Davenport, IA (Friday, November 6, 2020) - Everybody thought the 2020 racing season at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa had ended back in September, when the final scheduled event was held. But with the unusually warm forecast for the first weekend of November, the Darkside Promotions team of Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current combined with K Promotions of Ricky and Brenda Kay decided to add a Friday night event on the 1/4 mile track.
The risk would payoff, as a very nice crowd was greeted with 130 cars (30 Modifieds, 39 SportMods, 23 Street Stocks / Stock Cars, 26 4-Stocks, and 12 Hobby Stocks) signed in for action. If you were not part of the crowd sitting in the grandstands, then you missed out on some great racing action on a fast and smooth racing surface.
A mix of twenty-three Street Stocks / Stock Cars signed in, with twenty-three of those driver's taking the green for the 20 lap feature. Jesse Owen and Rob Nylin drew the front row for the event, with Owen grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Jeff Struck Jr. and John Oliver Jr. Struck Jr. tried to work under Owen for the top spot over the next 4 laps, but Owen was able to hold him off. That was until lap 6 when Struck Jr. finally got the lead. Struck Jr. then started to pull away, as Owen worked to hold back Oliver Jr. for the runner up spot. The field was brought back to Struck Jr.'s back bumper on lap 10, when Jake Lund spun in turn 1 to bring out the first caution. On the restart Struck Jr. moved back out front, with Owen and Oliver Jr. following. One more lap was scored complete when the second and final caution of the race appeared, as debris in turn 2 brought out the yellow. Struck Jr. once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Owen and Rob Henry, who started 6th, over taking Oliver Jr. for third. Owen would look under Struck Jr. over the next 6 laps, but Struck Jr. was able to hold him off. Then coming off turn 2 to get the white flag Owen was able to slip up in front of Struck Jr. to grab the lead. Struck Jr. tried to get back under Owen coming off turn 4 for the checkered, but Owen was able to edge him out for the win. Henry was 3rd, Oliver Jr. claimed the highest finishing IMCA legal Stock Car award in 4th, with Joe Bonney coming from 12th to finish 5th.
In what I believe to be the first ever visit by the Hobby Stocks at the Davenport Speedway resulted in twelve driver's signing in, with Jeff Schmidt and Randy LaMar leading the field to green in their 12 lap feature. LaMar would take advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Kaden Reynolds and Schmidt. The lead for LaMar only lasted for 1 lap, as Reynolds used the bottom of the track coming out of turn 4 to take the top spot on lap 2. LaMar's early run up front came to an end on lap 5, as he slipped off the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Reynolds jumped back out front, with seventh place starter Daniel Wauters and Russ Olson close behind. While Reynolds worked the top of the track, Wauters worked the bottom, as the two raced side-by-side around the 1/4 mile track over the final half of the race. Reynolds would edge out Wauters at the line each lap, except for the one that counted. As Wauters found some strong momentum coming off the bottom out of turn 4 to edge out Reynolds at the line on the final lap to claim the close victory. Olson was 3rd, LaMar recovered from his lap 5 caution to come back up to finish 4th, with Brandon White finishing 5th after starting in 10th.
Josh Starr and William Michel led the field to green in the 10 lap 4 Stock feature, with Starr jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Cyle Hawkins and Travis Hawkins. Cyle Hawkins tried to grab the top spot away from Starr over the next 4 laps, but Starr was able to hold off his challenges. That was until lap 6 when Cyle Hawkins finally clear Starr for the lead. But before the lap was scored complete the first and only caution of the race appeared, as Michael Lundeen spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Which also handed the lead back over to Starr for the restart. On the restart Starr moved back out front, with Cyle Hawkins and Aaron Hitt, who started 10th, close behind. After trying to get under Starr for the lead over the next couple of laps, Cyle Hawkins went high coming out of turn 4 coming to the white flag to edge out Starr for the top spot. Starr would get back by Cyle Hawkins down the backstretch and then held him off at the line to score another close finish win. Hitt was 3rd, Travis Hawkins was 4th, with Mitch Bielenberg coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap SportMod feature, with Jacob Copley and Tyler Soppe drawing the front row for the event. Soope used his draw to his advantage by jumping out front on lap 1, with Copley and Mike Garland close behind. The action was slowed for the first time of the race on lap 2, as Clint Morehouse and Jeremy Gustaf spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Soppe moved back out front, with Copley and Scott Busch following. While Soppe paced the field out front, the action behind him went two and three wide at times for several positions behind him. The second caution of the race slowed the action on lap 7, as sixth place runner Logan Anderson spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Soppe jumped back out front on the restart, but now had sixth place starter Sean Wyett and ninth place starter Kyle Olson chasing him. One more lap was scored complete when the third caution of the race appeared, this time Chance Huston spun in turn 1 with a right front flat to bring out the yellow.
Once again Soppe moved back out front, with Kyle Olson over taking Wyett for second. Soppe, who was working the top of the track and Kyle Olson, who was working the bottom, raced across the strip on lap 11 dead even. When the fourth and final caution came out after the lap was scored to slow the battle. Jeremy Gustaf and Dylan VanWyk spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Soppe would jump back out front on the restart, with Kyle Olson and Wyett still challenging him. Kyle Olson tried to work under Soppe over the next 5 laps, when he got sideways in turn four and drove thru the infield to regain the car on lap 16. And before he could get back on track he fell clear to the back. This would allow Soppe to pull away for the win. Wyett was 2nd, Jared Boumeester was 3rd, Ryan Reed came from 8th to finish 4th, with Brayton Carter coming home 5th after starting in 10th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap Modifieds, with Steve Gustaf and Kelly Meyer drawing the front row. But it was third place starter Denny Eckrich who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Meyer and Tyler Droste. Then just after the lap was scored complete the first caution appeared, as Chris Lawrence, Gustaf and Spencer Diercks went off the track in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Eckrich moved back out front, with Droste and Jeff Aikey, who started 7th, close behind. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 4 Droste was able to get under Eckrich to take over the top spot. Droste, who was working the bottom of the track, then had to work to hold off Aikey, who was working the top, over the next 6 laps. But the action up front was slowed on lap 10, as Brad Moring spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow.
Droste would move back out front on the restart, with Aikey having to defend off Jason Bahrs, who started 11th, for the runner up spot. A couple of more laps were scored complete when the final caution of the race slowed the action, as TJ Patz spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Aikey would use the momentum off the top of the track on the restart to take the top spot away from Droste. And with Aikey using the momentum off the top to start to pull away, Droste decided to go to the top of the track to keep pace with Aikey on lap 18. But coming off turn 4 to complete lap 19 Droste got the right rear off the top of the track, which allowed Spencer Diercks, who came from the rear after the lap 1 caution, to over take him for second. Diercks tried to cut into Aikey's lead over the final 5 laps. But even though Aikey got into heavy lapped traffic on lap 22, Aikey was able to go on to pick up the win. Diercks settled for 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Matt Werner came from 9th to finish 4th, with Bahrs finishing 5th.
I would like to give the Darkside Promotions team of Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current, as well as K Promotions Ricky and Brenda Kay and both staffs a big THANK YOU for the great hospitality over the 2020 racing season. I can't wait for the 2021 season to begin, as I look forward to getting back to events ran by both these promotional teams.
With the "Dirt In December" Gateway Nationals already postponed for 2020, this could quite possibly bring an end to my 2020 season. But there is one event on my radar I would like to take it, and that it is the Turkey Bowl scheduled for Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st at the Springfield Raceway in Springfield, Missouri. We will see when the time comes closer if I decided to make the close to six hour drive down.
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