McFadden Tops Jason Johnson Classic at the Lake

Eldon, MO (Saturday, October 17, 2020) - With very little racing action to choose from in my area, I decided to meet up with long time photographer Dennis Krieger to make the 4 hour drive south to the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri. On the card was the 2nd Annual Jason Johnson Classic, featuring the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. Awaiting the winner in victory lane was a check worth $15,000, while $1,000 was guaranteed to just start the 41 lap A-Main.

Shane Stewart piloted the Jason Johnson Racing #41 Sprinter on Saturday at the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO. The annual Jason Johnson Classic honors the late Jason Johnson. (Photo provided by Dennis Krieger)

Thirty-five NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and 21 Street Stocks, the only support class on the card, signed in for competition. And Brad Sweet started the night off by setting fast time, with a lap of 11.402 seconds around the 1/3 mile oval. Following time trial qualifying was the 4 10 lap heat races, in which the top 5 in each were locked into the 41 lap Jason Johnson Classic A-Main.

Brad Sweet jumped out into the lead on lap 1 of heat race one and then led all 10 laps to pick up the win. Jacob Allen was 2nd, Daryn Pittman came from 5th to finish 3rd, Parker Price-Miller was 4th, with Tyler Courtney finishing in the final transfer spot after starting in 7th. Kerry Madsen, Skylar Prochaska, Kory Bales, and Carson Macedo, who had mechanical issues, finished out heat one....James McFadden edged out Donny Schatz on lap 1 of heat race two and then held on to claim the win. Schatz finished 2nd, Ayrton Gennetten was 3rd, Logan Schuchart was 4th, with Hunter Schuerenberg holding on for the final transfer spot. Dominic Scelzi, Mason Daniel, Tucker Klaasmeyer, and Adam Parmeley finished out heat two....Aaron Reutzel took command of heat race three and then went on to score the win. Kraig Kinser crossed the line in 2nd, Tim Kaeding was 3rd, Sheldon Haudenschild was 4th, with Brian Brown holding on for the final transfer spot. Skylar Gee, Wayne Johnson, Kyle Bellm, and Frank Rogers completed the finish in heat three....Cory Eliason grabbed the lead in heat four and then held it until the checkered flag. Gio Scelzi finished in 2nd, Shane Stewart was 3rd, Ian Madsen was 4th, with Jason Sides holding on for 5th. Terry McCarl, Tyler Blank, and Bill Rose finished out heat four.

Three Street Stock heat races were ran next, and was then followed up by the 8 car 8 lap Fast Pass Dash. The dash was made up of the top two finishers in the four heat races, in which all driver's drew for their starting position. James McFadden and Gio Scelzi lead the field to green. But just as the green was waved the yellow light would come on, as eighth place starter Brad Sweet spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart McFadden grabbed the early lead over Scelzi and Aaron Reutzel. Going into turn 1 on the completion of lap 1 Cory Eliason tried to get under Reutzel and made contact with his left rear, which sent Reutzel spinning in turn 2. Donny Schatz tried to take evasive action and he would climb over Eliason's left front. And then Jacob Allen got on the binders and bumped into Reutzel's front nose, as both came to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Schatz headed to the work area to see if he received any damage from the contact, and he quickly returned for the restart. McFadden jumped back out front on the restart, with Scelzi and Sweet, who came from the rear, following. Sweet would get by Scelzi for the runner up spot on lap 3 and then tried to challenge Kasey Kahne Racing teammate for the win. But McFadden would hold on to pick up the dash. Sweet settled for 2nd, Scelzi was 3rd, Schatz came from the rear to finish 4th, Eliason was 5th, Reutzel was 6th, Allen was 7th, with Kraig Kinser rounding out the finish.

The final event for the fifteen remaining driver's not qualified out of the heat races was the 12 lap Last Chance Showdown, where the top 4 would make up the final two rows of the A-Main. Carson Macedo and Dominic Scelzi led the field to green, but just as the green was waved the yellow light would come on. As fifth place starter Terry McCarl spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart, Marcedo jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Scelzi and Kerry Madsen. The action was slowed on lap 6, when Adam Parmeley spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Marcedo grabbed the lead on the restart, with Madsen over taking Scelzi for the runner up spot. The caution appeared on lap 9, as Tyler Blank slowed in turn 4 when his hood came loose and blocked his view to bring out the yellow. On the restart Skylar Prochaska got into the cushion in turn 3 and got up on his left side briefly, before the car settled back down on all 4 wheels to bring the yellow light back on. Macedo once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Madsen and Scelzi following. Just after the lap was scored complete the red would appear, as Skylar Gee, who was battling for the final transfer spot, got into the cushion in turn 3 and rolled several times. He would climb from the car okay. On the final restart Macedo jumped back out front and held on to pick up the win. Madsen was 2nd, Scelzi was 3rd, with Wayne Johnson, who started 8th, holding off McCarl, who charged from the rear after spinning on the start, to claim the final transfer spot.

About 30 minutes was then taken to knock the cushion down on the top of turns 1 & 2 and 3 & 4, before the 41 lap Jason Johnson Classic A-Main was brought to the track.

Just part of the standing room only crowd in attendance on Saturday night at the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO. (Photo provided by Dennis Krieger)

Here is the famous 4 wide salute to the huge crowd before the start of the 41 lap Jason Johnson Classic NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car feature. (Photo by Dennis Krieger)

James McFadden and Brad Sweet made up the front row for the 41 lap Jason Johnson Classic WoO Sprint Car feature, with McFadden jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Sweet and Gio Scelzi. The action was slowed for the first time of the race on lap 2, as Carson Macedo slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart McFadden jumped back out front, with Sweet and Donny Schatz close behind. The fast pace that McFadden was setting would put him into lapped traffic on lap 7, which allowed Sweet to close within his back bumper. On lap 10 Sweet tried to slid up in front of McFadden in turn 4, but McFadden used the momentum off the top to keep the lead. Sweet had to regroup and tried once again to slid McFadden in turn 4 for the top spot on lap 14, only for McFadden to use the momentum off the top of the turn to retain the lead. Once again Sweet had to regroup and he once again tried to slid McFadden in turn 4 on lap 18, to only have McFadden use the momentum off the top to keep the lead. On lap 28 McFadden struggled to put Jacob Allen a lap down, and this allowed Sweet to slid up in front of him off turn 4 for the top spot. But before they crossed the line to score the lap, the caution appeared. Ian Madsen drifted high in turn 3 and got into the wall before spinning in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Daryn Pittman, who was running 8th, got into a car in front of him and would roll softly onto the left side of the car to bring out the red. He was flipped over and pushed to the work area to look over the car. He would return for the restart.

McFadden moved back out front on the restart, with Sweet and Schatz close behind. The fast pace McFadden was setting helped him to built up a 1.89 second lead, which also put him into lapped traffic on lap 33. And just as he started to lap cars again, the yellow light would come on. As Shane Stewart, who was running 8th behind the wheel of the Jason Johnson Racing #41 sprinter, got into the wall down the backstretch and slowed to bring out the caution. On the restart eighth place runner Gio Scelzi lost power and stopped in turn 3, and Pittman  had no where to go and drove over Scelzi's left side. The contact sent Pittman rolling several time to bring out the red. Both driver's climbed from their cars okay. The following restart saw McFadden jump back out front, with Sweet and Schatz still following. In three laps McFadden had built himself a 2.08 second lead, but almost lost the handle in turn 2 on lap 37. This allowed Sweet to quickly close to within .479 seconds. But Sweet couldn't mount a challenge on McFadden coming off turn 4, as McFadden held on to claim his first WoO win in three years. The win was also worth $15,000. Schatz was 3rd, Kerry Madsen charged from 22nd to finished 4th, with Sheldon Haudenschild rounding out the top 5 after starting in 15th.

James McFadden scored the $15,000 victory in the 2nd Annual Jason Johnson Classic at the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO on Saturday, October 17, 2020. (Photo by Dennis Krieger)

Finishing out the night was the 20 lap Street Stock feature, with Collin Parmer and Ted Welschmeyer making up the front row. Parmer took advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Toby Ott and Welschmeyer. The lead for Parmer only lasted for 1 lap, as Ott got under him coming out of turn 4 to take over the top spot. Justin McDowell spun in turn 4 on lap 3 to slow the action. On the restart Chris Brockert spun in turn 3 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Ott move back out front, with Welschmeyer and Derek Henson racing side-by-side for the runner up spot. One more lap scored complete produced another caution, as Mike Lucas spun down the front stretch from contact from Cliff Champney to bring out the yellow. Ott once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Welschmeyer, Parmer and Henson battling for the runner up spot. Just as Ott started to enter lapped traffic the final caution of the race appeared on lap 14, as Lucas spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ott moved back out front, with the battle for second still going on between Welschmeyer, Henson and Parmer. Over the final laps Ott would pull away to pick up the easy win. Welschmeyer won the battle for 2nd, Henson was 3rd, Parmer was 4th, with Kenny Carroll coming from 11th to take home 5th.

Wheatland, Missouri's Toby Ott scored the 20 lap Street Stock feature win on Saturday, October 17th at the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri.

For me Saturday night was two firsts, as it was my first visit to the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri despite driving by the place a few times in the past several years. It was also the first time I was able to shoot the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Upon arrival to the hidden gem, which really isn't hidden as it is located just off Highway 54, I found the grounds and the facility very well maintained. A very nice grandstands stretched from turn 1 to turn 4 on the front stretch, with an equally nice grandstand located down the backstretch in the pits. MUSCO Lighting lite the place up very well.

One thing I was very impressed with was not only the safety crew on the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, but also the safety crew the Lake Ozark Speedway had. Both crews were quickly on scene to every yellow and red flag. Which resulted in quick clean up and back to green flag conditions.

I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR Coordinator Nick Graziano for allowing me to come down and cover the action!!! I also want to give a BIG THANK YOU to Kevin Greven, who is the General Manger of Lake Ozark Speedway, and the entire staff for the friendly hospitality!!! I look forward to hopefully getting back to the Lake Ozark Speedway in 2021, and also getting to cover the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

Droste, Spaw and Soppe Among Night Two Winner's at Fall Bash

 Tipton, IA (Friday, October 2, 2020) - Not much changed as far as the weather on night two of the Fall Bash at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa, as the night started with temperatures in the mid 50's. Perhaps the biggest difference were the lighter winds, which helped make things more tolerable to handle. And once again the on track racing action should have helped to keep you warm.

Two Hundred thirty-six cars, up twenty-four from the night before, signed in for competition on night two. With one more state added to the five states represented from the previous night. Twenty-four heat races and seven B-Main's were ran to help set the starting line-ups for the six feature events.

The first feature to take to the track on this night was the 15 lap Mod Lites / Micro Mods, with Cole McNeal and Jon Padilla drawing the front row. Just after the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Cliff Barber slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the original restart McNeal jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Chad Dugan and Padilla. The lead for McNeal only lasted for 1 lap, as Dugan got under him coming off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 2. From there Dugan started to pull away and looked to be cruising to an easy win, when the second caution of the event appeared on lap 7. Dillon Letts would spin in turn 3 to bring the yellow out. On the restart Letts, Dale Schwamman and Logan Takes spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Dugan jump back out front, with Kaden Reynolds, who started 12th, and McNeal close behind. While Dugan and McNeal used the bottom of the track, Reynolds and RJ Gonzales, who started 16th, were using the top. Despite Reynolds pulling even with Dugan going into the corners over the final few laps, Dugan was able to come off the bottom to pull away down the straight-aways. Dugan would hold on to claim his second Mod Lites / Micro Mods Fall Bash win in back-to-back years. Reynolds was 2nd, Gonzales broke the strangle hold on the Micro Mods completing the top 5 sweep, as he finished 3rd, McNeal was 4th, with John Griffin making the pull down from Caledonia, Minnesota pay off with a top 5 finish.

Up next was the 12 lap 4 Stock feature, with Luke Benischek and Chuck Fullenkamp leading the field of twenty-eight to the wave of the green flag. Benischek took advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Fullenkamp and Josh Starr. Both Benischek and Fullenkamp worked the bottom of the track, while Starr tried to work the top to get past both of them. The lead trio started to pull away from the rest of the field, when the first caution brought the rest of the field back to their back bumpers on lap 6. Michael Lundeen slowed to a stop in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Matt Speiss slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Benischek move back out front, with Starr over taking Fullenkamp for the runner up spot. With Starr using the top of the track to try and get past Benischek for the top spot, Benischek would move up to the middle groove to try and slow down Starr's momentum. But Starr was able to use the momentum off the top to final clear Benischek for the lead on lap 10. From there Starr held off Benischek to pick up the win. Fullenkamp was 3rd, Travis Hawkins was 4th, with Tommy Staggs finishing 5th after starting in 9th.

The Hobby Stocks had troubles getting their 15 lap feature going, as 5 cautions in the first 9 laps slowed the action. And rather then dwelling on those first 9 laps, I will write about the final 6 laps that turned out to be a barn burner. Kaden Reynolds, who used the top of the track to grab the lead on lap 2, jumped out front on the final restart, with Jake Benischek, who started 6th, and Daniel Wauters, who started outside the front row, challenging him. When Benischek, who worked the bottom, was able to pull even with Reynolds down the straight-aways, Reynolds would move to the bottom to force Benischek to use a different groove to get around him for the top spot. What Reynolds didn't know was that Wauters continued to work the top and he would use the momentum off the top to pull even with Reynolds. Then going into turn 3 on the final lap Reynolds on the bottom, Benischek in the middle and Wauters up top, enter the corner three wide. Reynolds would emerge off turn 4 with the lead and edged out Wauters for the win. Benischek was a close 3rd, Quinton Miller, who started on the pole, finished 4th, with Randy LaMar finishing 5th after starting in 11th.

Reece Norton and Johnny Spaw drew the front row for the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Spaw jumping out front to lead lap 1 over David Brandies and John Oliver Jr. After the lap was scored complete the yellow light came on, as Chase Zaruba went off the track in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Spaw jumped back out front, with Oliver Jr and Brandies glued to his back bumper. One more lap scored complete produced another caution, as Jeff Valentine spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Spaw once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Oliver Jr. and Brandies still following him. When Oliver Jr. got under Spaw coming off the corners, Spaw decided to move down to the bottom of the track to slow Oliver Jr.'s momentum. Spaw was able to hold him back, when the third caution of the race slowed the pace on lap 14. Gene Ehlers slowed to a stop in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Spaw moved back out front, with Joel Rust, driving Jay Schmidt's back up car, over taking Oliver Jr. for the runner up spot. One more lap was scored complete before the yellow waved again, as Joe Zrostlik, who was running 8th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Dustin Vis spun in turn 2 and collected Tom Schmitt to bring the yellow light back on. The final restart saw Spaw jump back out front, with Rust and Damon Murty, who started 12th, moving into third. Rust, who was working the top, used the momentum off the top of turn 4 to edge out Spaw at the line to lead lap 18. But when Rust bobbled in turn 4 coming to the white flag, Spaw would work under him to grab the lead back. Disaster would strike Rust going into turn 3 on the final lap, as Damon Murty looked under Rust to try and make it a three car battle for the win. The right front of Damon Murty's car made contact with Rust's left rear, which sent Rust rolling several times off the track in turn 4 to bring out the red. Rust would emerge from the car okay. The race was declared finished, with Spaw claiming the win. Oliver Jr. was credited with 2nd, Dallon Murty was credited with 3rd after starting in 7th, Kyle Merkes was credited with 4th after starting in 10th, with Brandies credited with 5th.

Up next was the 20 lap SportMod feature, and with the reputation the SportMods have everyone thought this would be a caution plagued event. But instead it would go 20 laps caution free, with a great finish. Gage Neal and Jarett Franzen lead the field to green, with Neal leading lap 1 over Tyler Soppe and Shane Paris. With Neal working the bottom of the track, Soppe worked the top, and Soppe used the momentum off the top to grab the top spot on lap 4. The fast pace that Soppe was setting put him into lapped traffic on lap 13. With the lap traffic racing two and three wide in front of him, this allowed Paris and Brayton Carter to quickly close to his back bumper. Coming to the white flag Carter was able to clear Paris for the runner up spot, and then set his sights on Soppe for the win. Carter would look under Soppe coming off turn 4, but lapped traffic allowed Soppe to hold him off at the line by half a car length to pick up the win. Paris was 3rd, Justin Becker came from 10th to finish 4th, with Neal holding on for 5th.

The final feature to take to the track was the 30 lap Modifieds, with Eric Barnes and Spencer Diercks drawing the front row. Barnes took advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Diercks and Tyler Droste. The lead for Barnes only lasted for 1 lap, as Droste got under him coming off turn 4 to take over the top spot. While Droste worked the bottom of the track, Diercks worked the top to try and get the lead away from him. But Droste was able to hold him off each lap, when the first and only caution of the race appeared on lap 10. Tyler Madigan would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Droste jumped back out front, with Diercks and Chris Simpson close behind. Again Droste stayed committed to the bottom, while Diercks worked the top to get past Droste. On lap 26 Droste would enter lapped traffic, which gave Diercks a chance to use the momentum off the top to get the lead. But when Diercks dropped his right rear off the top of the track in turns 1 and 2, this allowed Droste to pull away for the win. Diercks was 2nd, Simpson was 3rd, Joel Rust was 4th, with Cody Laney coming home in 5th.

It's ironic how last nights events mirrored Thursday night, as hot laps began shortly after 6 PM and the first feature rolled to the track at 9:50 PM and the final checkered flag waved just seconds before midnight. The third and final night of the Fall Bash concluded tonight, with hot laps set for 5:30 PM. The Street Stocks and A.I.R.S. replace the Mod Lites / Micro Mods and 4 Stocks on the card tonight.

Once again I would like to say THANK YOU to Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current and their entire staff for the hospitality. If you can't make it out for the final night, you can catch the action on pay-per-view at www.doneright.tv.

Kay, Rust, Mueller and Carter Shine During Fall Bash Night 1

 Tipton, IA (Thursday, October 1, 2020) - What a difference a weekend can bring, as last weekend's temperatures were in the upper 70's to low 80's, while this weekend's temperatures barely get out of the mid 50's. But that hasn't stopped the Darkside Promotions team of Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current from holding their annual Fall Bash at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa this weekend.

The action kicked off on Thursday night October 1, with 212 cars from 5 different states signing in for competition. After 24 heats races and 8 B-Mains were completed to help set the starting line ups for the six feature events, it was time to see who would stand in victory lane at the end of the night.

First up was the 10 lap 2 Man Cruiser feature, with Brandon Ehrisman and Thomas Thompson scheduled to lead the field to green. But when Thompson was a scratch this would move Austin Schuring to the outside of the front row. Ehrisman took advantage of his draw to jump out into the lead on lap 1, with Schuring and Wayne Hora, who started 9th, following. Ehrisman, who worked the bottom of the speedway, had to work to hold off Hora, who was working the top, over the next 3 laps. The action up front was slowed for the first caution of the race on lap 5. The caution was for safety reasons, as the car of Matt Aulwes front bumper was pointing straight out. After two laps of being black flagged and disobeying it, the caution would be thrown for the safety of all competitors on the track. On the restart Ehrisman moved back out front, with Hora and Schuring close behind. Hora once again worked the top of the track to get the lead away from Ehrisman, but Ehrisman was able to hold him off. That was until lap 8, as Hora finally used the momentum off the top of turn 4 to edge out front. Then just after the lap was scored complete the second and final caution appeared, as Craig Gonnerman slowed in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Hora grabbed the lead on the restart and held off Ehrisman to pick up the win. Kerry Davis came from 10th to finish 3rd, Paul Fleming finished 4th after starting in 7th, with Corey VanDerwilt coming from 8th to round out the top 5.

Up next was the 28 lap Late Model feature. You may wonder why 28 laps, well it was in honor of car owner Brad Coin. Coin lost his battle with cancer a few weeks back, so it they decided to run a 28 lap feature to honor his memory. His familiar #28c Late Model was mostly piloted by Terry Neal for many years, and tonight Neal would end the run of the #28c one last time. Neal would join Andy Eckrich on the front row of the feature, with Eckrich moving out front to lead lap 1 over Neal and Justin Kay. Kay would take to the top of the speedway, which he used to move into the lead on lap 2. The fast pace Kay was setting would move him into lap traffic on lap 8, and from there he would build a half a track lead by the halfway mark. Justin when it looked like Kay would cruise to an easy win, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 18. Preston Stoecker would spin in turn 3 to bring out the yellow, and brought the rest of the field to Kay's back bumper.

On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Eckrich and Joe Zrostlik battling for the runner up spot. Zrostlik was able to take command of the second spot on lap 20, and then tried to keep pace with Kay. When the second caution of the race waved on lap 23, this time Dave Wada II spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Kay once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Zrostlik and Logan Duffy, who started 10th, close behind. But just after the lap was scored complete, the third and final caution appeared, as Jacob Waterman spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the final restart Kay moved back out front, with Duffy and Jeff Aikey, who started 3rd and fell back to around 10th early on, working his way back to battle for the lead. While Duffy tried to work under Kay over the final laps, he also had to hold off the challenges of Aikey. As a result of Duffy trying to play defense, Kay was able to hold on to claim the win and the $1,500 top prize. Duffy held off Aikey in the battle for 2nd, Zrostlik was 4th, with Eckrich finishing 5th.

Jeff Mueller and Justin Kay, fresh off his Late Model win, drew the front row for the 20 lap Stock Car feature, with Mueller grabbing the lead on lap 1 over son and father duo of Dallon and Damon Murty. The fast pace Mueller was setting would put him into lapped traffic on lap 10. While Mueller worked the bottom of the track, Dallon Murty worked the top to try and keep pace with Mueller through the lapped traffic. Matt Picray would spin in turn 4 on lap 12 to bring out the one and only caution of the race. On the restart Mueller jumped back out front, with Dallon Murty and Johnny Spaw following. Dallon Murty went back to using the top of the track to try and wrestle the top spot away from Mueller, when it bite him on lap 16. Dallon Murty got to high in turn 1 and fell off the track, and by the time he came back on the track down the backstretch he dropped all the way to the back of the field. This would allow Mueller to pull away for the win. Spaw was 2nd, Jay Schmidt started 6th and finished 3rd, Damon Murty was 4th, with Kay completing the top 5 in his first Stock Car start.

The 12 lap 4 Stock feature was up next, with Travis Hawkins and Cody Brewster leading the field to the drop of the green. Travis Hawkins took advantage of his draw to lead lap 1 over Brewster and Joe Zrostlik, who started 6th. The action was slowed on lap 2, when Rick Hempstead spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Brandon Setser spun in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Travis Hawkins jump back out front, with Zrostlik and Cyle Hawkins close behind. Zrostlik tried to use the top, middle and lower grooves to grab the top spot away from Travis Hawkins over the next 4 lap. But Travis Hawkins was able to hold him off each lap. That was until lap 8 when Zrostlik finally got under him coming off turn 4 to take over the lead. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 9, Cyle Hawkins got under Zrostlik to grab the top spot away. Cyle Hawkins, who worked the bottom, and Zrostlik, who worked the middle groove, raced the final laps side-by-side. The two would come off turn 4 to the checkered flag banging wheels all the way down the short front stretch, with Zrostilk edging out Cyle Hawkins by half a car to pick up the win. Josh Riley finished 3rd after starting in 8th. Shawn McDermott was 4th. Josh Starr actually crossed the line in 3rd, but was docked two spots for pulling out of line on the final restart and was dropped with 5th.

Tyler Soppe and Justin Becker led the field to green in the 20 lap SportMod feature, with Soppe grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Becker and Brayton Carter. The action was slowed for the first time of the event on lap 3, as Logan Veloz spun in turn 3 and collected Preston Biggart, Perry Gellerstedt, Rance Powell and Levi Layman to bring out the yellow. On the restart Soppe moved back out front, with Becker holding off Carter for the runner up spot. Then just after the lap was scored complete the second caution of the race appeared, as Gellerstedt, Powell and Biggart spun down the front stretch to bring out the yellow. Soppe once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Carter over taking Becker for second. While Soppe worked the bottom of the track, Carter worked the top, as Carter used the momentum off the top to pull even with Soppe down the straight-aways. The side by side battle for the top spot was slowed on lap 12, when Kyle Olson spun in turn 4 to bring out the final caution. On the restart Soppe jumped back out front, with Carter and Becker close behind. Soppe decided to change his line to the top of the track in hopes of slowing down the momentum of Carter. But Carter went to the bottom of the track to try to get the top spot, which paid off on lap 15. As Carter was able to work under Soppe coming off turn 2 to grab the lead. From there Carter pulled away to claim the win. Soppe was 2nd, Becker was 3rd, Jarett Franzen was 4th, with Shane Paris coming from 10th to complete the top 5.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 25 lap Modifieds, with Jeff Aikey and Tyler Droste making up the front row. Aikey used his draw to his advantage, as he jumped out front on lap 1 over Joel Rust and Droste. Kory Meyer would spin in turn 2 on lap 3 to slow the early action. On the restart Aikey moved back out front, with Rust and Brad Dierks close behind. Rust would use the bottom of the track to slip under Aikey for the top spot on lap 5, leaving Aikey to battle three wide with Droste and Dierks for the runner up spot through lap 8. Droste was able to emerge with second on lap 8, and then went to work on Rust for the lead. Rust entered lap traffic on lap 16, which allowed Droste to really close to his back bumper. Disaster would strike Droste on lap 19, as he tried to get under Rust in turn 1 and made slight contact with the driver's door of Rust's car. Droste then ran out of room coming off turn 2 and clipped the tire and spun to bring out the yellow. Rust jumped back out front on the restart, with Chris Simpson and Dierks challenging. Simpson tried to use the momentum off the top of the track to get the top spot away from Rust. But Rust was able to hold him off to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Simpson settled for 2nd, Dierks was 3rd, Justin Kay finished 4th after starting in 8th, with Aikey coming home in 5th.

Night one began shortly after 6 PM with hot laps, and once that began the action would continue non stop until the final checkered flag waved shortly before the midnight hour. I would like to say THANK YOU to Ryan Duhme, Timmy Current and their entire staff for the GREAT hospitality during night one of the Fall Bash. Night tow kicks off with hot laps once again at 6 PM, with the Hobby Stocks and Mod Lites/Micro Mods replacing the Late Models and 2 Man Cruisers. Look for coverage from tonight once again under "Midwest Racing News" on www.positvelyracing.com.