Vinton, IA (Monday, May 29, 2017) - My plan for Memorial Day Monday was to stay home after my 24 year old nephew, who has been fighting brain cancer for close to 4 years, was taken to the ER late Sunday night after having convulsions and seizures. But both my mom and sister encouraged me to go racing if I had somewhere to go, as that is what my nephew would have wanted also.
So I got in the car and drover northwest to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa for the 2017 season opener for the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour (HDT) for IMCA Modifieds. Also in action was the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Micro Mods. After four heat races and two B Mains were ran to trim the 33 Modifieds signed in down to 24 starters, the features were set to take to the track.
The first one up was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Jeff Davis and Don Erger on the front row. Erger would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Davis and Erick Knutsen. Just after the completion of lap 1 the first caution of the race came out, as Darrick Knutsen spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Erger came to a stop in turn 4 with something breaking in the rear end to bring the yellow light back on, and ending Erger's run up front. The following restart saw Erick Knutsen slip past Davis to grab the lead, with Dallon Murty, who started 5th, in third. Murty would inherit the runner up spot a few laps later, when Davis exited the track with troubles. For the next 5 laps Murty would follow in Erick Knutsen's tire track around the bottom of the track. Then going into turn 3 to complete lap 11, Murty was able to get under Erick Knutsen to take the top spot away. Murty then led the final lap to pick up the win. Erick Knutsen was 2nd, Cole McNeal started 7th and finished 3rd, Scott Beaty came from 10th to finish in 4th, with Matt Post finishing in 5th after starting in 9th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Scooter Dulin and Jeff Mueller drawing the front row. Mueller used his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Dulin and Johnny Spaw, who started 5th. But disaster would strike Dulin on the completion of lap 2, when he got to high going into turn 3 and went over the track to bring out the yellow. On the restart Mueller moved back out front, with Damon Murty and Spaw close behind. Mueller, who was working the top of the track, and Murty, who was using the middle, raced laps 3, 4 and 5 side-by-side, with Mueller using the momentum off the top to hold the lead each lap. The action up front was slowed for the second and final time on lap 8, when Brandon Jacoby spun in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Mueller once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Murty glued to his back bumper. Murty would try to work under Mueller over the final laps, but Mueller was able to hold him off to pick up the win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Murty settled for 2nd, Spaw was 3rd, John Oliver Jr. was 4th, with Bob Ahrendsen coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Matt Brown and Justin Wacha led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Brown grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Joe Docekal, and Wacha. While everybody went to the bottom of the track, Nathan Ballard, who started 10th, worked the top. Ballard quickly worked himself to the front by taking the lead on lap 6. Just after the completion of lap 6 the first and only caution appeared. Trent Newhaus would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ballard moved back out front, with Brown and Daniel Wauters, who started 8th, following. Ballard then pulled away over the final 9 laps to cruise the win and claim the $500 top prize to go with it. Docekal crossed the line in 2nd, but was disqualified in post race tech. So this would move Brett Vanous to 2nd, Wauters was moved to 3rd, Matt Pohlman was moved to 4th, with Brown moving up to finish 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Ethan Braaksma and Kyle Bentley drawing the front row. Braaksma took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Matt Petrzelka and Bentley. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 5, when Tony Olson, who was running 7th, went over the track in turn 3 and 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Braaksma did a jack rabbit start and caused 4 drivers to collide in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. Those four driver's were given their spots back, while Braaskma was docked 4 spots back to 5th. This would hand the lead over to Petrzelka for the restart, who led Bentley and Tyler Soppe, who started 8th. One more lap, lap 6, complete produced another caution, as Ryan King spun in turn 4 and collected Jami Ritter, Brian Sondag, and Brandon Tharp to bring out the yellow.
Petrzelka jumped back out front on the restart, with Soppe and Joey Schaefer, who started 7th, close behind. While Petrzelka worked the top of the track, Soppe would work the bottom to try and get the lead away over the next 8 laps. But Petrzelka would hold him off. The battle up front was slowed for the final time on lap 15, when Sondag slowed down the front stretch with a left rear flat to bring out the yellow. Petrzelka grabbed the lead on the restart over Soppe and Schaefer. Soppe again tried to work under Petrzelka over the final laps, but Petrzelka was able to hold him off to pick up the win and the $1,000 check to go with it. Soppe settled for 2nd, Schaefer held off Braaksma at the line for 3rd, with Jared VanDeest coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
The 35 lap HDT feature for IMCA Modifieds was up next, with Brandon Maitland and Penokee, Kansas driver Clay Money leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Money, John Emerson, who was driving Shawn Ritter's #7SR Modified, and Maitland raced off turn 4 three wide for the lead on lap 1, with Money edging Emerson and Maitland to lead the lap. Emerson would slip past Money one lap later, lap 2, to take over the top spot. The feature event was slowed for the first and only time on lap 3, when Todd Shute, who was running three wide for the 5th place, was pinched over the track going into turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Emerson jumped back out front, with Jimmy Gustin, who started 7th, and Kelly Shryock, close behind. Gustin then followed in Emerson's tire tracks around the bottom of the track over the next 14 laps, when they entered lapped traffic on lap 18. When Emerson looked high to get around the lapped car, Gustin pounced under him to grab the top spot away on lap 21. While the lead group worked the bottom of the track Hunter Marriott, who started 10th, went to the high side to work his way to fourth. Then Marriott went to the bottom to grab third away from Maitland on lap 26, and then set his sights on the lead duo. Going into turn 1 on the final lap Emerson decided to go high to get by Gustin for the lead, but that moved cost him second. As Marriott slipped past coming off turn 2, and then charged to Gustin's back bumper going into turn 3. But Gustin was able to hold on to claim his the win, which happened to be his 100th in the division. Marriott settled for 2nd, Emerson was 3rd, Shryock was 4th, with Joel Rust coming from 11th to finish in 5th.
Notes from BCS: 33 Modifieds, 25 SportMods, 14 Stock Cars, 13 Hobby Stocks, and 12 Micro Mods made up the 97 cars signed in on the night.....Curtis Rooster started the Stock Car feature in 12th and finished 7th....Scooter Dulin recovered from going over the track in turns 3 & 4 on lap 2 to come back up to finish 9th......Thomas Stevens started the Hobby Stock feature in 12th and finished in 8th......Timmy Current finished 7th in the SportMod feature after starting in 12th....Brian Kauffman passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Tony Olson recovered from going over the track in turns 3 & 4 on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 11th....Randy LaMar started 22nd and finished 13th....Brandon Tharp, who started 23rd, recovered from the crash on lap 6 to come back up to finish 14th......The Modified field was brought out to the front stretch before there event, where they were introduced and the top 12 redrew. There was 12 oil filters sill in the box lined up, where the heat winners drew, followed by the second place finishers, and finished with the third place finishers. Tyler Droste and Brandon Maitland were the final two driver's to draw, and who would have believed that the #1 and #12 were left for them. Droste was the first to graw, leaving Maitland what was left. And when Droste pulled his filter out of the box to reveal the #12, this gave Maitland the pole....Kyle Brown started 14th and finished 7th....Droste only got up to 9th....Scott Hogan finished 11th after starting in 15th....Ryan Maitland came from 20th to finish in 12th....Jacob Murray started 19th and finished 13th....Shute recovered from going over the track in turn 3 on lap 3 to come back up to finish in 15th....Corey Dripps started 23rd, after receiving a points provisional from 2016, and finished 16th.
My schedule of racing for this week will kick-off on Thursday, June 1st, as the MLRA Late Models invade the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, MO. A $3,000 top prize awaits the winner. Also in action on the night will be the Modifieds, Stock Cars and SportMods, all racing for $1,000 to win. Plus the Sport Compacts will be racing for $300. The following night, Friday, June 2nd, the MLRA Late Models make their second and final stop at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA. UMP Pro Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA SportMods, and Sport Compacts will all be in action. Hot laps both days will start at 6:45 PM. Then on Saturday, June 3rd I will be back at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA for a weekly points night. Hope to see you at one, if not all of these shows!!!
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