Pershy Tops Strong Modified Field at the Davenport Speedway

Davenport, IA (Friday, July 2, 2020) - I want to start off by asking everyone to keep the Lewis family in your thoughts and prayers. As Shaune Lewis passed away inside of his IMCA Late Model at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa. Many of us might not have known Shaune, but he was part of our racing family, and his family could use you thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. May you RIP #44x.

Here is Shaune Lewis in action a couple of weeks ago at the Davenport Speedway. 

With the Davenport Speedway running another Thursday night program, I decided to make the short hour trip north to cover the action. I arrived shortly before hot laps were set to begin to find 163 cars, made up of 44 SportMods, 38 Modifieds, 26 Sport Compacts, 24 Late Models, 22 Street Stocks, and 9 Hobby Stocks, jammed into the back pit area. After the 19 heats races and 4 B-Mains were completed to help set the starting line-ups for the feature events, it was time to go feature racing.

Twenty-three of the twenty-six Sport Compacts that were signed in took to the track first for their 12 lap feature, with David Prim and Todd Sibley drawing the front row. Just as the green flag waved the yellow light would come on, as Blake Dotson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart it was third place starter Jake Benischek who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Prim and Brandon Dahl, who started 7th. One lap later, lap 2, the second caution of the race appeared, as Austin Nelan spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Benischek jumped back out front on the restart, with Dahl and Shawn McDermott, who started 10th, both over taking Prim for second and third. The third caution of the race slowed the action on lap 4, as Garrett Duncan and Brad McDermott spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Benischek grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dahl and Shawn McDermott close behind. Just after the lap was scored complete the yellow light came on, as debris in turn 4 brought out the yellow. On the restart Benischek jumped back out front, with Dahl and McDermott following. As the rest of the field raced two and even three wide for positions behind him, Benischek started to pull away. Then just as it looked like Benischek would pull away for an easy win, the final caution of the race appeared on lap 10. Debris in turn 1 would bring out the yellow and set up a two lap dash to the finish. On the restart Benischek went low, Dahl used the middle, while Shawn McDermott went high, as the three raced off turn 4 for the white flag three wide. Shawn McDermott would edge out the other two at the line to lead lap 11. Then coming off turn 4 for the checkered flag Benischek tried to slid up in front of Shawn McDermott, but the momentum off the top allowed Shawn McDermott to edge out Benischek at the line by inches to claim the win. Dustin Forbes got by Dahl on the final lap to come home in 3rd, with Cyle Hawkins completing the top 5.

The IMCA Hobby Stocks were added to the program for tonight, with only 9 cars signing in for competition. Kaden Reynolds and Kile Vohringer led the field to green for their 10 lap feature event, with Reynolds grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Dakota Simonsen and Jake Benischek. Without a caution to bunch the field up, there was no challenging Reynolds on this night. As he pulled away to pick up the win. Simonsen was 2nd, Benischek was 3rd, Vohringer was 4th, with Steve Cox rounding out the top 5.

Rick Schriner and Frank Waters led the field to green in the scheduled 15 lap Street Stock feature, with Schriner using his draw to his advantage to lead lap 1 over Robert Cottom and Waters. As Schriner paced the field out front, the battled behind him for positions went two and three wide. The action was slowed on lap 4, when Gene Ehlers spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Cottom used the middle groove to edge out in front of Schriner to grab the top spot, and then started to pull away from the battles behind him. Cottom's pace was slowed on lap 9, when Alex Pappas spun in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Once again Cottom jumped back out front on the restart, with Joe Bonney, who started 7th, over taking Schriner for the runner up spot. Cottom then had to work to hold off Bonney, until another caution appeared on lap 12. This time Nick Proehl and Mike Anderson got together in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jeff Struck Jr. and Erick Turner spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. This also brought an end to the time limit, as it was announced the next yellow or the checkered flag would end the race. The following restart saw Bonney get under Cottom coming off turn 2 and then edging him out at the line to grab the top spot, with eighteenth place starter Donnie Louck close behind. Just after the lap was scored complete Chase Zaruba and Nick Claussen spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow and checkered flags. Bonney was declared the winner, Cottom was 2nd, Louck was 3rd, Schriner was 4th, with Kyle Anderson, who made the pull over from Crown Point, Indiana, coming from 16th to finish in 5th.

Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Gage Neal and Ryan Walker drawing the front row for the event. Neal took advantage of his draw to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Walker and Ben Chapman. Just after the lap was scored complete the caution appeared, as Doug Burkhead and Jared Waterman spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Neal jumped back out front, with Chapman edging out Walker for the runner up spot. Neal would pace the field out front, while the battles behind him went two and three wide. The action up front was slowed for the second time of the race on lap 8, as Waterman spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Matt Fulton, who was battling for the top 5, went over the track in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw disaster strike the leader, as Neal went over the track in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the third attempt of a restart Tony Olson used the topside momentum to edge out Chapman for the lead. While Olson worked the top of the track, Chapman worked the bottom groove, as the two raced side-by-side around the 1/4 mile track over the final laps. Coming off turn 4 to the checkered flag, Olson once again used the momentum off the top to edge out Chapman at the line to claim the win. Walker was 3rd, Shane Paris came from 12th to finish 4th, with Jarett Franzen completing the top 5.

Ryan Duhme and Jason Pershy led the field to green in the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Duhme grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Pershy and Brandon Durbin. Duhme, who was running the bottom, and Pershy, who was using the top of the track, raced side-by-side around the track over the next 7 laps, with Duhme edging out the lead at the line each lap. Then on lap 8, Pershy was able to edge out front to take the top spot away from Duhme. While Pershy paced the field out front, Duhme, Durbin and Spencer Diercks, who started 8th, battle three wide for the runner up spot. With the three wide battle going on behind him, Pershy was able to pull away in a caution free race to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Durbin won the battle for 2nd, Duhme was 3rd, Diercks was 4th, with Jeff Larson coming from 10th to finish 5th.

Out of respect for the Lewis family the IMCA Late Model driver's decided to postpone their feature event. So stay tuned to the Davenport Speedway's Facebook page and website for an announced make-up date. I would like to put any rumors or speculations to rest about the Lewis fatality. There was no racing accident or incident that caused his passing. He has some kind of a medical thing attack him as they were going down the backstretch to come to green in the heat race. When all of a sudden his car shot off to the right and got into Eric Pollard's left rear, and then continued to shoot off the 1/4 mile and coming to a rest on the backstretch of the half mile. Again I ask you to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

After the end of the night I was able to have a short conversation with Ricky Kay, and he expressed to me how disappointed he was on the night. As much as they tried to keep moisture in the track and the dust settled, nothing worked. Which is understandable, with temperatures in the low 90's and high humidity with heat index's in the mid to upper 90's it is a hard battle to win. But the feature races did produce two, three and four wide racing at times, with the high line a fine line to race on. Every track, and I mean every track, experiences a bad night. But they all rebound and move on. And I know Kay and his crew will do that, as it has shown all year with the big car counts and racing completed by curfew. I hope to get back to the Davenport Speedway before the 2020 season ends, as every time I am able to get up their I am greeted by Kay and his crew!

Tonight it's off to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa for the make-up of the "Slocum 50". The COVID-19 restrictions forced the original date to be postponed, and with an already scheduled MLRA race on July 3rd at the track they decided to make it the "Slocum 50" event. Tonight's action will honor Brent Slocum with a $10,555 to win Late Model feature. The 305 Sprints and IMCA Stock Cars will also be in action. I hope to see you there!