Jacksonville, IL (Sunday, August 11, 2019) - The Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois usually runs a limited Friday night schedule, which doesn't allow me to visit this track very much due to my other commitments. But when they decided to run a few Sunday night events I decided to make the drive south this past Sunday to take in one of those nights.
I arrived at 5:30 PM, just as hot laps started. With racing action following shortly after. The six division program was ran thru in about 2 hours and 45 minutes, as the final checkered flag waved at 8:45 PM. Which put me back on the road home by 8:50 PM, and with an hour and 45 minute drive home I was very thankful for the fast pace night. As the work alarm goes off at 5:30 AM.
The 22 lap Midget feature took to the track first, with CJ Leary and Shelby Bosie leading the field to green. Leary used his starting spot to his advantage by jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Bosie and Sam Johnson. The action was slowed for the first and only time of the event on lap 2, as Kevin Battlefield spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Leary moved back out front, with Bosie and Johnson following. The fast pace that Leary was setting would put him in lapped traffic on lap 9. While he maneuvered thru the lapped traffic, the battle was going on behind him for the runner up spot between Bosie, Johnson and Jake Neuman, who started 5th. The three way battle for second would allow Leary to pull away for an easy win. Neuman won the battle for 2nd, Bosie was 3rd, Johnson was 4th, with Austin O'Dell coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap Midwest Big Ten Series for the DIRTcar UMP Pro Late Models, with Dakota Ewing and Cody Maguire making up the front row. Just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Colby Sheppard, Colby Billington, and Andy Minett collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart Maguire used the momentum off the top to edge out the lead on lap 1 over Ewing and Jose Parga. After lap 1 was scored complete another caution appeared, as Blake Dameny, Kyle Vandorn, and Tucker Finch collided in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Maguire moved back out front on the restart, with Ewing and Parga close behind.While Maguire slipped up in the cushion coming off turn 4, Ewing would shoot under him to take over the top spot on lap 3. Then after the lap was scored complete, third place running Parga spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ewing jumped back out front, with Jake Little, who started 7th, and Brandon Eskew, who started 5th, both over taking Maguire for second and third. The final caution of the race would appear just after the lap was scored complete. This time Lucas Pace spun in turn 2 and collected Parga to bring out the yellow.
On the restart Ewing moved back out front, with Eskew and Maguire getting by Little. As Little got sideways in turn 1 and before he got it collected he fell back to fourth. With Ewing working the top of the track, Little would work the bottom to climb his way back into the runner up spot by the halfway mark. Little would close to within Ewing's back bumper coming to the white flag. But Ewing was able to hold him off to pick up the win. Little settled for 2nd, Parga recovered from his spin on lap 3 and again on lap 4 to come back up to 3rd, Maguire was 4th, with Sheppard recovering from his involvement in the crash on the start to come back up to finish 5th.
The 20 lap 305 Sprint Car feature took to the track next, and it would go green to checkered without a caution. Robbie Standridge and Dylan Tuxhorn would lead the field to green, with Standridge grabbing the lead on lap 1 over 410 Sprint Car driver Paul Nienhiser and Tuxhorn. While Standridge worked the top of the track, Nienhiser went to the bottom to try and get the lead away. Just like the early leader in the Pro Late Model feature, Standridge bobbled in the cushion coming off turn 4 to complete lap 7. Which allowed Nienhiser to shoot under him to take over the top spot. From there to the checkered there was no catching Nienhiser, who cruised to his second 305 Sprint win in the past two Sunday events at the Jacksonville Speedway. Standridge was 2nd, Ben Wagoner finished 3rd, Garrett Duff started 9th and finished 4th, with Tyler Duff coming home in 5th.
With only six of the eight UMP Modifieds coming out for their feature event, it would be cut from 20 to 15 laps. Mike Harrison and Tommy Sheppard made up the front row for the event, with Harrison winning the battle to the top of the track going into turn 1 to come around to lead lap 1 over Sheppard and Ryan Blakeman. The only thing to slow Harrison down on this night were the two cautions for the same car spinning. The first was on lap 3, as Cody Stilwell spun in turn 4. One lap later, lap 4, Stilwell spun again in turn 4 to bring out his final yellow. On the restarts Harrison grabbed the lead over Sheppard and Blakeman. From there Harrison would cruise to his second win in a row at the Jacksonville Speedway. Sheppard was 2nd, Blakeman was 3rd, Jimmy Miller was 4th, with Stilwell credited with 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap UMP Street Stock feature, with Terry Reed and Robert Cottom leading the field to green. Cottom used the momentum off the top of the track to grab the lead on lap 1 over Reed and Kyle Anderson. The lead for Cottom would come to an end on the completion of lap 2, as he slowed in turn 2 and then pulled into the infield on the backstretch to end his night. This would hand the lead over to Reed on lap 3. The action was slowed on lap 5, as Mike Bulpitt spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Russell Coultas spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Reed jump back out front, with Anderson and Rudy Zaragoza close behind. Just after the lap was scored complete, Coultas spun down the backstretch to bring out his second yellow of the event to end his night. Reed would jump back out front on the restart, with Anderson working to hold off Zaragoza for the runner up spot. Despite Reed entering lapped traffic with two laps to go, he would easily pull away to score his second win in a row at the track. Anderson held on for 2nd, Mike Jackson, who started 6th, used the lapped traffic coming off turn 4 to edge out Zaragoza for 3rd, with Wes Biesenthal coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
The 12 lap UMP Hornet feature was the last event to take to the track, with Matt Mackey and Danny Oates making up the front row. Mackey took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Oates and Cody Schmick. While Oates was working to hold back Schmick for the runner up spot, Mackey would pull away. Without a caution to bunch up the field, Mackey would cruise to an easy win. Oates held on for 2nd, Schmick was 3rd, Bill Basso was 4th, with Josh Dove finishing in 5th.
Notes from Jacksonville: Broc Hunnell started the Midget feature in 10th and would finish 6th....Mitchell Davis had troubles getting the car fired for the heat race, so he was relegated to start the feature in 13th. He them moved up 4 spots to take home a 9th place finish......Blake Dameny recovered from his involvement in the lap 1 crash to come back up to finish 6th in the Pro Late Model feature....Tucker Finch also recovered from his involvement in the lap 1 crash to come back up to finish 7th....Lucas Pace recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 8th....Brandon Eskew, who was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 18 with troubles to end his run up front......Matt Fair started the 305 Sprint Car feature in 11th and would bring home an 8th place finish......Steve Theivagt had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the Modified feature......Chad Myers had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the Street Stock feature.
I would like to THANK Ken Dobson and his crew at the Jacksonville Speedway for allowing me to come down and cover the action! If the schedule works out, I might look at making a return trip before the 2019 season comes to a close.
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