Mason City car show pics

I've uploaded pictures from the Mason City car show onto my MySpace page. Check it out at
http://www.myspace.com/tapfan

Marshalltown Car Show Pics

I have uploaded some pictures taken at the car show in Marshalltown. You can find them either on my website at

http://www.geocities.com/racefan85/index.html and click on "marshalltown car show pics" link,

OR

visiting my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/tapfan

USMTS Postponed Til Next Weekend, Car Shows This Weekend

My scheduled trip to follow the USMTS warriors will have to wait a week as the forecast all but forced USMTS and track officials at LA Raceway (La Monte, MO) and Thunderhill Speedway (Mayetta, KS) to postpone their events until next weekend. Although there is already a two-day race going on in West Siloam Springs (Oklahoma), USMTS found a good way to incorporate these races by rescheduling the La Monte race for Thursday, April 2nd. This way many of the "northerners" can catch a race on their way down to Oklahoma. Then on the way back, they can stop by Mayetta on Sunday, April 5th.

Due to this rescheduling, my weekend will now consist of attending car shows in Marshalltown and Mason City. Hopefully sometime this weekend I can figure out how to upload pictures onto my blog. If not, I can put a link on my website and post the link. I plan to go to Mason City on Saturday and Marshalltown Sunday. After the car show wraps up Sunday, the cars will then get the opportunity to head out to the track and get in a little practice time if they so desire. From what I've heard, a lot of drivers will be taking advantage of this opportunity as even some from the Mason City area plan to make the trip.

Check back later this weekend or on Monday and hopefully I'll have some pictures posted.

- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!

Beatrice Days 2 & 3

After the lights went out on Friday, racing resumed a little earlier then scheduled on Saturday with the sportmod and modified features. Johnny Saathoff used his pole starting spot to take command of the modified feature and would go on to get the win. He was followed across the line by David Murray, Ricky Alvarado, Jeremy Mills, and Greg Metz. Alvarado was the one to watch as he had started 12th.

In the sportmods, Tyler Frye would take home the hardware. Damon Murty settled for second, Benji Legg third, Luke Wanniger fourth, and Max Harder rounded out the top five.

On to Saturday's normal schedule of events. Ricky Alvarado took advantage of his outside front row starting position and raced to a commanding half-lap win over the rest of the competition. Greg Metz powered his way from 11th to a solid second place finish in his BMS machine. David Murray, Sean Jerovetz, and Jay Noteboom rounded out the top five. Alvarado pocked a cool $1,500 for the win.

Luke Wanninger is continuing his strong runs from last year as the defending Sportmod national champion would take the win on Saturday night. Benji Legg crossed the line second, Damon Murty third, Tyler Frye fourth, and Rick Rohr fifth.

IMCA hobby stocks also ran Saturday night as part of Day 2 of the Spring Nationals. R.J. Macku took home the top prize as he beat Ryan Roschewski. Tony Spunagle, Eric Chab, and Nick Topil.

Due to the weather forecast, officials bumped up the start time for Sunday's show to 12 noon. Things were initially scheduled to start at 3pm. Twice was nice for Johnny Saathoff again redrew the pole and again found himself in victory lane after the modified feature after leading every lap. Greg Metz passed several cars at the end to notch a second place finish. Jay Noteboom, Dominic Ursetta, and Ricky Alvarado completed the top five. Saathoff added $2,000 to his weekend prize money for his efforts.

Round two for the hobby stocks saw Andy Gregg finish in victory lane after a hard-fought battle with Travis Burger. Jim Buss finished in third, Adam Armstrong fourth, and Eric Chab rounded out the top five.

Sport compacts and factory stocks completed the Sunday show. Damon Murty would make the trip worthwhile as he won the factory stock feature in easy fashion. Alex Fink would take home top prize in the sport compacts.

That wraps another long weekend of racing for me. It was fun to see friends again for the first time this season. A lot of cars packed into the pits at Beatrice from several states. Hopefully next year the wind won't be as much of a factor as it was this time around.

The upcoming schedule for "Tapfan's Tours" include stops at LA Raceway in La Monte, Missouri on Friday (March 27th) and then heading northwest to Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kansas on Saturday (March 28th) for stops on the USMTS tour. With any luck, I'll be able to use a friend's laptop and will be able to get my blog posted each night, unless I decide to drive home Saturday night after the races.

http://www.geocities.com/racefan85/march_races.html for results. Click on the day you'd like to see.

- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!

West Plains Day 1, Beatrice Day 1

On Thursday March 19th, I headed south for my first ever trip to West Plains Motor Speedway in West Plains, Missouri. On this night it was Day 1 of the Justin Stanfill Memorial race for modifieds. Forty-two cars were on hand to try their luck in the track's debut event of the season. Six heat races was the format with the top 4 going to the feature event. Everybody else was left watching from their trailers. The feature lineup was determined straight up from the heat races, with the winner of heat 1 starting on the pole and second heat winner outside. Twenty-five laps seemed to take quite awhile as the feature was slow by many cautions, including four yellows in the first five laps. Early leader Jesse Stovall looked to have a comfortable command on the field until his machine spun around in turn two. This opened the door to Shawn Walsh and Brandon Ball, who together put on a great show for the slim crowd. Side-by-side for several laps, Walsh would get the advantage at the finish. Kevin Blackburn, Jared Landers, and Warren Fender rounded out the top 5.

A few side notes: West Plains must utilize a "free pass" rule as one car spun out before a lap was completed and wound up with a flat tire. Not only did officials wait for him to change it, but he was awarded his starting position back after doing so. This happened twice with the same car! It was a little disappointing to see a twenty-five lap modified feature last an hour. I personally thought the track was in good shape, but cars seemed to spin out every other lap.

On to Friday, March 20th. I woke up early to head northwest to Beatrice, Nebraska for the IMCA Spring Nationals. A lot of perennial IMCA modified competitors were listed as being pre-entered and they definitely did not disappoint! Twelve heats of modifieds followed by six heats of IMCA Sportmods provided plenty of action for the fans. Only the heat race winner advanced to the feature in the modifieds while the top three in the sportmods advanced. Six bmains were run for modifieds and they were just getting ready to start the 2nd of three bmains for the sportmods when the lights went out!! Deja vu for me, as I've witnessed this strange occurrence a few times in my life. Unfortunately, promoter Toby Kruse did not feel as though the problem could be fixed in a timely manner. So it was announced that the show on Saturday will start a little early to get the remaining bmains and features in before starting another complete show.

This is a new experience for me as I'm borrowing a friend's laptop to write this blog, late in the morning as it may be. I have been stubborn in the past in that I told people I didn't need a laptop. But after using it for this blog and a few other documents, a laptop might not be a bad idea after all. Something to ponder later on down the road...

Hopefully Saturday's show and the remaining races from Friday's show will be run in a timely manner so that I won't have to stay up this late again. However, part of this was my own fault for spending time in the pits afterwards talking to racers. Hopefully I can write another blog tomorrow night with results!

Here is the web address for results from Thursday and Friday's races:
http://www.geocities.com/racefan85/march_races.html and click on the appropriate day.

- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!

Humboldt Speedway (KS) Hosts USMTS Twinbill

After USMTS officials pulled the plug on Friday's scheduled visit to Caney Valley Speedway, it was later announced that Humboldt Speedway would step up and host another day of racing on Sunday. That being said, my group of avid race fans changed our schedules and made the trip to Humboldt Saturday and Sunday.

A good field of cars showed up Saturday for day one. 55 USMTS modifieds were on hand along with 26 bmods and 26 factory stocks. Scott Stuart dominated most of the factory stock feature en route to the win. He was followed across the line by Dan Jesseph, Dustin Marvin, Jeremy Wilson, and Billy Shadden. Justin Boots prevailed in the bmods. Paden Phillips tried to get some momentum off the top side to close the gap, but it wasn't enough. He would settle for second while Max Grogan, Jim Daniels, and Brad Jarman rounded out the top 5.

Jon Tesch made the long pull from South Dakota pay off as he totally dominated Saturday night's feature. Tesch led every lap and at one point had half the field lapped before a caution flag bunched the field back up. Jason Hughes and eight-time USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock finished second and third respectively. Chad Wheeler and Dustin Boney rounded out the top 5. Last week's winner Tommy Myer won a bmain event and wound up 18th. Boney was the big mover as he advanced 14 spots from his 19th starting position.

Sunday's afternoon show had a significant decrease in car counts. Nearly half of the bmods and factory stocks were missing, but the USMTS modified car count was 54. Steve Holzkamper was the man of the hour in his heat race as he started last and finished first, racking up the most passing points. In factory stock competition, Dan Jesseph improved his weekend by one spot in winning the feature. He was followed across the line by Zach Simmons, Dustin Marvin, Jeremy Wilson, and Dereck Wilson. Dalton Kirk would take home the hardware in the bmod division. Scott Collins was within reach, but just couldn't quit get the momentum needed to get around Kirk. Justin Boots, Chris Brechiesen, and Jim Daniels rounded out the top five.

Johnny Fennewald used his first starting spot to his advantange in leading the first seven laps of the USMTS modified feature. Outside front row started Brian Bolin then passed Fennewald and remained in the lead for twenty laps. Meanwhile, Bryan Rowland was gaining ground, patiently waiting for an opening. Bolin slipped high coming off turn two and that opened the door for Rowland. Rowland dove to the inside in turn 3, but the two drivers made contact with each other. Bolin would spin out from the contact bringing out the caution flag. As a result of the contact, both drivers were sent to the back of the pack. This handed the reigns over to Steve Holzkamper, who would go on to take the win. TRE chassis "teammate" Johnny Bone Jr would finish 2nd while pole sitter Fennewald finished with a solid 3rd place run. Dustin Boney and Gary Langworthy rounded out the top 5. Jason Friesen was the hard charger, advancing 12 spots from his 21st starting position. Boney's top 5's propelled him into the MO-KAN region points lead. Saturday's feature winner Jon Tesch only managed a 12th place finish after transferring out of a bmain and started 19th.

The USMTS will be traveling a little further south this upcoming weekend as they invade I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Arkansas for their annual Topless Modified Nationals event.

Check out my website for more results from action at the Humboldt Speedway. http://www.geocities.com/racefan85/09races.html . Click on March, then click on "USMTS @ Humboldt, KS".

My tentative plans include a Thursday night trip to West Plains, Missouri for night 1 of the Justin Stanfill Memorial followed. From there I plan to travel northwest to Beatrice, Nebraska for the IMCA Spring Nationals the rest of the weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun).

-Racing MAY be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive

USMTS @ Junction Motor Speedway

On Friday March 6th, a group of 4 of us ventured our way west to the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Nebraska. While we did have an adventuresome trip, we made it to York to check into the hotel around 3pm. After getting settled in and grabbing a bite at Pizza Hut, we ventured 6 miles or so south to the track.

Upon arrival, there were several fans in the parking lot waiting for the ticket booth to open. I chatted with an older individual from Nebraska for a few minutes and found out his grandson races in Nevada. Sounded like this fellow had been to plenty of races in his life, noting visits to Nevada, Colorado, and Florida.

After finding our seats, the announcers (Wayne Dake and Lon Oelke) began to tell stories to each other about what had happened over the offseason and such and preview what was to come. 54 UMSTS modifieds as well as 24 stock cars checked in for racing action at the high-banked 3/8 mile speedplant.

USMTS ran their heats first. Dean Mahlstedt controlled heat one. Corey Dripps took advantage from his pole start to capture heat two. Heat three was one of the best races I've seen in awhile, as Jason Friesen came from the 9th starting spot to pass NASCAR star Kenny Schrader on the last corner for the win. Mike Steensma, Scott Green, and "Rockin" Ronnie Wallace scored the other three heat race victories.

Three stock car heats were next. I'll admit, I didn't know too many of the local drivers, thus not paying attention to heat one. Heat two was won by Iowa driver Jeff Joldersma. Heat three saw Iowans Matt Griener and Mike VanGenderen finish second and third, respectively.

Two USMTS bmains were run with the top 5 drivers advancing on to the A-main later on. Jake Neal took home the win in the first followed by Dereck Ramirez, Josh Reisch, Jay Noteboom, and Scott Ward. Bmain #2 belonged to Kenny Schrader. He was followed across the stripe by Zach VanderBeek, Tommy Myer, Jon Tesch, and Andrew Gordon.

That set the stage for the final two races of the night. Stock cars took to the track among the light mist in the air. This race was a thriller with three-wide racing going on up front. Ross Dixon (Ramona, South Dakota) took the lead early on with several drivers pressuring him. Joldersma, VanGenderen, and Griener challenged Dixon lap after lap, making it a four-car battle. Dixon had just enough at the end to pull out the victory. Matt Griener made a final push to finish second in thrilling fashion while VanGenderen and Joldersma rounded out the top 4. Good showing for the Iowa guys, and a great race overall.

The night's finale was the 30-lap USMTS feature. Corey Dripps had the luck of the draw on his side as he drew the pole. However, it was Dustin Boney who quickly jumped out the the early lead. After leading the first seventeen laps, Boney pulled pitside with a broken fan belt. Jason Friesen took command for a few laps before relinquishing the lead to Tommy Myer for good. Myer started 18th and had the field covered by the time the checkered flag waved. Zach VanderBeek finished second while also advancing from one of the bmains. Friesen would wind up with a solid third place finish followed by Scott Green and Kelly Shryock to finish out the top 5.

I must give promoter Delmer Friesen a LOT of credit. I was skeptical in the heat races that the track would lock down on the bottom as that was where the prefered line was. As the night progressed however, cars began searching around up top and in the middle. Both the stock cars and the modifieds used the entire race track and the surface was very smooth for a March race. In fact, I'll go on record saying that was the best race I've seen at the Junction Motor Speedway.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn't too kind on Saturday (March 7th) as weather forced the cancellation of the second day of racing. There will be no makeup date.

I have posted full results on my website. http://www.geocities.com/racefan85/09races.html
Click on March, then click on "USMTS at McCool Junction, NE"

Preliminary plans for next weekend will once again find me following USMTS action. Friday night will be in Caney, Kansas followed by a visit to Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kansas on Saturday. If something should come up to where I cannot attend Caney, I will travel to Springfield, Missouri for a makeup Turkey Bowl that was rained out last November.

-Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive