Davenport, IA (Friday, June 19, 2015) - A Friday night and beautiful weather, put those two together and it meant it was race night. My adventure took me north to the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA. It was another weekly night of racing, their fifth night in ten attempts this year.
The first feature to take to the track was the 12 lap 4 Stocks, with Josh Riley and Zach Dahl drawing the front row for the event. Riley took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Zach Dahl and Scott Powell. Zach Dahl would look under Riley for the lead over the next 8 laps, until he tried the middle to get around Riley. That move would cost his a few spots, as Powell and Brandon Dahl, who started 6th, slipped under him for second and third. Powell then tried to get under Riley over the final 4 laps, but Riley was able to hold him off in a caution free race to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Powell settled for 2nd, Brandon Dahl was 3rd, Zach Dahl was 4th, with Luke Benischek coming from 9th to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap Street Stock feature, with Phil Anderson and Cary Brown leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Anderson jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Brown and Josh Neal. Anderson then had to work to hold off Brown over the next 4 laps, when the first caution of the race slowed the action down. Chance Huston spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Randy Lamar spun in turn 3 and collected Jacob Whittington and Huston to bring the caution light back on. Debris down the front stretch on the next restart would bring out another caution. A third attempt of a restart saw Anderson grab the lead, with Brown and Neal glued to his back bumper. While Anderson paced the field out front, Brown and Neal raced side-by-side for the runner up spot on laps 10, 11 and 12, with Brown gaining the spot on lap 13. Coming to the white flag Brown was able to get under Anderson going into turn 1 and then cleared him off turn 2 to take over the top spot. Brown then held off Anderson coming out of turn 4 to claim his first win of the season at the track. Anderson settled for 2nd, Neal was 3rd, Nick Claussen was 4th, with Keith Blum coming home 5th after starting in 9th.
Austin Moyer and Mike McGarry drew the front row for the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Moyer grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Tony Olson, who started 5th, and McGarry. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 3, when Randy Farrell spun in turn 1 and collected Rance Powell to bring out the caution. On the restart Moyer jumped back out front, with Olson and Jarrett Franzen, who started 8th, close behind. Moyer would start to pull away from the field, when the second and final caution brought the field back to his back bumper on lap 11. This time McGarry spun off turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Once again Moyer grabbed the lead on the restart, with Olson and Franzen battling for second. Moyer would go on to lead the final 4 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Olson was 2nd, Franzen was 3rd, Bryce Garnhart started 7th and finished 4th, with Tyler Soppe passing 8 cars from his 13th place starting spot to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Mitch Morris and Rick Hixson leading the field to the green flag. Morris would take advantage of his starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chris Zogg and Milo Veloz Jr., who started 5th. While Morris worked the bottom of the track, Veloz Jr. worked the middle, which paid off with the pass for the lead on lap 7. One lap later, lap 8, the first caution appeared to slow the action. Todd Dykema spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kevin Blum spun in turn 2 and collected Chris Lawrence to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Veloz Jr. jump back out front, with Zogg over taking Morris for the runner up spot. Veloz Jr. would pull away over the final 12 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Zogg was 2nd, Tony VonDresky finished 3rd after starting in 10th, Morris was 4th, with Craig Crawford passing 12 cars from his 17th place starting spot to round out the top 5.
The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Todd Malmstrom and Brian Harris drawing the front row for the event. Harris used his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Justin Kay and Malmstrom. Just after lap 1 was scored complete the first caution appeared, as Chuck Hanna got into Sam Halstead, who spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Harris moved back out front, with Kay and Ray Guss Jr. close behind. Kay would work the middle of the track to grab the top spot away from Harris on lap 3. Ryan Claeys would spin in turn 2 on the completion of lap 3 to bring out the caution. Kay would jump back out front on the restart, with Harris and Guss Jr. following. Another lap in the books produce another caution, as Mike Zemo Jr., who was running 4th, spun in turn 4 from contact from Matt Ryan, who was running 5th after starting in 11th, to bring out the yellow. Once again Kay grabbed the lead on the restart, with Harris and Andy Nezworski, who started 16th, close behind. While Kay set a fast pace out front, Harris and Nezworski battled for the runner up spot. Nezworski would slip past Harris on lap 9 to take over the second spot, but was a full straight-away behind Kay for the top spot. Kay would enter lapped traffic on lap 15, which allowed Nezworski to close in. When Claeys spun in turn 2 on lap 21, for his second solo caution to end his night, this would put Nezworski on Kay's back bumper for the restart. Kay grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 4 laps to pick up his third win in a row at the track. Nezworski settled for 2nd, Hanna recovered from his involvement in the lap 1 caution to come back up to finish in 3rd, Harris was 4th, with Nate Beuseling coming home 5th.
Notes from Davenport: 35 Modifieds, 30 SportMods, 19 Street Stocks, 18 Late Models, and 11 4 Stocks made up the 113 cars signed in on the night......Greg Benischek started 10th in the 4 Stock feature and finished 6th....Brandon Setser finished 7th after starting in 11th......Perry Gellerstedt started the Street Stock feature in 11th and finished 6th....Shawn Flagel finished 7th after starting in 12th....Donnie Louck passed 10 cars from is 18th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Randy Lamar recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish in 9th....Jesse Owen started 16th and finished 11th....Cord Williams gets my add-a-boy of the night award, as he spun in 4 on lap 7 and did a complete 360 to keep going. He was running 8th at the time and fell back to 13th, only to recover to finish in 12th......Dalton Simonson finished 7th in the SportMod feature after starting in 15th....Dustin Crear finished 8th after starting in 12th....Henry Carson started 17th and finished 11th....Jacob Beal passed 8 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 12th....Erik Arensdorf came from 19th to finish in 13th....Andre LaPorte, Gage Neal, Dave Engelkens, Jade Davis, Gary Rentfro, Kyle Eller, Dawson Edwards, Emily Gade, Doug Burkhead, and Brian Wendel were among the drivers who didn't qualify for the SportMod feature......Bruce Hanford started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 6th....George Spence III passed 8 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Jake Bowman passed 13 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 8th....Justin Veloz passed 13 cars from his 23rd place starting spot to come home in 10th....Todd Dykema recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 12th....Brian Bushong passed 11 cars from his 24th place starting spot to come home in 13th....Dakota Hayden started 19th and finished 14th....Doug Crampton finished 16th after starting in 22nd....Tom Pestka, Hunter Wilson, Jarrod Struss, Paul Howard, TJ Patz, Kyle Montgomery, Blake Woodruff, Dave Hammond, Rob Dominacki, Bruce Fosdyck, and Rich Smith were among the drivers who didn't qualify for the Modified feature......Matt Ryan, who started 11th in the Late Model feature, recovered from his involvement in the lap 4 caution to come back up to finish in 7th....Marty Scheckel started 14th and finished 11th....Sam Halstead recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish in 12th....Rick Wages started 17th and finished 13th.
I would like to thank Bob Wagoner, Carrie Rouse and all the gang at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA for the great hospitality!
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Hurst Edges Out First Career HDT Win at Jackson County
Maquoketa, IA (Tuesday, June 9, 2015) - Since I didn't have to get up real early Wednesday morning to go to work, I decided to make the trip north to the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa on Tuesday night to take in the nights racing events. On tap for the night was the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models, the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds, along with the IMCA SportMods.
The 29 field of IMCA Modifieds was divided into 4 heat races, in which the top 3 were locked into the 25 lap A Main. The remainder would move into the 2 B Mains, in which the top 5 out of those would move into the A Main. The final 2 spots of the 24 car field would be filled by 2 provisional starters, the 2 highest in HDT points that didn't qualify out of the 2 B Mains.
Ryan Maitland and Ben Chapman drew the front row of the 25 lap HDT IMCA Modified feature, with Maitland grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Chapman and Steve Johnson. Chapman would look under Maitland for the top spot over the next 8 laps. But Maitland was able to hold off all challenges from Chapman every lap. While the battle out front was happening, Jeremiah Hurst, who started 7th, was working his way to the front. On lap 13, Hurst would move into 3rd and then set his sights on the two car battle in front of him. Six laps later, lap 19, Hurst would slip under Chapman to grab the runner up spot and then went to work on Maitland for the lead. Maitland, who was glued to the bottom of the speedway, entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 20. With 2 laps to go Hurst decided he would have to use a different groove then the bottom to get around Maitland for the lead, so he decided to try the top of the track. The move would work coming off turn 2, as he edged out front. But Maitland was able to get the lead back coming off turn 4 to take the white flag. The two would race the final lap side-by-side, with Hurst using the momentum off turn 4 on the top side to edge out Maitland at the line by inches to claim his first career Hawkeye Dirt Tour win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Maitland settled for 2nd, Justin Kay started 16th and used the middle of the track to climb his way to 3rd, Chapman was 4th, with Mike Van Genderen coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
Thirty IMCA Late Models were divided into 4 heat races, in which the top 3 were locked into the 40 lap A Main. The remainder would move into the 2 B Mains, in which the top 4 out of those would move into the A Main. The final 4 spots of the 24 car field would be filled by 3 provisional starters, the 3 highest in Deery Brothers Summer Series points that didn't qualify out of the 2 B Mains and 1 hard charger.
Dan Shelliam and Justin Kay would lead the field to the green flag in the 40 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Shelliam jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Jon Merfeld and Kay. The top three cars would stay glued to the bottom of the track, until they started to enter lapped traffic on lap 11. Kay was the first to try the middle of the track on laps 13 & 14 to get by Merfeld for 2nd. He would finally make the pass on lap 15, and then went to work on Shelliam for the top spot. Coming off turn 4 on lap 17, Kay would take over the lead from Shelliam. Just as Kay started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 21. Matt Ryan would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Shelliam working to hold off Tyler Droste, who started 5th, for the runner up spot. Kay once again started to pull away from the field, even as he entered lapped traffic on lap 30. But when Andy Eckrich dropped a drive shaft in turn 2 on lap 32, that would bring out a caution and brought the field back to Kay's back bumper. Once again Kay jumped out front on the restart, with Droste over taking Shelliam for second. It looked like Kay was going to pull away from the field over the final 8 laps to cruise to an easy win, that was until the final caution waved on lap 37 to set up a 3 lap dash to the finish. This time John Emerson and Stephan Kammerer collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Kay grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the final 3 laps to claim his third Deery Brothers Summer Series win of the season and the $3,000 top prize to go with it. Shelliam over took Droste on the final restart to finish in 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Joe Zrostlik started 11th and finished 4th, with Jeff Aikey using the top of the track to climb from 8th in the final laps to round out the top 5.
Notes from JCS: Matt Irwin, George Spence III, Josh Star, Hunter Wilson, and Derek Thompson were the 5 IMCA Modifieds would didn't qualify for the A Main....The 25 lap A Main was ran off caution FREE!!!....Patrick Flannagan started 13th and finished 11th....Joel Rust finished 16th after starting in 21st....Dennis Betzer started 23rd and finished 19th....TJ Patz started 22nd and finished 20th......Jon Poll, Jeff Tharp, Brian Beaudry, Chuck Hanna, Darrel DeFrance, and Ryan Claeys were the 6 IMCA Late Models who didn't qualify for the A Main....Andy Nezworski passed 11 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 6th....Jason Rauen started 9th and finished 7th....Don Pataska passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finished in 8th....Ryan Dolan started 24th and passed 15 cars to come home in 9th....Todd Malmstrom passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Jeremy Grady started 23rd and passed 11 cars to finish in 12th....Scott Fitzpatrick, who started 19th and had worked his way to 8th, pitted on lap 37 caution with a right rear flat to end his run up front......The 19 car field in the IMCA SportMods will have to wait until Saturday, June 27th to run their feature, as the curfew time limit didn't allow then to get the feature race in.
I would like to thank Ryan Duhme and Tim Current for allowing me to come up to the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa to cover the nights racing action. If you haven't made the trip to the track, I would encourage you to make the trip over there on a Saturday night to take in the action!
The 29 field of IMCA Modifieds was divided into 4 heat races, in which the top 3 were locked into the 25 lap A Main. The remainder would move into the 2 B Mains, in which the top 5 out of those would move into the A Main. The final 2 spots of the 24 car field would be filled by 2 provisional starters, the 2 highest in HDT points that didn't qualify out of the 2 B Mains.
Ryan Maitland and Ben Chapman drew the front row of the 25 lap HDT IMCA Modified feature, with Maitland grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Chapman and Steve Johnson. Chapman would look under Maitland for the top spot over the next 8 laps. But Maitland was able to hold off all challenges from Chapman every lap. While the battle out front was happening, Jeremiah Hurst, who started 7th, was working his way to the front. On lap 13, Hurst would move into 3rd and then set his sights on the two car battle in front of him. Six laps later, lap 19, Hurst would slip under Chapman to grab the runner up spot and then went to work on Maitland for the lead. Maitland, who was glued to the bottom of the speedway, entered heavy lapped traffic on lap 20. With 2 laps to go Hurst decided he would have to use a different groove then the bottom to get around Maitland for the lead, so he decided to try the top of the track. The move would work coming off turn 2, as he edged out front. But Maitland was able to get the lead back coming off turn 4 to take the white flag. The two would race the final lap side-by-side, with Hurst using the momentum off turn 4 on the top side to edge out Maitland at the line by inches to claim his first career Hawkeye Dirt Tour win and the $1,000 top prize to go with it. Maitland settled for 2nd, Justin Kay started 16th and used the middle of the track to climb his way to 3rd, Chapman was 4th, with Mike Van Genderen coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
Thirty IMCA Late Models were divided into 4 heat races, in which the top 3 were locked into the 40 lap A Main. The remainder would move into the 2 B Mains, in which the top 4 out of those would move into the A Main. The final 4 spots of the 24 car field would be filled by 3 provisional starters, the 3 highest in Deery Brothers Summer Series points that didn't qualify out of the 2 B Mains and 1 hard charger.
Dan Shelliam and Justin Kay would lead the field to the green flag in the 40 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Shelliam jumping out front to lead lap 1 over Jon Merfeld and Kay. The top three cars would stay glued to the bottom of the track, until they started to enter lapped traffic on lap 11. Kay was the first to try the middle of the track on laps 13 & 14 to get by Merfeld for 2nd. He would finally make the pass on lap 15, and then went to work on Shelliam for the top spot. Coming off turn 4 on lap 17, Kay would take over the lead from Shelliam. Just as Kay started to pull away from the field, the first caution of the race appeared on lap 21. Matt Ryan would spin in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Kay moved back out front, with Shelliam working to hold off Tyler Droste, who started 5th, for the runner up spot. Kay once again started to pull away from the field, even as he entered lapped traffic on lap 30. But when Andy Eckrich dropped a drive shaft in turn 2 on lap 32, that would bring out a caution and brought the field back to Kay's back bumper. Once again Kay jumped out front on the restart, with Droste over taking Shelliam for second. It looked like Kay was going to pull away from the field over the final 8 laps to cruise to an easy win, that was until the final caution waved on lap 37 to set up a 3 lap dash to the finish. This time John Emerson and Stephan Kammerer collided in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Kay grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on for the final 3 laps to claim his third Deery Brothers Summer Series win of the season and the $3,000 top prize to go with it. Shelliam over took Droste on the final restart to finish in 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Joe Zrostlik started 11th and finished 4th, with Jeff Aikey using the top of the track to climb from 8th in the final laps to round out the top 5.
Notes from JCS: Matt Irwin, George Spence III, Josh Star, Hunter Wilson, and Derek Thompson were the 5 IMCA Modifieds would didn't qualify for the A Main....The 25 lap A Main was ran off caution FREE!!!....Patrick Flannagan started 13th and finished 11th....Joel Rust finished 16th after starting in 21st....Dennis Betzer started 23rd and finished 19th....TJ Patz started 22nd and finished 20th......Jon Poll, Jeff Tharp, Brian Beaudry, Chuck Hanna, Darrel DeFrance, and Ryan Claeys were the 6 IMCA Late Models who didn't qualify for the A Main....Andy Nezworski passed 11 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 6th....Jason Rauen started 9th and finished 7th....Don Pataska passed 10 cars from his 18th place starting spot to finished in 8th....Ryan Dolan started 24th and passed 15 cars to come home in 9th....Todd Malmstrom passed 10 cars from his 20th place starting spot to finish in 10th....Jeremy Grady started 23rd and passed 11 cars to finish in 12th....Scott Fitzpatrick, who started 19th and had worked his way to 8th, pitted on lap 37 caution with a right rear flat to end his run up front......The 19 car field in the IMCA SportMods will have to wait until Saturday, June 27th to run their feature, as the curfew time limit didn't allow then to get the feature race in.
I would like to thank Ryan Duhme and Tim Current for allowing me to come up to the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, Iowa to cover the nights racing action. If you haven't made the trip to the track, I would encourage you to make the trip over there on a Saturday night to take in the action!
Monday, June 1, 2015
Night of First Time Winners at Quincy Raceways
Quincy, IL (Sunday, May 31, 2015) - Mother nature continues to play havoc on the 2015 racing season, as Sunday's temps hoovered around the low 60's. With this kind of weather you would have thought it was late March instead of late May. But the crew at Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois didn't let the cool temps and the brisk north winds stop them from racing on Sunday night. At the end of the night there were five new winners standing in victory lane for the first time in 2015 at the track.
The IMCA SportMod feature this week was highlighted by a draw / redraw format, with $500 going to the feature winner. An added bonus of $200 from Dunker Concrete, Patrick "Skipp" Dunker, was posted for any two drivers who redrew in the top 10 to go to the rear at the start of the race. Then if one of those drivers could drive through the field and pick up the win, they would earn a total of $700 for there efforts. Before the drop of the green flag the field was brought to a stop on the front stretch, then they started with the front row and asked them if they wanted to start in the rear. The first driver to accept the challenge was fifth place starter Wesley Mayfield. The next driver to accept the challenge was eighth place starter Brandon Lennox.
Darin Munzinger and Adam Birck would draw the front row for the 27 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Birck jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Munzlinger and Nathan Bringer. The first caution of the race appeared on lap 2, when Cody Henderson went over the track in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Todd Reed spun in turn 1 and collected Mike Goodwin to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Tony Dunker slip under Birck to grab the top spot away on lap 3. The third caution of the race appeared on lap 4, when Goodwin spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Dunker moved back out front on the restart, with Birck and Jim Gillenwater close behind. Gillenwater's run up front ended on lap 8, when he spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Dunker jumped out front on the restart, with Birck and Tanner Klingele, who started 7th, close behind. Two more laps complete, lap 10, and another caution appeared, as Munzinger spun in turn 1 and collects Goodwin to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker moved back out front, with Birck and Klingele still close behind. While the battle up front continued, all eyes were on Brandon Lennox, who accepted the back row challenge and was quickly working his way towards the front. The action up front was slowed on lap 14, when Jared Wiemelt spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Lennox jumped to the top of the track to grabbed the lead away from Dunker to complete his run from last to first in 15 laps. Dunker would try to work under Lennox, until the action up front was slowed again on lap 20. Once again Wiemelt spun in turn 2 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night.
On the restart Wesley Mayfield spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. Debris in turn 2 on the next restart would bring the caution back out. The following restart saw Bringer, who was running 4th, get sideways in turn 1 and made contact with Austin Howes, who started 15th and was running 8th, as a result Howes would come to a stop in turn 3 with a right front flat to bring out the yellow. Once back to green Lennox moved back out front, with Dunker and Patrick Phillips, who started 11th, close behind. Two more laps complete, lap 22, and another caution, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. Lennox once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dunker and Phillips close behind. Phillips run up front came to an end on lap 23, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox moved back out front, with Dunker and Birck following. Coming to complete lap 26 Lennox would slip in turn 4, which allowed Dunker to slip under him to grab the lead away. But before the lap was scored complete Phillips spun in turn 4 and collected Dakota Anderson to bring out the caution. Lennox was giving the lead back for the restart. On the restart Birck, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The final restart saw Lennox grab the lead over Dunker and Bobby Six, who started 10th. Lennox would hold off Dunker over the final 2 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. With the win Lennox would take home $1,100 ($500 from the track, $200 from Dunker Concrete for accepting the back row challenge and winning the race, plus another $400 from 5 fans in the stands who added to the back row challenge). Dunker settled for 2nd, Six was 3rd, Klingele was 4th, with Cody Henderson, who started 14th, recovering from his spin on lap 2 to come back up to finish 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Brandon Savage and Trevor Hagerbaumer leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Savage took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Hagerbaumer and Andrew Hustead. Jerry Jansen would go over the track in turn 1 and came to stop in turn 2 on lap 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage moved back out front, with Hagerbaumer and Hustead close behind. Two laps later, lap 4, Jim Lynch slowed to a stop in turn 2 with a right front flat to bring out the caution. Savage once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hustead and Michael Larsen over taking Hagerbaumer for second and third. One more lap scored complete, lap 5, and another caution appeared, as Lynch spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage jumped back out front over Hustead and Larsen. Savage then held the lead until lap 6, when he pulled off the track in turn 3 with troubles. This would hand the lead over to Hustead. The final caution of the race appeared on lap 12, when Hagerbaumer stopped in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hustead jumped out front, with Abe Huls, who started 10th, glued to his back bumper. Huls would look under Hustead over the final 6 laps, but Hustead would hold him off to pick up his first career Stock Car feature win. Huls settled for 2nd, Lynch recovered from his spin on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Larsen was 4th, with Beau Taylor coming home in 5th.
Jim Moon and Jamie Wilson led the field to green in the 25 lap UMP Late Model feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Trace Westling stopped in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Keith Pratt spun in turn 4 and collected Alan Westling to bring the caution light back on. Debris in turn 4 on the following restart would bring the yellow back out. A fourth attempt of a start saw Wilson grab the lead on lap 1 over Moon and Denny Woodworth. Wilson, who was setting a fast pace out front, started to enter lapped traffic on lap 7. By the time Justin Reed, who started 6th, slipped into second on lap 10, Wilson had built up a half a track lead. Reed, who was trying to chase down Wilson for the lead, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 15 to bring out the caution and end his run up front. This would also erase the 8 second lead that Wilson had built up. On the restart Wilson moved back out front, with Moon and Woodworth following. Wilson would pull away over the final 10 laps to claim his first win of the season and his first since winning a race 14 years ago at the track. Moon held on for 2nd, Mark Burgtorf started 7th and finished 3rd, Woodworth was 4th, with Matt Santel coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Steven DeLonjay and Rusty Griffaw on the front row. Just after the green flag was waved the caution light came on, as the start was called back. At the same time Michael Long, who had won the first four features at the track, stopped in turn 1 with motor troubles to end his run. On the restart Griffaw jumped out front on lap 1 over David Wietholder and DeLonjay. The action up front was slowed on lap 2, when Frankie Wellman spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Griffaw once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Wietholder and DeLonjay close behind. While Griffaw started to pull away, Wietholder, Kelly Koviski and DeLonjay had a three car battle going for second. That was until lap 17, when DeLonjay slowed down the backstretch with rear end troubles to end his night and bringing out the caution. On the restart Griffaw moved back out front, with Koviski and Jared Schlipman over taking Wietholder for second and third.. Two laps later, lap 19, Spencer Havermale spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Griffaw grabbed the lead on the restart, with Koviski and Wietholder close behind. Another lap was scored complete, when Shawn Deering, who was running 5th, slowed down the front stretch with a right front flat to bring out the caution. Once again Griffaw jumped out front on the restart, with Wietholder and Schlipman close behind. Coming to complete lap 23 Wietholder was able to get up beside Griffaw for the top spot. But Griffaw was able to hold off Wietholder over the final 2 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Wietholder settled for 2nd, Koviski was 3rd, Shane Lewis started 12th and finished 4th, with Russ Coultas coming from 10th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Anthony Grossman and Cliff Spencer making up the front row. Grossman would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert and Barry Taft. Lambert jumped to the top of the track coming off turn 4 to complete lap 4 to grab the top spot away from Grossman. Just after the completion of lap 4 the first caution of the race appeared, as Jerry Bown spun in 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lambert moved back out front over Taft and Grossman. Taft's run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he rolled in turn 4 and collected Grossman and Bill Carter to bring out the red. Taft would climb from his car okay. Lambert grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 10 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Kimberly Abbott started 6th and finished 2nd, Jeffery DeLonjay was 3rd, Bown recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 4th, with Spencer Coats coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Quincy: Mike Goodwin recovered from his involvement in the lap 10 caution of the SportMod feature to come back up to finish 6th. Darin Munzlinger also recovered from his spin on lap 10 to come back up to finish in 7th....Wesley Mayfield, who elected the rear challenge, recovered from his spin on lap 20 to come back up to finish in 8th....Adam Birck recovered from his spin on lap 25 to come back up to finish in 9th....Justin Bartz started 18th and finished 11th....Austen Howes recovered from his flat on lap 20 to come back up to finish 12th....Gene Kay passed 8 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 13th....Jon Lear started 17th and finished 14th....Dakota Anderson, who started 22nd, finished 16th....Joey Gower, who started 9th and was up to 5th, pulled off under the lap 10 caution with front end troubles to end his night in 19th......Trevor Hagerbaumer recovered from the lap 12 caution in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish 7th....Jerry Jansen recovered from his caution on lap 2 to come back up to finish 8th....John Oliver Jr. broke a power steering pump in hot laps and made one lap in the feature to be credited with 11th....Jake Powers had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Keith Pratt recovered from his spin on the start of the Late Model feature to come back up to finish 6th....Mike Hammerle started 13th and finished 7th....Charles VanZandt made his debut in the Late Model class after moving up from the SportMods. He started the feature in 19th and finished 15th....Chuck Mitchell and Ron Elbe had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Cory Brown started the UMP Modified feature in 11th and finished 6th....Spencer Havermale recovered from his spin on lap 19 to come back up to finish in 7th....Charles Baker started 13th and finished 8th....Jared Schlipman, who was running 4th, pulled off on lap 23 with a broken left front to end his night in 9th......Nick DeJaynes started the Sport Compact feature in 9th and finished 6th....Casey Lambert had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.
The IMCA SportMod feature this week was highlighted by a draw / redraw format, with $500 going to the feature winner. An added bonus of $200 from Dunker Concrete, Patrick "Skipp" Dunker, was posted for any two drivers who redrew in the top 10 to go to the rear at the start of the race. Then if one of those drivers could drive through the field and pick up the win, they would earn a total of $700 for there efforts. Before the drop of the green flag the field was brought to a stop on the front stretch, then they started with the front row and asked them if they wanted to start in the rear. The first driver to accept the challenge was fifth place starter Wesley Mayfield. The next driver to accept the challenge was eighth place starter Brandon Lennox.
Darin Munzinger and Adam Birck would draw the front row for the 27 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Birck jumping out into the lead on lap 1 over Munzlinger and Nathan Bringer. The first caution of the race appeared on lap 2, when Cody Henderson went over the track in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Todd Reed spun in turn 1 and collected Mike Goodwin to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Tony Dunker slip under Birck to grab the top spot away on lap 3. The third caution of the race appeared on lap 4, when Goodwin spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Dunker moved back out front on the restart, with Birck and Jim Gillenwater close behind. Gillenwater's run up front ended on lap 8, when he spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Once again Dunker jumped out front on the restart, with Birck and Tanner Klingele, who started 7th, close behind. Two more laps complete, lap 10, and another caution appeared, as Munzinger spun in turn 1 and collects Goodwin to bring out the yellow. On the restart Dunker moved back out front, with Birck and Klingele still close behind. While the battle up front continued, all eyes were on Brandon Lennox, who accepted the back row challenge and was quickly working his way towards the front. The action up front was slowed on lap 14, when Jared Wiemelt spun in turn 4 to bring out the caution. On the restart Lennox jumped to the top of the track to grabbed the lead away from Dunker to complete his run from last to first in 15 laps. Dunker would try to work under Lennox, until the action up front was slowed again on lap 20. Once again Wiemelt spun in turn 2 to bring out his second solo caution to end his night.
On the restart Wesley Mayfield spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. Debris in turn 2 on the next restart would bring the caution back out. The following restart saw Bringer, who was running 4th, get sideways in turn 1 and made contact with Austin Howes, who started 15th and was running 8th, as a result Howes would come to a stop in turn 3 with a right front flat to bring out the yellow. Once back to green Lennox moved back out front, with Dunker and Patrick Phillips, who started 11th, close behind. Two more laps complete, lap 22, and another caution, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. Lennox once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Dunker and Phillips close behind. Phillips run up front came to an end on lap 23, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lennox moved back out front, with Dunker and Birck following. Coming to complete lap 26 Lennox would slip in turn 4, which allowed Dunker to slip under him to grab the lead away. But before the lap was scored complete Phillips spun in turn 4 and collected Dakota Anderson to bring out the caution. Lennox was giving the lead back for the restart. On the restart Birck, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The final restart saw Lennox grab the lead over Dunker and Bobby Six, who started 10th. Lennox would hold off Dunker over the final 2 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. With the win Lennox would take home $1,100 ($500 from the track, $200 from Dunker Concrete for accepting the back row challenge and winning the race, plus another $400 from 5 fans in the stands who added to the back row challenge). Dunker settled for 2nd, Six was 3rd, Klingele was 4th, with Cody Henderson, who started 14th, recovering from his spin on lap 2 to come back up to finish 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Brandon Savage and Trevor Hagerbaumer leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Savage took advantage of his starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Hagerbaumer and Andrew Hustead. Jerry Jansen would go over the track in turn 1 and came to stop in turn 2 on lap 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage moved back out front, with Hagerbaumer and Hustead close behind. Two laps later, lap 4, Jim Lynch slowed to a stop in turn 2 with a right front flat to bring out the caution. Savage once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hustead and Michael Larsen over taking Hagerbaumer for second and third. One more lap scored complete, lap 5, and another caution appeared, as Lynch spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Savage jumped back out front over Hustead and Larsen. Savage then held the lead until lap 6, when he pulled off the track in turn 3 with troubles. This would hand the lead over to Hustead. The final caution of the race appeared on lap 12, when Hagerbaumer stopped in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Hustead jumped out front, with Abe Huls, who started 10th, glued to his back bumper. Huls would look under Hustead over the final 6 laps, but Hustead would hold him off to pick up his first career Stock Car feature win. Huls settled for 2nd, Lynch recovered from his spin on lap 5 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Larsen was 4th, with Beau Taylor coming home in 5th.
Jim Moon and Jamie Wilson led the field to green in the 25 lap UMP Late Model feature. But just as the green flag was waved the caution light would come on, as Trace Westling stopped in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Keith Pratt spun in turn 4 and collected Alan Westling to bring the caution light back on. Debris in turn 4 on the following restart would bring the yellow back out. A fourth attempt of a start saw Wilson grab the lead on lap 1 over Moon and Denny Woodworth. Wilson, who was setting a fast pace out front, started to enter lapped traffic on lap 7. By the time Justin Reed, who started 6th, slipped into second on lap 10, Wilson had built up a half a track lead. Reed, who was trying to chase down Wilson for the lead, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 15 to bring out the caution and end his run up front. This would also erase the 8 second lead that Wilson had built up. On the restart Wilson moved back out front, with Moon and Woodworth following. Wilson would pull away over the final 10 laps to claim his first win of the season and his first since winning a race 14 years ago at the track. Moon held on for 2nd, Mark Burgtorf started 7th and finished 3rd, Woodworth was 4th, with Matt Santel coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Up next was the 25 lap UMP Modified feature, with Steven DeLonjay and Rusty Griffaw on the front row. Just after the green flag was waved the caution light came on, as the start was called back. At the same time Michael Long, who had won the first four features at the track, stopped in turn 1 with motor troubles to end his run. On the restart Griffaw jumped out front on lap 1 over David Wietholder and DeLonjay. The action up front was slowed on lap 2, when Frankie Wellman spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Griffaw once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Wietholder and DeLonjay close behind. While Griffaw started to pull away, Wietholder, Kelly Koviski and DeLonjay had a three car battle going for second. That was until lap 17, when DeLonjay slowed down the backstretch with rear end troubles to end his night and bringing out the caution. On the restart Griffaw moved back out front, with Koviski and Jared Schlipman over taking Wietholder for second and third.. Two laps later, lap 19, Spencer Havermale spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Griffaw grabbed the lead on the restart, with Koviski and Wietholder close behind. Another lap was scored complete, when Shawn Deering, who was running 5th, slowed down the front stretch with a right front flat to bring out the caution. Once again Griffaw jumped out front on the restart, with Wietholder and Schlipman close behind. Coming to complete lap 23 Wietholder was able to get up beside Griffaw for the top spot. But Griffaw was able to hold off Wietholder over the final 2 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Wietholder settled for 2nd, Koviski was 3rd, Shane Lewis started 12th and finished 4th, with Russ Coultas coming from 10th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, with Anthony Grossman and Cliff Spencer making up the front row. Grossman would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Lambert and Barry Taft. Lambert jumped to the top of the track coming off turn 4 to complete lap 4 to grab the top spot away from Grossman. Just after the completion of lap 4 the first caution of the race appeared, as Jerry Bown spun in 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Lambert moved back out front over Taft and Grossman. Taft's run up front came to an end on lap 5, when he rolled in turn 4 and collected Grossman and Bill Carter to bring out the red. Taft would climb from his car okay. Lambert grabbed the lead on the restart and then held on over the final 10 laps to claim his first win of the season at the track. Kimberly Abbott started 6th and finished 2nd, Jeffery DeLonjay was 3rd, Bown recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 4th, with Spencer Coats coming from 11th to round out the top 5.
Notes from Quincy: Mike Goodwin recovered from his involvement in the lap 10 caution of the SportMod feature to come back up to finish 6th. Darin Munzlinger also recovered from his spin on lap 10 to come back up to finish in 7th....Wesley Mayfield, who elected the rear challenge, recovered from his spin on lap 20 to come back up to finish in 8th....Adam Birck recovered from his spin on lap 25 to come back up to finish in 9th....Justin Bartz started 18th and finished 11th....Austen Howes recovered from his flat on lap 20 to come back up to finish 12th....Gene Kay passed 8 cars from his 21st place starting spot to come home in 13th....Jon Lear started 17th and finished 14th....Dakota Anderson, who started 22nd, finished 16th....Joey Gower, who started 9th and was up to 5th, pulled off under the lap 10 caution with front end troubles to end his night in 19th......Trevor Hagerbaumer recovered from the lap 12 caution in the Stock Car feature to come back up to finish 7th....Jerry Jansen recovered from his caution on lap 2 to come back up to finish 8th....John Oliver Jr. broke a power steering pump in hot laps and made one lap in the feature to be credited with 11th....Jake Powers had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Keith Pratt recovered from his spin on the start of the Late Model feature to come back up to finish 6th....Mike Hammerle started 13th and finished 7th....Charles VanZandt made his debut in the Late Model class after moving up from the SportMods. He started the feature in 19th and finished 15th....Chuck Mitchell and Ron Elbe had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Cory Brown started the UMP Modified feature in 11th and finished 6th....Spencer Havermale recovered from his spin on lap 19 to come back up to finish in 7th....Charles Baker started 13th and finished 8th....Jared Schlipman, who was running 4th, pulled off on lap 23 with a broken left front to end his night in 9th......Nick DeJaynes started the Sport Compact feature in 9th and finished 6th....Casey Lambert had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Cordes, Luloff, and Irvine Top Thrilling Feature Wins at Independence
Independence, IA (Saturday, May 30, 2015) - Somebody needs to tell mother nature that the calendar is May and almost June, not late September. With the rain and light drizzle canceling most tracks in Southeast Iowa and West Central Illinois, I decided to make the trip North to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, Iowa. Most of my trip I drove through light rain and drizzle, but just past Cedar Rapids I ran out of the light precipitation.When I arrived at the track, I found the pit area was packed with 126 cars ready for action.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jesse Brown and Scooter Dulin leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as Roger Ciesielski spun in turn 4 and collected Scott Pippert and Cliff Gray to bring out the yellow. On the restart Russell Damme Jr. got sideways in turn 4 and collected Austin Evens, Lynn Panos, and Norman Chesmore to bring the yellow light back on. A third attempt of a start brought out another caution, as debris in turn 1 slowed the action. The following restart saw Brown take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chris Luloff and Dulin. Brown then had to work to hold off Luloff, who looked under him over the next 7 laps when a caution came out to slow the action. Debris in turn 1 would once again bring the yellow light on. On the restart debris down the backstretch would bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Jason Hocken spin off turn 2 from contact from Phil Holtz to bring out the yellow. On the next restart Brown jumped back out front, with Luloff and Jarod Weepie, who started 10th, close behind. Coming off turn 2 on lap 8, Luloff was able to final slip under Brown to take over the top spot on lap 9. Luloff looked like he would pull away from the field until he encountered lapped traffic on lap 12, which allowed Brown to close in coming to the white flag. Despite a last lap challenge from Brown, Luloff was able to hold on to pick up the win. Brown settled for 2nd, Weepie was 3rd, Tom Schmitt started 12th and finished 4th, with Hocken, who started 16th, recovering from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Matt McCahen and Dalton Clendenen making up the front row. But when Clendenen spun in turn 4 on the start to bring out the caution, this would move Lucas Lundry to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Lundry went over the track in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw McCahen jump out into the lead over Kevin Hurst and Kyle Bentley. Just after the completion of lap 1, Chris Lewis would spin in turn 4 and collect Clendenen to bring out the yellow. On the restart McCahen moved back out front, with Hurst and Bentley close behind. The action up front was slowed on lap 6, when Steve Wimer spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Tony Olson, who started 10th, went to the top of the track to grab the top spot away on the restart. Olson then started to pull away from the field, until the final caution appeared on lap 10. Wimer once again spun in turn 4 to bring out his second caution to end his night. Once again Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hurst over taking McCahen for second. Olson would pull away from the field over the final 5 laps to claim the win. Hurst was 2nd, Alex Zwanziger started 18th and finished 3rd, Kip Siems finished 4th after starting in 7th, with McCahen holding on for 5th.
Randy Byerly and Andrew Torkelson led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. But Torkelson would spin down the backstretch on the start to bring out the caution. This would move Rod Grother to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Jeremiah Wilson, who started 6th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over Grother and Byerly. Wilson then had to work to hold off Grother, until debris in turn 3 on lap 3 slowed the action. Once again Wilson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Grother and Vince Buchholz, who started 8th, close behind. Wilson again had to work to hold off Grother over the next 8 laps, when another caution on lap 11 slowed the action. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the caution light. On the restart Wilson jumped back out front, with Grother working to hold back Benji Irvine, who started 9th, for second. The battle for the lead was slowed for the final time on lap 13 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. This time Mike Wilson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Wilson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Irvine slipping under Grother to grab the second spot. Coming to the white flag Irvine decided to go to the top of the track going into turn 1. He would use the momentum off turn 2 to edge out Wilson for the lead down the backstretch. Wilson tried to get back under Irvine coming off turn 4, but Irvine would hold on to pick up the win. Wilson settled for 2nd, Buchholz was 3rd, Grother was 4th, with Shawn Kuennen rounding out the top 5.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Josh Barta and Tony Snyder leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Snyder would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Barta and Ed Thomas. Snyder then started to put some distance on the field, until the first caution appeared on lap 5. Austin Bishop would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Vern Jackson slipped under Snyder to edge him out at the line by inches to grab the lead. But Snyder wouldn't give up, as he battled back on the outside to take the top spot back on lap 8. Just after the completion of lap 8 the caution would come out to slow the battle up front. Josh Sherbon would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Snyder jumped back out front on the restart, with Jackson and Ronn Lauritzen, who started 9th, close behind. While the top three cars battled for the lead, Troy Cordes, who started 11th, was working his way towards the front. By lap 15 Cordes had worked his way to fourth and was glued to Lauritzen's back bumper. On lap 17 Cordes made it three wide off turn 2, Synder up top, Cordes in the middle and Jackson down low, with Cordes coming out in second behind Snyder. Then coming to the white flag Cordes would slip under Snyder coming off turn 4 to edge him out at the line by inches. Cordes then held Snyder off on the final lap to claim the win. Snyder settled for 2nd, Lauritzen was 3rd, Jackson was 4th, with Brennen Chipp coming home in 5th.
Bobby Hansen and Ben Seemann led the field to the green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature. But it was third place starter Rick Wendling who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Hansen and Seemann. While Wendling set a fast pace out front, Tyler Bruening, who started 6th, and Tyler Droste, who started 7th, were working their way towards the front. Bruening was able to slip into second on lap 10, but by then Wendling had built up a straight-away lead. Without a caution there was no catching Wendling on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Bruening was 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Sean Johnson was 4th, with Curt Martin coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Cole McNeal and Matt Post on the front row. But it was Don Erger, who started 5th, who quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over McNeal and Post. Erger then started to pull away, until the first caution appeared on lap 3. Cole Suchow would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Erger moved back out front, but now had Brody Willett, who started 8th, glued to his back bumper. Willett would use the middle of the track to slip past Erger on lap 5 to take over the top spot. Willett then started to pull away, until another caution appeared on lap 8. This time AJ Whitten stopped down the backstretch with rear end troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart McNeal stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Willett move back out front over Erger and Jeff Davis, who started 10th. Willett then pulled away over the final 4 laps to claim the win. Erger held on for 2nd, Davis was 3rd, Post was 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing 5th after starting in 9th.
Notes from Indy: 25 Hobby Stocks, 22 Stock Cars, 22 SportMods, 21 Late Models, 21 Modifieds, and 15 Micro Mods made up the 126 cars signed in on the night......Norman Chesmore, who started 13th, Recovered from the crash on the start to come back up to finish 6th in the Stock Car feature....Phil Holtz, who started 14th, recovered from his involvement in the spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish 7th....Brian Mahlstedt passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish 8th....Roger Ciesielski, who spun on the start and had worked his way back up to 5th by lap 7, went over the track in 1 & 2 on lap 8 and fell back to 11th. He would only recover from there to finish in 9th....Cliff Gray, who started 15th, recovered from the crash on lap 1 to come back up to finish 10th....Kevin Rose, who was running 5th on lap 12, pulled off with a right rear flat to end his night in 11th....Matt Brown started 19th and finished 14th....Rick Milks, Mike Galli, and Cody Freriech all had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Jim Buhlman started the SportMod feature in 16th and passed 8 cars to finish in 8th....Kyle Olson started 13th and finished 9th....Sean Vogt started 17th and finished 10th....Scott Williams started 14th and finished 11th....Kevin Robinson passed 8 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish 13th....Steve Wimer started 19th and finished 14th....Chris Lewis recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 15th....JJ Anderson made the pull down from DePere, Wisconsin. He would start the feature in 12th and had worked his way up to 6th by lap 7. But a right front flat on lap 8 would end his night in 16th....Jenae Gustin started 8th and was running 5th, when motor troubles on lap 5 ended her night in 17th....Colby Heishman had troubles in the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Jerome Wilson started the Hobby Stock feature in 10th and finished 6th....Justin Wacha started 12th and finished 7th....Jim Ball started 15th and finished 11th....Shawn Randall passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to come home in 12th....Tyler Ollendieck started 18th and finished 15th....Kyle Dulin started 20th and finished 16th....Mike Wilson, started 25th, recovered from his spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish 17th....Daniel Wauters finished 18th after starting in 24th....Marcus Wayne was running 8th, when he pulled off on lap 5 with motor troubles to end his night in 21st....Nathan Forey had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......JD Auringer started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 6th....Scott Hogan started 10th and finished 7th....Darin Duffy finished 8th after starting in 14th....Patrick Flannagan passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 11th....Josh Sherbon,who started 16th, recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 14th....Ryan Maitland started 19th and finished 15th......Darren Ackerman started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished 6th....Chris Snyder finished 11th after starting in 17th....Rory Metcalf started 18th and finished 13th....Brunson Behning, who started 19th and had worked his way up to 8th by lap 20, suffered troubles on lap 23 that forced him to exit the track with a 15th place finish......Buster Pate started the Micro Mod feature in 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Robby Decker started 11th and finished 7th....Cole Suchow, who started 15th, recovered from his spin on lap 3 to come back up to finish 9th....Brandon Maitland, who started 7th and was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 8 with motor troubles to end his night in 12th.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Stock Cars, with Jesse Brown and Scooter Dulin leading the field to the green flag. But just as the green flag waved the caution light would come on, as Roger Ciesielski spun in turn 4 and collected Scott Pippert and Cliff Gray to bring out the yellow. On the restart Russell Damme Jr. got sideways in turn 4 and collected Austin Evens, Lynn Panos, and Norman Chesmore to bring the yellow light back on. A third attempt of a start brought out another caution, as debris in turn 1 slowed the action. The following restart saw Brown take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Chris Luloff and Dulin. Brown then had to work to hold off Luloff, who looked under him over the next 7 laps when a caution came out to slow the action. Debris in turn 1 would once again bring the yellow light on. On the restart debris down the backstretch would bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Jason Hocken spin off turn 2 from contact from Phil Holtz to bring out the yellow. On the next restart Brown jumped back out front, with Luloff and Jarod Weepie, who started 10th, close behind. Coming off turn 2 on lap 8, Luloff was able to final slip under Brown to take over the top spot on lap 9. Luloff looked like he would pull away from the field until he encountered lapped traffic on lap 12, which allowed Brown to close in coming to the white flag. Despite a last lap challenge from Brown, Luloff was able to hold on to pick up the win. Brown settled for 2nd, Weepie was 3rd, Tom Schmitt started 12th and finished 4th, with Hocken, who started 16th, recovering from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Matt McCahen and Dalton Clendenen making up the front row. But when Clendenen spun in turn 4 on the start to bring out the caution, this would move Lucas Lundry to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Lundry went over the track in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw McCahen jump out into the lead over Kevin Hurst and Kyle Bentley. Just after the completion of lap 1, Chris Lewis would spin in turn 4 and collect Clendenen to bring out the yellow. On the restart McCahen moved back out front, with Hurst and Bentley close behind. The action up front was slowed on lap 6, when Steve Wimer spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Tony Olson, who started 10th, went to the top of the track to grab the top spot away on the restart. Olson then started to pull away from the field, until the final caution appeared on lap 10. Wimer once again spun in turn 4 to bring out his second caution to end his night. Once again Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hurst over taking McCahen for second. Olson would pull away from the field over the final 5 laps to claim the win. Hurst was 2nd, Alex Zwanziger started 18th and finished 3rd, Kip Siems finished 4th after starting in 7th, with McCahen holding on for 5th.
Randy Byerly and Andrew Torkelson led the field to green in the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. But Torkelson would spin down the backstretch on the start to bring out the caution. This would move Rod Grother to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Jeremiah Wilson, who started 6th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over Grother and Byerly. Wilson then had to work to hold off Grother, until debris in turn 3 on lap 3 slowed the action. Once again Wilson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Grother and Vince Buchholz, who started 8th, close behind. Wilson again had to work to hold off Grother over the next 8 laps, when another caution on lap 11 slowed the action. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the caution light. On the restart Wilson jumped back out front, with Grother working to hold back Benji Irvine, who started 9th, for second. The battle for the lead was slowed for the final time on lap 13 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. This time Mike Wilson spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Wilson once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Irvine slipping under Grother to grab the second spot. Coming to the white flag Irvine decided to go to the top of the track going into turn 1. He would use the momentum off turn 2 to edge out Wilson for the lead down the backstretch. Wilson tried to get back under Irvine coming off turn 4, but Irvine would hold on to pick up the win. Wilson settled for 2nd, Buchholz was 3rd, Grother was 4th, with Shawn Kuennen rounding out the top 5.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Josh Barta and Tony Snyder leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Snyder would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Barta and Ed Thomas. Snyder then started to put some distance on the field, until the first caution appeared on lap 5. Austin Bishop would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Vern Jackson slipped under Snyder to edge him out at the line by inches to grab the lead. But Snyder wouldn't give up, as he battled back on the outside to take the top spot back on lap 8. Just after the completion of lap 8 the caution would come out to slow the battle up front. Josh Sherbon would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Snyder jumped back out front on the restart, with Jackson and Ronn Lauritzen, who started 9th, close behind. While the top three cars battled for the lead, Troy Cordes, who started 11th, was working his way towards the front. By lap 15 Cordes had worked his way to fourth and was glued to Lauritzen's back bumper. On lap 17 Cordes made it three wide off turn 2, Synder up top, Cordes in the middle and Jackson down low, with Cordes coming out in second behind Snyder. Then coming to the white flag Cordes would slip under Snyder coming off turn 4 to edge him out at the line by inches. Cordes then held Snyder off on the final lap to claim the win. Snyder settled for 2nd, Lauritzen was 3rd, Jackson was 4th, with Brennen Chipp coming home in 5th.
Bobby Hansen and Ben Seemann led the field to the green in the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature. But it was third place starter Rick Wendling who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Hansen and Seemann. While Wendling set a fast pace out front, Tyler Bruening, who started 6th, and Tyler Droste, who started 7th, were working their way towards the front. Bruening was able to slip into second on lap 10, but by then Wendling had built up a straight-away lead. Without a caution there was no catching Wendling on this night, as he pulled away to pick up the win. Bruening was 2nd, Droste was 3rd, Sean Johnson was 4th, with Curt Martin coming from 8th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 12 lap Micro Mods, with Cole McNeal and Matt Post on the front row. But it was Don Erger, who started 5th, who quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over McNeal and Post. Erger then started to pull away, until the first caution appeared on lap 3. Cole Suchow would spin in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Erger moved back out front, but now had Brody Willett, who started 8th, glued to his back bumper. Willett would use the middle of the track to slip past Erger on lap 5 to take over the top spot. Willett then started to pull away, until another caution appeared on lap 8. This time AJ Whitten stopped down the backstretch with rear end troubles to bring out the yellow. On the restart McNeal stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Willett move back out front over Erger and Jeff Davis, who started 10th. Willett then pulled away over the final 4 laps to claim the win. Erger held on for 2nd, Davis was 3rd, Post was 4th, with Jamie Whitaker finishing 5th after starting in 9th.
Notes from Indy: 25 Hobby Stocks, 22 Stock Cars, 22 SportMods, 21 Late Models, 21 Modifieds, and 15 Micro Mods made up the 126 cars signed in on the night......Norman Chesmore, who started 13th, Recovered from the crash on the start to come back up to finish 6th in the Stock Car feature....Phil Holtz, who started 14th, recovered from his involvement in the spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish 7th....Brian Mahlstedt passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to finish 8th....Roger Ciesielski, who spun on the start and had worked his way back up to 5th by lap 7, went over the track in 1 & 2 on lap 8 and fell back to 11th. He would only recover from there to finish in 9th....Cliff Gray, who started 15th, recovered from the crash on lap 1 to come back up to finish 10th....Kevin Rose, who was running 5th on lap 12, pulled off with a right rear flat to end his night in 11th....Matt Brown started 19th and finished 14th....Rick Milks, Mike Galli, and Cody Freriech all had troubles after there heat races that forced them to scratch from the feature......Jim Buhlman started the SportMod feature in 16th and passed 8 cars to finish in 8th....Kyle Olson started 13th and finished 9th....Sean Vogt started 17th and finished 10th....Scott Williams started 14th and finished 11th....Kevin Robinson passed 8 cars from his 21st place starting spot to finish 13th....Steve Wimer started 19th and finished 14th....Chris Lewis recovered from his spin on lap 4 to come back up to finish 15th....JJ Anderson made the pull down from DePere, Wisconsin. He would start the feature in 12th and had worked his way up to 6th by lap 7. But a right front flat on lap 8 would end his night in 16th....Jenae Gustin started 8th and was running 5th, when motor troubles on lap 5 ended her night in 17th....Colby Heishman had troubles in the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Jerome Wilson started the Hobby Stock feature in 10th and finished 6th....Justin Wacha started 12th and finished 7th....Jim Ball started 15th and finished 11th....Shawn Randall passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to come home in 12th....Tyler Ollendieck started 18th and finished 15th....Kyle Dulin started 20th and finished 16th....Mike Wilson, started 25th, recovered from his spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish 17th....Daniel Wauters finished 18th after starting in 24th....Marcus Wayne was running 8th, when he pulled off on lap 5 with motor troubles to end his night in 21st....Nathan Forey had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......JD Auringer started the Modified feature in 12th and finished 6th....Scott Hogan started 10th and finished 7th....Darin Duffy finished 8th after starting in 14th....Patrick Flannagan passed 9 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 11th....Josh Sherbon,who started 16th, recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 14th....Ryan Maitland started 19th and finished 15th......Darren Ackerman started the Late Model feature in 9th and finished 6th....Chris Snyder finished 11th after starting in 17th....Rory Metcalf started 18th and finished 13th....Brunson Behning, who started 19th and had worked his way up to 8th by lap 20, suffered troubles on lap 23 that forced him to exit the track with a 15th place finish......Buster Pate started the Micro Mod feature in 14th and passed 8 cars to finish in 6th....Robby Decker started 11th and finished 7th....Cole Suchow, who started 15th, recovered from his spin on lap 3 to come back up to finish 9th....Brandon Maitland, who started 7th and was running 3rd, pulled off on lap 8 with motor troubles to end his night in 12th.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Burgtorf Pulls Off "Scottie 41" Win at Quincy Raceways
Quincy, IL (Sunday, May 17, 2015) - After rains that moved through Quincy, Illinois on Friday and Saturday racing on Sunday night at the Quincy Raceways was very much in doubt. The track crew arrived early Sunday morning to find a very wet grounds. But they didn't throw in the towel right away, even pushing back the start time by 1 hour in hopes of getting the place dried out. There persistence paid off with some very good racing.
The 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature was the first to take to the track, with Todd Reed and Jon Lear making up the front row. But it was third place starter Adam Birck who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Reed and Nathan Bringer. While Birck led the field, Tanner Klingele, who started 5th, moved into second on lap 4 and then set his sights on Birck for the lead. Two laps later, lap 6, Klingele would slipped under Birck coming off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 7. By lap 10 Klingele would enter some lapped traffic, which allowed Birck to close back in on Klingele's back bumper. Coming to complete lap 14, Birck would choose the bottom of the track to get around the lapped cars, while Klingele went to the top. Kilngele was held up long enough to give the lead back to Birck. But Klingele wouldn't give up, as he used the momentum off the top of the track in turn 4 on lap 16 to grab the top spot back. Klingele then held off Birck over the final 2 laps of a caution free race to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Birck settled for 2nd, Bringer was 3rd, Joey Gower started 8th and finished 4th, with Tony Dunker finishing 5th after starting in 9th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Michael Larsen and Taylor Lear leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Just as the green flag waved the caution would come out, as Lear and Trevor Hagerbaumer got together in turn 3. The result was Hagerbaumer spinning in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Lear would have front end damaged that sent him to the hot pits, which moved Troy Brierton up to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Larsen jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Brierton and Jake Powers. While Larsen, who was on the bottom, and Brierton, who was up top, raced side-by-side for the top spot Abe Huls, who started 10th, and Jim Lynch, who started 9th, moved in to make it a 4 car battle on lap 10. The action up front was slowed on lap 13, when debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Powers spun down the front stretch to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Larsen move back out front over Brierton and Huls. Coming to complete lap 14 Huls looked under Larsen in turn 4 and got sideways, which caused Lynch to spin to avoid hitting Huls to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jerry Jansen spun in turn 3 and collected Powers to bring the caution light back on. Larsen once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Huls glued to his back bumper. Huls would look under Larsen over the final 4 laps. But Larsen was able to hold him off at the line to claim is first win of the season, after moving back to the Stock Car class after running a Late Model in 2014. Huls settled for 2nd, Beau Taylor started 6th and finished 3rd, Jeremy Buss finished 4th after starting in 7th, with Lynch recovering from his spin on lap 14 to come back up to 5th.
Clint Kirkham was suppose to start the UMP Late Model "Scottie 41" from the pole, but elected the rear after suffering mechanical troubles in the heat. This would move Brian Diveley to the pole next to Daryn Klein. Klein would take advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Diveley and Mark Burgtorf. Klein, with Burgtorf in toe, started to pull away from the field. The two would enter lapped traffic by lap 6, which allowed Burtgorf to challenge Klein for the lead. Once clear of traffic, Klein put a little distance on Burgtorf. That was until lap 10, when he entered more lapped traffic. Again Burgtorf closed in on Klein. Coming off turn 4 on lap 16 Burgtorf was able to get under Klein, who drifted up into the wall down the front stretch. The contact with the wall ripped the right rear spoiler off Klein's car, which came to rest just past the flag stand to cause the one and only caution to appear. On the restart Klein moved back out front, with Burgtorf and Diveley close behind. Klein and Burgtorf once again started to pull away from the field. Klein worked the top of the track for the entire race, which forced Burgtorf to have to look under him for the lead over the next 16 laps. The two would enter lapped traffic on lap 27, which Klein cleared faster then Burgtorf to put a few cars lengths between the two. By lap 34 Burgtorf pulled back to Klein's back bumper. Then coming off turn 4 on lap 35 Klein bobbled a little, which allowed Burgtorf to scoot by for the top spot. Klein stayed glued to Burgtorf's back bumper over the final 6 laps. But Burgtorf would make no mistakes over those final laps to claim the "Scottie 41" and the $2,000 top prize to go with it. Klein settled for 2nd, Diveley was 3rd, Jim Moon passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Jamie Wilson coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Since the program got started late and I had to be up real early Monday morning for work, I had to depart after the Late Model feature. But I see that Michael Long, who started on the pole of the 25 lap UMP Modified feature went flag-to-flag to pick up his fourth win in four starts at the track this year. David Wietholder crossed the line in 2nd, Steven DeLonjay was 3rd, Robbie Reed was 4th, with Brandon Roberts completing the top 5.
Then I read that Michael Grossman, who started the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature in 9th, quickly moved to the front to over take Brandon Lambert for the lead on lap 4. Grossman then pulled away to claim his first win of the season at the track, and broke Kimberly Abbot's three race winning streak. Abbott started 8th and finished 2nd, Lambert was 3rd, Jeffrey DeLonjay was 4th, with Trent Orwig holding on for 5th with rear end damage.
Notes from Quincy: Austin Howes started the SportMod feature in 11th and finished 9th....Nathan Hayes finished 10th after starting in 13th....Darin Munzlinger started 14th and finished 12th....Jared Wiemelt finished 13th after starting in 16th......Jake Powers recovered from his spin on lap 13 and the crash on lap 14 to come back up to finish 7th in the Stock Car feature....Trevor Hagerbaumer recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 8th......Chuck Mitchell started the Late Model feature in 13th and finished 8th....Greg Kimmons passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Trace Westling started 15th and finished 10th....Justin Reed, who broke a transmission in hot laps and missed time trials, spun in his heat race and then pulled off. He the started the feature in 21st and had worked his way to 5th by lap 21. But on lap 31 he would pull off the track with more troubles to end his night in 12th....Alan Westling started 19th and was credited with a 14th place finish....Ron Elbe, was suppose to start 11th, but elected to start from the rear. He would only make a few laps before pulling out and credited with 19th....Matt Santel was suppose to start 6th, but mechanical troubles after his heat forced him to scratch from the feature....Vance Wilson also scratched from the feature with troubles after his heat race......Shawn Deering started the Modified feature in 10th and finished 6th....Russ Coultas finished 8th after starting in 11th......Anthony Grossman started the Sport Compact feature in 12th and finished 9th.
The 18 lap IMCA SportMod feature was the first to take to the track, with Todd Reed and Jon Lear making up the front row. But it was third place starter Adam Birck who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Reed and Nathan Bringer. While Birck led the field, Tanner Klingele, who started 5th, moved into second on lap 4 and then set his sights on Birck for the lead. Two laps later, lap 6, Klingele would slipped under Birck coming off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 7. By lap 10 Klingele would enter some lapped traffic, which allowed Birck to close back in on Klingele's back bumper. Coming to complete lap 14, Birck would choose the bottom of the track to get around the lapped cars, while Klingele went to the top. Kilngele was held up long enough to give the lead back to Birck. But Klingele wouldn't give up, as he used the momentum off the top of the track in turn 4 on lap 16 to grab the top spot back. Klingele then held off Birck over the final 2 laps of a caution free race to pick up his second win of the season at the track. Birck settled for 2nd, Bringer was 3rd, Joey Gower started 8th and finished 4th, with Tony Dunker finishing 5th after starting in 9th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Michael Larsen and Taylor Lear leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Just as the green flag waved the caution would come out, as Lear and Trevor Hagerbaumer got together in turn 3. The result was Hagerbaumer spinning in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Lear would have front end damaged that sent him to the hot pits, which moved Troy Brierton up to the outside of the front row for the restart. On the restart Larsen jumped out front to lead lap 1 over Brierton and Jake Powers. While Larsen, who was on the bottom, and Brierton, who was up top, raced side-by-side for the top spot Abe Huls, who started 10th, and Jim Lynch, who started 9th, moved in to make it a 4 car battle on lap 10. The action up front was slowed on lap 13, when debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Powers spun down the front stretch to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Larsen move back out front over Brierton and Huls. Coming to complete lap 14 Huls looked under Larsen in turn 4 and got sideways, which caused Lynch to spin to avoid hitting Huls to bring out the yellow. On the restart Jerry Jansen spun in turn 3 and collected Powers to bring the caution light back on. Larsen once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Huls glued to his back bumper. Huls would look under Larsen over the final 4 laps. But Larsen was able to hold him off at the line to claim is first win of the season, after moving back to the Stock Car class after running a Late Model in 2014. Huls settled for 2nd, Beau Taylor started 6th and finished 3rd, Jeremy Buss finished 4th after starting in 7th, with Lynch recovering from his spin on lap 14 to come back up to 5th.
Clint Kirkham was suppose to start the UMP Late Model "Scottie 41" from the pole, but elected the rear after suffering mechanical troubles in the heat. This would move Brian Diveley to the pole next to Daryn Klein. Klein would take advantage of his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Diveley and Mark Burgtorf. Klein, with Burgtorf in toe, started to pull away from the field. The two would enter lapped traffic by lap 6, which allowed Burtgorf to challenge Klein for the lead. Once clear of traffic, Klein put a little distance on Burgtorf. That was until lap 10, when he entered more lapped traffic. Again Burgtorf closed in on Klein. Coming off turn 4 on lap 16 Burgtorf was able to get under Klein, who drifted up into the wall down the front stretch. The contact with the wall ripped the right rear spoiler off Klein's car, which came to rest just past the flag stand to cause the one and only caution to appear. On the restart Klein moved back out front, with Burgtorf and Diveley close behind. Klein and Burgtorf once again started to pull away from the field. Klein worked the top of the track for the entire race, which forced Burgtorf to have to look under him for the lead over the next 16 laps. The two would enter lapped traffic on lap 27, which Klein cleared faster then Burgtorf to put a few cars lengths between the two. By lap 34 Burgtorf pulled back to Klein's back bumper. Then coming off turn 4 on lap 35 Klein bobbled a little, which allowed Burgtorf to scoot by for the top spot. Klein stayed glued to Burgtorf's back bumper over the final 6 laps. But Burgtorf would make no mistakes over those final laps to claim the "Scottie 41" and the $2,000 top prize to go with it. Klein settled for 2nd, Diveley was 3rd, Jim Moon passed 8 cars from his 12th place starting spot to finish 4th, with Jamie Wilson coming from 10th to round out the top 5.
Since the program got started late and I had to be up real early Monday morning for work, I had to depart after the Late Model feature. But I see that Michael Long, who started on the pole of the 25 lap UMP Modified feature went flag-to-flag to pick up his fourth win in four starts at the track this year. David Wietholder crossed the line in 2nd, Steven DeLonjay was 3rd, Robbie Reed was 4th, with Brandon Roberts completing the top 5.
Then I read that Michael Grossman, who started the 15 lap IMCA Sport Compact feature in 9th, quickly moved to the front to over take Brandon Lambert for the lead on lap 4. Grossman then pulled away to claim his first win of the season at the track, and broke Kimberly Abbot's three race winning streak. Abbott started 8th and finished 2nd, Lambert was 3rd, Jeffrey DeLonjay was 4th, with Trent Orwig holding on for 5th with rear end damage.
Notes from Quincy: Austin Howes started the SportMod feature in 11th and finished 9th....Nathan Hayes finished 10th after starting in 13th....Darin Munzlinger started 14th and finished 12th....Jared Wiemelt finished 13th after starting in 16th......Jake Powers recovered from his spin on lap 13 and the crash on lap 14 to come back up to finish 7th in the Stock Car feature....Trevor Hagerbaumer recovered from his spin on the start to come back up to finish in 8th......Chuck Mitchell started the Late Model feature in 13th and finished 8th....Greg Kimmons passed 9 cars from his 18th place starting spot to come home in 9th....Trace Westling started 15th and finished 10th....Justin Reed, who broke a transmission in hot laps and missed time trials, spun in his heat race and then pulled off. He the started the feature in 21st and had worked his way to 5th by lap 21. But on lap 31 he would pull off the track with more troubles to end his night in 12th....Alan Westling started 19th and was credited with a 14th place finish....Ron Elbe, was suppose to start 11th, but elected to start from the rear. He would only make a few laps before pulling out and credited with 19th....Matt Santel was suppose to start 6th, but mechanical troubles after his heat forced him to scratch from the feature....Vance Wilson also scratched from the feature with troubles after his heat race......Shawn Deering started the Modified feature in 10th and finished 6th....Russ Coultas finished 8th after starting in 11th......Anthony Grossman started the Sport Compact feature in 12th and finished 9th.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Ryan, VonDresky, and Olson Go Back-to-Back at Davenport
Davenport, IA (Friday, May 16, 2015) - After heavy rains moved out of the south and canceled the events at the track I work at every Friday night, I decided to climb in the car and make the trip north to the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA. So far in 2015 mother nature seems to be the winner on the weekends, as this was only the second points night of the year at the track. At the end of the night there would be 3 repeat winners and 2 first time winners of the season standing in victory lane.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Street Stocks, with Kevin Dickey and Keith Blum leading the field to the green flag. Blum would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dickey and Randy Lamar. The first caution of the event would appear on lap 2, when Erick Turner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Blum jumped back out front over Dickey and Perry Gellerstedt, who started 7th. But just after the completion of lap 3, Lamar who was running 4th slowed in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Once again Blum grabbed the lead on the restart, while Gellerstedt over took Dickey for the runner up spot. Around the midway part of the race Gellerstedt would look under Blum off turn 2 for the lead, with Blum holding him off each lap. But going into turn 3 on the final lap Gellerstedt tried to use the high side to get around Blum for the win. The two would come off turn 4 side-by-side, with Blum edging out Gellerstedt by half a car length to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Gellerstedt settled for 2nd, Dickey held on for 3rd, Cord Williams was 4th, with Rob Henry passing 6 cars from his 11th place starting spot to come home in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Jake Morris and David Norton making up the front row for the event. Morris used his front row staring spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Dalton Simonson and Dustin Crear. Crear's run up front came to an end on lap 3, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. While running under caution something in the left rear of Morris' car broke, which sent him to the pits for repairs. On the restart Mike McGarry spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Simonson grab the lead over Joe Grant and Tony Olson, who quickly moved up from his 11th place starting spot. Two laps later, lap 5, Brandon Jewell stopped down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Kyle Eller stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Morris get into the wall off turn 4 to bring the caution back out. A third attempt of a restart saw Olson jump to the top of the track to grab the lead over Simonson and Bryce Garnhart, who started 10th. Just as Olson started to pull away from the field, the final caution appeared on lap 10 to bring the field back to his back bumper. This time Jade Davis spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow, at the same time McGarry wowed the crowd with his two wheel action in turn 4. Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Garnhart and Henry Carson close behind. There was no stopping Olson on this night, as he pulled away over the final 5 laps to claim his second win in a row at the track. Garnhart was 2nd, Simonson was 3rd, Phil Anderson was 4th, with Carson rounding out the top 5.
Josh Riley and Brandon Setser led the field to the green in the 12 lap 4 Stock feature, with Riley grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Luke Benischek and Setser. While Riley set the pace out front, Zach Dahl, who started 6th, was working his way towards the front. Dahl would look under Riley on lap 10, only to have Riley hold him off. But coming to the white flag Dahl final slipped under Riley and then held on over the final lap to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Riley settled for 2nd, Luke Benischek was 3rd, Jake Benischek was 4th, with Setser coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Hunter Wilson and Kyle Montgomery making up the front row. Chris Lawrence, who started 5th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over Bruce Fosdyck Sr. and Wilson. Lawrence then started to put some distance between himself and the battle behind him, when the first caution appeared on lap 4. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the yellow. On the restart Doug Crampton, who started 7th, went to the top side to take the top spot away from Lawrence. But going down the backstretch on lap 5 Crampton lost a drive shaft and came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Debris down the front stretch on the restart would bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Lawrence jump back out front, but now had Tony VonDresky, who started 17th, glued to his back bumper. VonDresky would try the top of the track on laps 7 - 9, only to have Lawrence hold him off each lap. That was until lap 10, when VonDresky made the pass to take over the top spot. From there VonDresky would pull away to claim his second win in a row at the track. Lawrence settled for 2nd, Bruce Hanford passed 11 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Kelly Meyer started 10th and finished 4th, with Greg Durbin passing 17 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to round out the top 5.
The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Joe Zrostlik and Jay Chenoweth drawing the front row. Zrostlik would take advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Zemo Jr. and Chenoweth. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, as debris down the backstretch brought out the yellow. On the restart Zrostlik moved back out front over Brunson Behning, who started 5th, and Sam Halstead, who started 7th. By lap 8 Todd Malmstrom, who started 13th, and Matt Ryan, who started 10th, moved up to challenge Zrostlik and Behning for the top spot. Ryan would use the bottom and top of the track to clear the top 3 cars to take over the top spot on lap 14. Ryan then pulled away over the final 11 laps to cruise to his second win in a row at the track. Behning was 2nd, Malmstrom was 3rd, Zrostlik held on for 4th, with Halstead coming home in 5th.
Notes from Davenport: 36 Modifieds, 23 SportMods, 21 Late Models, 20 Street Stocks and 12 4 Stocks made up the 112 cars signed in on the night......Donnie Louck started the Street Stock feature in 8th and finished 6th....Dwayne Smith Jr. came from 12th to finish in 7th....Nick Claussen started 13th and finished 8th....Erick Turner recovered from the caution on lap 2 to come back up to finish 11th....Tom Riggs started 15th and finished 13th....Rick Schriner started 19th and finished 14th....Jeremy Gustaf had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Randy Farrell passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot in the SportMod feature to come home in 7th....Andre LaPorte passed 12 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Kyle Eller, who started 22nd, recovered from his caution on lap 5 to come back up to finish 11th....Gary Rentfro started 15th and finished 12th....Jade Davis, who started 19th, recovered from his spin in turn 4 on lap 10 to come back up to finish 13th....Rance Powell started 16th and finished 14th....Emily Gade had troubles after her heat race that forced her to scratch from the feature....Jared Miller had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from both the heat and feature......Cody Neltner started the 4 Stock feature in 9th and finished 7th....Richard Dearborn started 11th and finished 8th......Brian Bushong passed 16 cars from his 23rd place starting spot in the Modified feature to come up to finish 7th....Ray Cox Jr. started 13th and finished 8th....Dave Hammond thought his night was over after finishing 7th in B Main number 2. But when a car scratched from the feature Hammond was awarded the 24th place starting spot. He then passed 15 cars to come home in 9th....Dakota Hayden started 21st and passed 11 cars to finish in 10th....Terry Rentfro started 20th and finished 13th....Milo Veloz Jr., who started 18th and was running 6th, pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 16th....Jake Bowman, who started 9th and was running 4th, broke something on the right front on lap 5 to end his night in 19th....Bob Dominacki was suppose to start 12th, but troubles after the heat forced him to scratch from the feature....Scott Powell, Dusty Kraklio, Brian Webb, Casey Schram, Shelby Walsh, George Spence III, Crag Crawford, Paul Howard, Rich Smith, and Tim Arp were the drivers who didn't make it out of the B Mains......Andy Nezworski had to pit under the lap 4 caution in the Late Model feature for a flat tire. He would restart 16th and then climbed his way back up to finish 6th....Rick Wages started 11th and finished 8th....Stephan Kammerer, who was running 7th, broke a wheel on the final lap to be credited with 9th....Eric Sanders started 12th and finished 10th....Marty Scheckel started 15th and finished 11th....Both Ray Guss Jr. and Ryan Claeys had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch from the heat and feature.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Street Stocks, with Kevin Dickey and Keith Blum leading the field to the green flag. Blum would take advantage of his front row starting spot to grab the lead on lap 1 over Dickey and Randy Lamar. The first caution of the event would appear on lap 2, when Erick Turner spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Blum jumped back out front over Dickey and Perry Gellerstedt, who started 7th. But just after the completion of lap 3, Lamar who was running 4th slowed in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Once again Blum grabbed the lead on the restart, while Gellerstedt over took Dickey for the runner up spot. Around the midway part of the race Gellerstedt would look under Blum off turn 2 for the lead, with Blum holding him off each lap. But going into turn 3 on the final lap Gellerstedt tried to use the high side to get around Blum for the win. The two would come off turn 4 side-by-side, with Blum edging out Gellerstedt by half a car length to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Gellerstedt settled for 2nd, Dickey held on for 3rd, Cord Williams was 4th, with Rob Henry passing 6 cars from his 11th place starting spot to come home in 5th.
Up next was the 15 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Jake Morris and David Norton making up the front row for the event. Morris used his front row staring spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Dalton Simonson and Dustin Crear. Crear's run up front came to an end on lap 3, when he spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. While running under caution something in the left rear of Morris' car broke, which sent him to the pits for repairs. On the restart Mike McGarry spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Simonson grab the lead over Joe Grant and Tony Olson, who quickly moved up from his 11th place starting spot. Two laps later, lap 5, Brandon Jewell stopped down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Kyle Eller stopped in turn 4 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Morris get into the wall off turn 4 to bring the caution back out. A third attempt of a restart saw Olson jump to the top of the track to grab the lead over Simonson and Bryce Garnhart, who started 10th. Just as Olson started to pull away from the field, the final caution appeared on lap 10 to bring the field back to his back bumper. This time Jade Davis spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow, at the same time McGarry wowed the crowd with his two wheel action in turn 4. Olson grabbed the lead on the restart, with Garnhart and Henry Carson close behind. There was no stopping Olson on this night, as he pulled away over the final 5 laps to claim his second win in a row at the track. Garnhart was 2nd, Simonson was 3rd, Phil Anderson was 4th, with Carson rounding out the top 5.
Josh Riley and Brandon Setser led the field to the green in the 12 lap 4 Stock feature, with Riley grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Luke Benischek and Setser. While Riley set the pace out front, Zach Dahl, who started 6th, was working his way towards the front. Dahl would look under Riley on lap 10, only to have Riley hold him off. But coming to the white flag Dahl final slipped under Riley and then held on over the final lap to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Riley settled for 2nd, Luke Benischek was 3rd, Jake Benischek was 4th, with Setser coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 20 lap IMCA Modified feature, with Hunter Wilson and Kyle Montgomery making up the front row. Chris Lawrence, who started 5th, quickly moved to the front to lead lap 1 over Bruce Fosdyck Sr. and Wilson. Lawrence then started to put some distance between himself and the battle behind him, when the first caution appeared on lap 4. Debris in turn 4 would bring out the yellow. On the restart Doug Crampton, who started 7th, went to the top side to take the top spot away from Lawrence. But going down the backstretch on lap 5 Crampton lost a drive shaft and came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out the caution. Debris down the front stretch on the restart would bring the caution light back on. The following restart saw Lawrence jump back out front, but now had Tony VonDresky, who started 17th, glued to his back bumper. VonDresky would try the top of the track on laps 7 - 9, only to have Lawrence hold him off each lap. That was until lap 10, when VonDresky made the pass to take over the top spot. From there VonDresky would pull away to claim his second win in a row at the track. Lawrence settled for 2nd, Bruce Hanford passed 11 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 3rd, Kelly Meyer started 10th and finished 4th, with Greg Durbin passing 17 cars from his 22nd place starting spot to round out the top 5.
The final feature to take to the track was the 25 lap IMCA Late Models, with Joe Zrostlik and Jay Chenoweth drawing the front row. Zrostlik would take advantage of his draw to grab the lead on lap 1 over Mike Zemo Jr. and Chenoweth. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 4, as debris down the backstretch brought out the yellow. On the restart Zrostlik moved back out front over Brunson Behning, who started 5th, and Sam Halstead, who started 7th. By lap 8 Todd Malmstrom, who started 13th, and Matt Ryan, who started 10th, moved up to challenge Zrostlik and Behning for the top spot. Ryan would use the bottom and top of the track to clear the top 3 cars to take over the top spot on lap 14. Ryan then pulled away over the final 11 laps to cruise to his second win in a row at the track. Behning was 2nd, Malmstrom was 3rd, Zrostlik held on for 4th, with Halstead coming home in 5th.
Notes from Davenport: 36 Modifieds, 23 SportMods, 21 Late Models, 20 Street Stocks and 12 4 Stocks made up the 112 cars signed in on the night......Donnie Louck started the Street Stock feature in 8th and finished 6th....Dwayne Smith Jr. came from 12th to finish in 7th....Nick Claussen started 13th and finished 8th....Erick Turner recovered from the caution on lap 2 to come back up to finish 11th....Tom Riggs started 15th and finished 13th....Rick Schriner started 19th and finished 14th....Jeremy Gustaf had troubles in his heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature......Randy Farrell passed 10 cars from his 17th place starting spot in the SportMod feature to come home in 7th....Andre LaPorte passed 12 cars from his 20th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Kyle Eller, who started 22nd, recovered from his caution on lap 5 to come back up to finish 11th....Gary Rentfro started 15th and finished 12th....Jade Davis, who started 19th, recovered from his spin in turn 4 on lap 10 to come back up to finish 13th....Rance Powell started 16th and finished 14th....Emily Gade had troubles after her heat race that forced her to scratch from the feature....Jared Miller had troubles in hot laps that forced him to scratch from both the heat and feature......Cody Neltner started the 4 Stock feature in 9th and finished 7th....Richard Dearborn started 11th and finished 8th......Brian Bushong passed 16 cars from his 23rd place starting spot in the Modified feature to come up to finish 7th....Ray Cox Jr. started 13th and finished 8th....Dave Hammond thought his night was over after finishing 7th in B Main number 2. But when a car scratched from the feature Hammond was awarded the 24th place starting spot. He then passed 15 cars to come home in 9th....Dakota Hayden started 21st and passed 11 cars to finish in 10th....Terry Rentfro started 20th and finished 13th....Milo Veloz Jr., who started 18th and was running 6th, pulled off on lap 7 with troubles to end his night in 16th....Jake Bowman, who started 9th and was running 4th, broke something on the right front on lap 5 to end his night in 19th....Bob Dominacki was suppose to start 12th, but troubles after the heat forced him to scratch from the feature....Scott Powell, Dusty Kraklio, Brian Webb, Casey Schram, Shelby Walsh, George Spence III, Crag Crawford, Paul Howard, Rich Smith, and Tim Arp were the drivers who didn't make it out of the B Mains......Andy Nezworski had to pit under the lap 4 caution in the Late Model feature for a flat tire. He would restart 16th and then climbed his way back up to finish 6th....Rick Wages started 11th and finished 8th....Stephan Kammerer, who was running 7th, broke a wheel on the final lap to be credited with 9th....Eric Sanders started 12th and finished 10th....Marty Scheckel started 15th and finished 11th....Both Ray Guss Jr. and Ryan Claeys had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch from the heat and feature.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Ball Score First Career Sprint Invaders Win at Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa, IA (Wednesday, May 6, 2015) - With the weather forecast for the weekend looking bleak, I figured I would take in the racing action on Wednesday night at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. All five weekly classes were in action on the night, along with the Spring Invaders.
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, and despite only 5 cars signed in on the night the battle up front for all 10 laps was hotly contested. Curt Myers and John Whalen started on the front row, with Whalen grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Trent Orwig and Bill Whalen Jr. Bill Whalen Jr. and Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 5th, moved around Orwig for the runner up spot on lap 5 and then 1 lap later they made it a three car battle for the lead. John Whalen held the top spot coming to the white flag, as Fullenkamp slipped under Bill Whalen Jr. for second. Fullenkamp made one last attempt to slip under John Whalen coming off turn 4. But John Whalen held on to pick up the win. Fullenkamp then had to hold off Bill Whalen Jr. for the battle for 2nd, Orwig was 4th, with Myers coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Daniel Gordon and Donnie Pearson leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Pearson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brad Pinkerton and Zack VanderBeek, who started 6th. Pearson set the pace out front, as the top 10 cars raced single file around the top side of the 1/2 mile track. Around the midway point of the race VanderBeek would look under Pinkerton for the runner up spot and then went to work on Pearson for the lead. Using the bottom of the track going into turn 1 VanderBeek would slip up in front of Pearson off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 11. While VanderBeek started to pull away from the field the battle was going on behind between Pinkerton, Pearson, Gordon, Mike Hughes, who started 9th, Todd Reitzler, who started 7th, and Cayden Carter, who started 8th. Without a caution to catch VanderBeek, he would cruise to an easy win. Pinkerton won the battle for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Carter rounding out the top 5.
Jarrod Schneiderman was suppose to start the 20 lap Sprint Invaders feature on the pole. But when he chose to go to the back, this would move Harold Pohren to the pole next to Tony Shilling. Shilling jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Pohren and Jamie Ball, and then set a fast pace out front. On lap 6 Shilling would come up on lapped traffic, which allowed Ball to close in quickly. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 7 Ball and Shilling made contact, with Shilling getting sideways and falling back to 5th. While Ball grabbed the top spot over Nate Van Haaften, who started 7th, and Terry McCarl, who started 9th. Ball continued to lead, while Russ Hall, who started 12th, and Jon Agan, who started 16th, were making their way towards the front. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 13, when Donnie Steward came to a stop in the middle of the backstretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball moved back out front, with Van Haaften looking under him in the corners to try and grab the lead away. This would go on until the final caution appeared on lap 15
Russ Hall and Jon Agan were battling for the fifth spot when the two got tangled together going into turn 1 and came to rest up against the wall to bring out the yellow. Then while sitting there, Dakota Hendrickson couldn't slow his machine down and slid into both cars. Ball once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Van Haaften and McCarl close behind. Over the final 5 laps Ball would make no mistakes and held on to claim his first career Sprint Invaders win and the $1,500 top prize to go with it. Van Haaften settled for 2nd, McCarl was 3rd, Joe Beaver was 4th, with Shilling holding on for 5th.
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Trent Brink and Jason McDaniel on the front row. McDaniel used his front row starting spot to grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Brink and Braydon Carter, who started 8th. With McDaniel setting a fast pace out front the battle for second was heating up, as Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 10th, was working on Carter for that spot. Van Der Wal was able to clear Carter for the runner up spot on lap 6, but by then McDaniel had built up a full straight-away lead. Without a caution there was no catching McDaniel who cruised to the win. Van Der Wal was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Brink held on for 4th, with Brett Lowry coming from 9th to finish in 5th.
Jared Stephens and Aaron Martin made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Martin would use his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Bobby Greene and Mike Kincaid. Martin then held the top spot until lap 3, when Greene was able to slip under him for the lead. While Martin and Greene battled for the lead, Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th, quickly moved up towards the front using the middle of the speedway. On lap 5 Griffiths was able to slip under Greene to grab the top spot away. Just like the other three weekly class features, the Hobby Stock feature went caution free. So there was no catching Griffiths on this night, as he pulled away to an easy win. Greene settled for 2nd, Danny Thrasher moved up from 8th to finish in 3rd, Martin held on for 4th, with Dale Porter, driving Griffiths back up car, passing 9 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Dickey would grab the lead on lap 1 over Tyler Groenendyk and Cayden Carter. Dickey used the top of the speedway to start to pull away from Groenendyk and Carter, until late in the race. Groenendyk was able to pull up to Dickey's back bumper on lap 14, and then looked under him on laps 15 and 16. But Dickey would hold off all his challenges to go on to pick up the win in a caution free race. Groenenedyk was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg started 7th and finished 4th, with Andrew Schroeder rounding out the top 5.
Notes from Osky: 25 360 Sprint Cars signed in on the night....Ryan Jamison was leading heat race 2, when late in the race he lost the engine that forced him to scratch for the remainder of the night....John Greenwood, Rob Weuve, Alan Zoutte, and Dave Getchell joined Jamison in watching the feature from the trailer......Derrick Agee started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 8th....Jerry Pilcher finished 11th after starting in 14th....Mike Brown started 18th and finished 15th....Shane Paris, who started 12th, was running 10th before pulling off on lap 15 with over heating troubles to end his night in 16th....Carl Yaw and Bill Fox both had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch for the night......Chris Martin started the Sprint feature in 10th and finished 6th....John Schulz, driving Jimmy Davies #99 Sprinter, passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Josh Schneiderman started 11th and finished 8th....Mike Philben passed 5 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Tim Moore passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in 12th......Derek Hodges started the Hobby Stock feature in 12th and finished 7th....Travis Bunnell started 11th and finished 8th....Steve Allen passed 6 cars from his 16th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Jared Stephens and Mike Kincaid, who were battling for 6th, came to rest in the turn 4 guardrail on the final lap to end there nights in 13th and 14th......Barndon Banks, who was running 4th in the Modified feature, pulled off on lap 3 to end his night in 9th......All five weekly classes that race at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday nights saw there feature races go caution free. That is 77 (Sport Compacts 10, Stock Car 18, SportMod 16, Hobby Stock 15, and Modifieds 18) laps of feature racing!!!
The first feature to take to the track on the night was the 10 lap IMCA Sport Compacts, and despite only 5 cars signed in on the night the battle up front for all 10 laps was hotly contested. Curt Myers and John Whalen started on the front row, with Whalen grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Trent Orwig and Bill Whalen Jr. Bill Whalen Jr. and Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 5th, moved around Orwig for the runner up spot on lap 5 and then 1 lap later they made it a three car battle for the lead. John Whalen held the top spot coming to the white flag, as Fullenkamp slipped under Bill Whalen Jr. for second. Fullenkamp made one last attempt to slip under John Whalen coming off turn 4. But John Whalen held on to pick up the win. Fullenkamp then had to hold off Bill Whalen Jr. for the battle for 2nd, Orwig was 4th, with Myers coming home in 5th.
Up next was the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Daniel Gordon and Donnie Pearson leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Pearson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Brad Pinkerton and Zack VanderBeek, who started 6th. Pearson set the pace out front, as the top 10 cars raced single file around the top side of the 1/2 mile track. Around the midway point of the race VanderBeek would look under Pinkerton for the runner up spot and then went to work on Pearson for the lead. Using the bottom of the track going into turn 1 VanderBeek would slip up in front of Pearson off turn 2 to take over the top spot on lap 11. While VanderBeek started to pull away from the field the battle was going on behind between Pinkerton, Pearson, Gordon, Mike Hughes, who started 9th, Todd Reitzler, who started 7th, and Cayden Carter, who started 8th. Without a caution to catch VanderBeek, he would cruise to an easy win. Pinkerton won the battle for 2nd, Hughes was 3rd, Reitzler was 4th, with Carter rounding out the top 5.
Jarrod Schneiderman was suppose to start the 20 lap Sprint Invaders feature on the pole. But when he chose to go to the back, this would move Harold Pohren to the pole next to Tony Shilling. Shilling jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Pohren and Jamie Ball, and then set a fast pace out front. On lap 6 Shilling would come up on lapped traffic, which allowed Ball to close in quickly. Coming off turn 4 to complete lap 7 Ball and Shilling made contact, with Shilling getting sideways and falling back to 5th. While Ball grabbed the top spot over Nate Van Haaften, who started 7th, and Terry McCarl, who started 9th. Ball continued to lead, while Russ Hall, who started 12th, and Jon Agan, who started 16th, were making their way towards the front. The action up front was slowed for the first time on lap 13, when Donnie Steward came to a stop in the middle of the backstretch to bring out the yellow. On the restart Ball moved back out front, with Van Haaften looking under him in the corners to try and grab the lead away. This would go on until the final caution appeared on lap 15
Russ Hall and Jon Agan were battling for the fifth spot when the two got tangled together going into turn 1 and came to rest up against the wall to bring out the yellow. Then while sitting there, Dakota Hendrickson couldn't slow his machine down and slid into both cars. Ball once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Van Haaften and McCarl close behind. Over the final 5 laps Ball would make no mistakes and held on to claim his first career Sprint Invaders win and the $1,500 top prize to go with it. Van Haaften settled for 2nd, McCarl was 3rd, Joe Beaver was 4th, with Shilling holding on for 5th.
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Trent Brink and Jason McDaniel on the front row. McDaniel used his front row starting spot to grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Brink and Braydon Carter, who started 8th. With McDaniel setting a fast pace out front the battle for second was heating up, as Curtis Van Der Wal, who started 10th, was working on Carter for that spot. Van Der Wal was able to clear Carter for the runner up spot on lap 6, but by then McDaniel had built up a full straight-away lead. Without a caution there was no catching McDaniel who cruised to the win. Van Der Wal was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Brink held on for 4th, with Brett Lowry coming from 9th to finish in 5th.
Jared Stephens and Aaron Martin made up the front row for the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Martin would use his front row starting spot to jump out into the lead on lap 1 over Bobby Greene and Mike Kincaid. Martin then held the top spot until lap 3, when Greene was able to slip under him for the lead. While Martin and Greene battled for the lead, Dustin Griffiths, who started 10th, quickly moved up towards the front using the middle of the speedway. On lap 5 Griffiths was able to slip under Greene to grab the top spot away. Just like the other three weekly class features, the Hobby Stock feature went caution free. So there was no catching Griffiths on this night, as he pulled away to an easy win. Greene settled for 2nd, Danny Thrasher moved up from 8th to finish in 3rd, Martin held on for 4th, with Dale Porter, driving Griffiths back up car, passing 9 cars from his 14th place starting spot to come home in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 18 lap IMCA Modifieds, with Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Dickey would grab the lead on lap 1 over Tyler Groenendyk and Cayden Carter. Dickey used the top of the speedway to start to pull away from Groenendyk and Carter, until late in the race. Groenendyk was able to pull up to Dickey's back bumper on lap 14, and then looked under him on laps 15 and 16. But Dickey would hold off all his challenges to go on to pick up the win in a caution free race. Groenenedyk was 2nd, Carter was 3rd, Carter VanDenBerg started 7th and finished 4th, with Andrew Schroeder rounding out the top 5.
Notes from Osky: 25 360 Sprint Cars signed in on the night....Ryan Jamison was leading heat race 2, when late in the race he lost the engine that forced him to scratch for the remainder of the night....John Greenwood, Rob Weuve, Alan Zoutte, and Dave Getchell joined Jamison in watching the feature from the trailer......Derrick Agee started the Stock Car feature in 11th and finished 8th....Jerry Pilcher finished 11th after starting in 14th....Mike Brown started 18th and finished 15th....Shane Paris, who started 12th, was running 10th before pulling off on lap 15 with over heating troubles to end his night in 16th....Carl Yaw and Bill Fox both had troubles in hot laps that forced them to scratch for the night......Chris Martin started the Sprint feature in 10th and finished 6th....John Schulz, driving Jimmy Davies #99 Sprinter, passed 6 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 7th....Josh Schneiderman started 11th and finished 8th....Mike Philben passed 5 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Tim Moore passed 7 cars from his 19th place starting spot to finish in 12th......Derek Hodges started the Hobby Stock feature in 12th and finished 7th....Travis Bunnell started 11th and finished 8th....Steve Allen passed 6 cars from his 16th place starting spot to come home in 10th....Jared Stephens and Mike Kincaid, who were battling for 6th, came to rest in the turn 4 guardrail on the final lap to end there nights in 13th and 14th......Barndon Banks, who was running 4th in the Modified feature, pulled off on lap 3 to end his night in 9th......All five weekly classes that race at the Southern Iowa Speedway on Wednesday nights saw there feature races go caution free. That is 77 (Sport Compacts 10, Stock Car 18, SportMod 16, Hobby Stock 15, and Modifieds 18) laps of feature racing!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)