Which produced several two, three and even four wide races throughout the night.
The 20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature was the first to take to the track, with Tom Schmitt and Jimmy Comins scheduled to start on the front row. But Schmitt was offered a challenge to go to the rear for some bonus money if he came back up to win. He took the challenge, which moved Chase Zaruba to the pole. Zaruba took advantage of the move to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Comins and Tim Bader. Just after lap 1 was scored complete, Jared Miller spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Zaruba jumped back out front, with Comins and Donnie Louck, who started 7th, close behind. One lap later, lap 3, Louck got under Zaruba coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot, with Johnny Spaw, who started 6th, following him into second. The next lap, lap 4, Schmitt worked his way into third, by mostly using the top of the track. Spaw tried to work under Louck over the next 8 laps, as Schmitt worked the top side to make it a three car shootout for the win. But the action up front slowed on lap 12, when Chris Hinrichs spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Louck jumped back out front on the restart, with Schmitt slipping under Spaw to grab the runner up spot. But Spaw would get under Schmitt the following lap to grab second back, and then went to work on Louck for the lead. Coming off turn 2 to complete lap 16 Spaw was able to get under Louck and then made the pass coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot. Spaw then held off Louck and Schmitt to claim the win. Louck was 2nd, Schmitt was 3rd, Scott Jordan came from 9th to finish in 4th, with Shane Richardson finishing 5th after starting in 10th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Bobby Taggert and Logan Veloz leading the field to green. But it was third place starter Jacob Ellithorpe who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Rusty DeShaw and Jerry Miles. The action was slowed on lap 2, when Justin Becker spun off the top of the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Ellithorpe jumped back out front on the restart, with Miles and Tyler Soppe, who started 10th, close behind. One lap later, lap 4, Miles got under Ellithorpe to take over the top spot. Soppe would follow him into second one lap later, lap 5. While Miles worked the bottom of the track, Soppe was using the topside to try and wrestle the lead away from Miles. The battle up front was slowed on lap 8, when T.J. Fortmann went over the track in turns 3 & 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Miles moved back out front, with Soppe and Gage Neal, who started 8th, making it a three car battle for the top spot. On lap 10 Soppe used the momentum off the top of turn 4 to take the top spot. Miles tried to work under him over the final laps. But Soppe was able to hold him off to claim his third win in a row at the track. Miles was 2nd, Neal was 3rd, DeShaw was 4th, with Veloz rounding out the top 5.
Korey Lana and John Campbell led the field to the green flag in the 12 lap 4-Cylinder feature, with Lana grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Campbell and Ashley Reuman. Lana would hold the top sot until lap 5, when Mitch Bielenberg slipped by for the lead. Without a caution there was no catching Bielenberg, as he cruised to an easy win in the caution free race. Seth Schall came from 9th to finish in 2nd, Tyler Shady finished 3rd after starting in 6th, Lana was 4th, with Reuman coming home in 5th.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Jarrett Franzen and Steve Johnson making up the front row. Just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as T.J. Patz and George Spence III got together in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dustin Morden stopped on the top of turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Franzen jump out front to lead lap 1 over Johnson and Bryce Garnhart, who started 8th. Two laps later, lap 3, Morden would stop on the topside of turn 4 to bring out his second yellow of the race to end his night. Franzen moved back out front on the restart, with Garnhart edging out Johnson for second. The action was slowed for the final time on lap 5, when Tyler Madigan spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jeff Larson, who started 9th, used the top of the track to take over the top spot, with Franzen and Garnhart close behind. Larson was hooked up on this night, as he pulled away from the field to pick up the win. Garnhart was 2nd, Johnson was 3rd, Ray Cox Jr. was 4th, with Matt Short rounding out the top 5.
Stanley Leonard and Shane Oberbreckling led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Oberbreckling edging out Leonard and Brandon White to lead lap 1. Leonard would get under Oberbreckling to take the lead away on lap 2. Two laps later, lap 4, the battle up front would slow, as Randy LaMar spun in turn 2 and collected Roger Winkers to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kile Vohringer, who started 9th, used the top of the track to take over the top spot, with Daniel Wauters, who started 8th, and Leonard following. Then just after the lap was scored complete the caution came on, as Bobby Taggert spun in turn 2 and collected White to bring out the yellow. Kile Vohringer moved back out front on the restart, with Wauters and Dakota Simonsen, who started 16th, close behind. One lap later, lap 12, Lane Vohringer spun in turn 4 to bring out the final caution of the race. On the restart Kile Vohringer jumped back out front, with Wauters and Simonsen challenging him. But Kile Vohringer was able to hold them off to claim the win. Wauters was 2nd, Randy Byerly finished 3rd after starting in 6th, Simonsen was 4th, with Leah Wroten finishing in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Todd Malmstrom and Andy Nezworski drawing the front row for the event. Nezworski used his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Malmstrom and Matt Ryan. The action up front was slowed on lap 2, as Donnie Pataska spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Nezworski jumped back out front, with Malmstrom and Ryan close behind. The fast pace that Nezworski was setting put him in lapped traffic by lap 15, which allowed Ryan to close to his back bumper on lap 17. Then Stacy Griffis wnet off the track in turn 4 on lap 17 to bring out the yellow, and giving Nezworski a clear track for the restart. On the restart Lake Knutti went over the track in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Nezworski move back out front, with Jeremiah Hurst, who started 6th, over taking Ryan for the runner up spot. Hurst would stay in Nezworski's tire track over the final laps, but wasn't able to mount a challenge. As Nezworski held on for the win. Hurst was 2nd, Jeff Aikey, who was driving Rick Dralles' #1D car, started 8th and finished 3rd, Ryan was 4th, with Malmstrom coming home in 5th.
Notes from Maquoketa: 31 SportMods, 21 Modifieds, 21 4-Cylinders, 17 Late Models, 17 Hobby Stocks, and 13 Stock Cars made up the 120 cars signed in on the night....Even with all the racing the action started at 6:30 PM, with the final checkered flag waving at 10:28 PM......Bruce Current started the SportMod feature in 9th and would finish 6th....Brandon Setser finished 8th after starting in 13th....Justin Becker recovered from his spin on lap 2 to come back up to finish 11th....Scott Williams got the last transfer spot out of B-Main #1. He would start 19th and finished 12th....Drew Burk won B-Main #2, but had troubles after the race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Nick Proehl started the 4-Cylinder feature in 20th and would pass 14 cars to take home a 6th place finish....Justin Vargason started 15th and finished 10th....Cody Staley came from 18th to finish in 12th....Jamie Wood finished 13th after starting in 17th....Thomas Adams and Dustin Forbes both had troubles in their heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Dustin Wilwert finished 6th in the Modified feature after starting in 14th....Tom Pestka started 19th and finished 12th....Richard Nelson came from 18th to finish in 14th....Jason Schueller was running 10th when he pulled off on lap 17 to end his night in 15th....George Spence III sytarted 21st and had worked his was up to 10th by lap 10, when he went off the track down the backstretch to end his night in 16th....Adam Peschek started 17th and worked his way up to 12th. When he pulled off on lap 8 with a right front flat to end his night in 17th......Brett Vanous started the Hobby Stock feature in 17th and would come home in 7th....Dawson Bowling finished 9th after starting in 15th....Gatlin Leythm finished 11th in the Late Model feature after starting in 14th.
I would like to say THANK You to Nick McCrady and his staff at the Maquoketa Speedway for the great hospitality! I will definitely be making plans to return again before the end of the 2019 season ends.
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