Saturday, September 26, 2009

VanderBeek Cashes in on Night #2 at Fall Jamboree

Night number two of the Featherlite Fall Jamboree was in doubt earlier in the day as Mother Nature decided to play her evil card and dump some moisture from above. However, Randy Queensland and his crew did an excellent job of removing the water off the track and getting it ironed back in for the night's show. In fact, the crew did such a great job that the national anthem started at its scheduled time!

The feature action got started once again with the Wissota Midwest Modifieds. They would run a twenty-lap feature that saw Jerry Young take home the hardware followed by Brandon Davis, Mike Paulson, Shane Sabraski, and Andrew Wiste. It was noted by the track announcers that Young captured the win last year on the second night of the Jamboree.

After another laser show set the stage for the USMTS forty-lap main event. Youngster Rodney Sanders would set the pace while being flanked by Nate Wasmund on the outside. However, it would be fourth-place starter Ryan Gustin leading the field at the completion of lap one. Sanders would use the outside to pass Wasmund for the second spot while Dereck Ramirez charged on the inside to fourth. Ramirez started ninth, but from that point on Ramirez would steadily back to his original starting position as both Zack VanderBeek and Corey Dripps passed him to take over fourth and fifth.

Another driver on the move was Tim Donlinger, last year's national champion. Donlinger started fifteenth on the grid and used the low groove to make his way to sixth on lap fourteen. VanderBeek continued his march towards the front as he worked under Sanders for the runner up spot. Four laps later VanderBeek would assume the captain's seat as he motored under Gustin for the lead. A caution came out on lap twenty-three to reset the field, but unfortunately things didn't get going on the restart as Jason Hughes made heavy contact with the opening to the pits in turn one. Hughes would walk away unscaved, but obviously frustrated as that extinguished his hopes of winning the national championship.

Donlinger would line up on the outside of Gustin on the restart and powered his machine to the second spot. Donlinger then set his sights on VanderBeek and briefly led a lap before VanderBeek regained the lead with twelve laps to go. Gustin was able to hit his marks and regain the second position as he got by Donlinger with eight to go. But he would be unable to catch Zack VanderBeek as he too would repeat last year's performance on the second day of the Jamboree. Ryan Gustin would finish second, Tim Donlinger third, Jon Tesch powered his way to fourth, and Corey Dripps rounded out the top five.

Gustin shaved into Kelly Shryock's point lead as Shryock again struggled throughout the night. He started deep in the pack in his heat race and was unable to make any moves to the front, forcing him to run one of the bmain events. Shryock would start fifteenth in his bmain and looked as though a provisional was in store for him, but a caution came out that bunched the field up. Shryock used that to his advantage as he was able to climb into the second spot and make the feature. Shryock would finish in the nineteenth position while Gustin nailed down the second spot. That means Shryock holds a 58-point lead going into the final night of the Jamboree. That amount is very difficult to make up in one night, so odds are Shryock will earn his ninth national championship at night's conclusion.

Racing action is scheduled to start at 5pm tonight at the Deer Creek Speedway. Midwest Modifieds will run their heat races first once again followed by the USMTS heat races. If you can't make it to the track, be sure to check out the action on www.racecastlive.com for play by play.

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

Friday, September 25, 2009

Jason Cummins Posts Jamboree Opening Win

For as long as I can remember, the saying "sometimes it's better to be lucky then good" has been around. That saying was thrown out the window for Thursday night's USMTS feature as track champion Jason Cummins proved why he was crowned the champ. Kyle Jumbeck would also score a win in the Wissota Midwest Modified feature on this night.

The Wissota Midwest Modifieds were the first feature on the card with Jumbeck leading the field to the green flag for a twenty-lap event. Jumbeck would grab ahold of the lead at the start with fellow front row starter Dustin Scott challenging on the inside. Just past the halfway point, I noticed that Andrew Wiste was charging through the pack. Wiste started 20th on the grid, but found his way up to ninth at the completion of lap twelve. Closer to the front, Brandon Davis and Troy Brand were racing door to door for the third spot with Davis getting the nod a couple laps later. Kyle Jumbeck would go on to take the feature win followed by Dustin Scott, Brandon Davis, and Troy Brand. Forty-three Midwest Modifieds were on hand for tonight's event.

After the Midwest Modifieds were done, it would be time for the much-anticipated laser show. I didn't keep track of the time, but I'm sure it ran for a good 10-15 minutes, playing several songs and giving the fans a good showcase. When the lights came back on, it would be time for the USMTS thirty-lap main event. Corey Dripps and Hank Rollinger would set the pace with Dripps getting the early advantage.

The inside row got a great start as Bob Timm slid into second with Jon Tesch right behind in third. On lap four Tesch drove to the outside of Timm to take over the runner up spot while Al Hejna was on the move deeper in the pack. Hejna, who started tenth, charged to the fourth spot by lap eight using the cushion. Jason Cummins found his marks on the low groove as he took over the second spot from Tesch on lap ten. A lap later Cummins drove by Dripps on the inside to snare the lead away.

Another car on the move was youngster Ryan Gustin. After winning the first of five bmain events, Gustin would start nineteenth on the grid. By lap thirteen he had worked his way up to the eighth spot as he hugged the tires around the entire track. Up front Hejna drove by Dripps and Tesch to take the second spot just after the halfway point. By that time Cummins had opened up a half-straight away lead, but Hejna quickly cut that lead down within two laps as Cummins caught lapped traffic.

Hejna would make the pass on the outside of Cummins in turn four to lead lap twenty-three. Lapped cars would make things difficult for Hejna as he seemed to get boxed in, allowing Cummins to sprint back by on the inside to the lead. Hejna would make contact with the turn two wall late in the race to provide enough insurance for Jason Cummins to take home the $2,000 top prize. Al Hejna, Corey Dripps, Jon Tesch, and Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top five.

Points leader Kelly Shryock had an unusually bad night. After appearing to have the first heat race in hand, he would get passed by Al Hejna. That prevented him from making the top 18 in passing points, meaning he would have to race his way in from a bmain. He would win bmain #2, thus starting 20th on the grid. Shryock would only advance three spots from there, so both Jason Hughes and Ryan Gustin were able to make up some ground in the points championship with just two races remaining.

The Featherlite Fall Jamboree continues Friday and Saturday with two separate and complete shows for both the Wissota Midwest Modifieds along with the USMTS modifieds. Racing action starts at 6pm Friday while things will get kicked off an hour earlier on Saturday.

For more information, check out www.usmts.com or www.deercreekspeedway.com.

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

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Tesch Grabs First Hunt Win

Night number two for the USMTS was on the docket at the North Central Speedway on Saturday night as drivers looked to take home the $3,000 top prize. Thirty-one modifieds were on hand to try their luck at the speedway along with hornets, pure stocks, and short trackers once again racing as part of the Grassroots World Championships.

In a repeat performance from Friday night, Jesse Tripp made the haul from Spooner, Wisconsin pay off as he took home the win in the hornet class. Ben Godbee would be the first one to cross the line in the short tracker feature while Bill Nelson claimed the pure stock feature win.

It would then be time for the forty-lap USMTS finale. Fans were graced with the full onset of pre-race ceremonies as drivers were introduced outside of their cars, the full field was given American flags, and the music of Lee Greenwood sent chills through people's spines during the parade lap along with fireworks. Once again Ryan Gustin would be the first one to redraw for his starting position after he accumulated the most passing points in the heats. His luck would continue as he picked up the frisbee with the pole. He would be joined on the front row by Jon Tesch to lead the field to the green.

Gustin would lead the the first lap before giving way to Tesch on lap two. "Mr Excitement" Corey Dripps used the high side to climbs two spots to fourth before the first caution flag waved on lap seven. A lap after the restart, Jason Hughes and Dripps waged a battle for the fourth spot as Hughes made the pass on the inside before Dripps regained the spot on the outside on lap fourteen. Dripps would carry momentum with that pass as he motored by Tim Donlinger on the outside to climb to third. Tesch would extend his race lead and encounter lapped traffic at the halfway point in the race, at which time points leader Kelly Shryock was methodically making his way to the front. Shryock transferred out of a bmain event, started fifteenth, and made his way to eighth just past the halfway point.

Jason Hughes would then pick off Donlinger on the outside to settle into fourth before getting back by Dripps on the inside for the third slot. The caution flag would wave once again when Tommy Myer's engine exploded down the front stretch, leaving lots of fluid for track officials to clean up. Just before that caution waved Gustin, Hughes, and Dripps were racing each other along with lapped cars for the third spot. The green flag would come out again, but wouldn't stay out for long as a couple of cars tangled in turn one on the restart. One of those cars, Scott Green, smacked the outside wall, flew up in the air, and came back down hard. Fortunately Green would be okay and walk away, but the car sustained heavy damage to the both the front and rear of the car.

When racing resumed, Gustin would bobble on the outside, opening the door for Dripps to sneak under him for the second spot with ten laps to go. Gustin would then regain his momentum and get the spot back on the low groove the next lap. The night belonged to Jon Tesch as he collected the top prize. Tesch last found victory lane back in July at Worthington, Minnesota. Ryan Gustin would finish second followed by Corey Dripps, Jason Hughes, and Rodney Sanders. Kelly Shryock finished sixth, giving him a commanding 107-point lead going into the final three nights of the Hunt for the Championship. Shryock is pretty much guaranteed to start all three races as he has three provisionals to fall back on. Jason Hughes continues to sit second in the points followed by Ryan Gustin.

Those final three events will be held at the Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Minnesota next weekend for the Fall Jamboree. Things will get kicked off with a practice night on Wednesday before the action heats up Thursday night with Wissota Midwest Modifieds and USMTS modifieds on the card all three nights. If you haven't been able to make the trip to this event, I'd advise you to do everything in your power to do so this year as over 100 pre-entries have already been recorded.

For more information regarding the USMTS, check out www.usmts.com. For information regarding the Fall Jamboree, visit www.deercreekspeedway.com.

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

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Shryock Takes Win at North Central Speedway

The United States Modified Touring Series made it's inaugural appearance at the North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minnesota last night (Friday, Sept 18). Twenty-nine modifieds were in attendance while support classes included the hornets, pure stocks, and short trackers.

The trip north would also be my first ever visit to the speedway. Upon arrival, the backside of the sweets looked impressive. While walking in through the ticket stand, the concession stand was off to the right while the restroom facilities were to the left. Beyond the restrooms was the USMTS souvenir trailer, so I made the trek over to talk with USMTS officials. Once again Todd Staley commented about me driving so far to attend one of his races. Always fun chatting with him and his family/staff.

As I made the turn to walk towards the grandstand, it was immediately apparent that the crowd almost sits on top of the track. The grandstands are quite steep, allowing you to see over the people sitting in front of you. The 3/8 mile track was surrounded by a concrete wall with the exception being an opening to the pits just before turn one. There was also an opening in turn two where the staging area sits.

Ten hornets would be up first for their fifteen lap feature. Jesse Tripp made the pull from Spooner, Wisconsin pay off as he scored the win ahead of Kevin Bradwell.

The pure stock feature saw Dave Johnson take home the win ahead of Mike Smude.

The short trackers feature saw some controversy at the finish. Late in the race Chad Funt appeared to be appeared to be on his way to collecting the win after Ben Godbee suffered a left rear flat tire. Funt would not give up and drive deep into turn three and made contact with Funt, resulting in both cars slowing down and allowing Shawn Fernkes to slip by on the low side to steal the win. Funt and Godbee followed Fernkes across the line, neither driver lifting for the other and coming to a stop on the front stretch.

Thirty-five laps would be the distance for the USMTS nightcap. Tim Donlinger and Grant Junghans led the field to the green flag with Junghans grabbing the slim lead. Donlinger would keep pace as he stayed on Junghans' left rear quarter panel for the first couple laps before taking the lead on lap seven. A caution flag would slow the action down, but the action quickly picked back up as Donlinger led a couple rows of two-wide racing. Tommy Myer would slip under Junghans for the runner up spot on lap twelve. Junghans would continue to slide further back as Ryan Gustin and Jason Hughes also made passes on the DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year recipient.

A caution would fly on lap nineteen, but the focus would turn to Tim Donlinger on the restart. Exiting turn four on the restart, Donlinger appeared to spin the tires. Ryan Gustin took advantage of this as he motored to the outside to gain the lead, but six cars piled up in turn one behind them to bring out the caution once again. The field was stopped on the front stretch while clean up was being done, at which point Donlinger got out of his car and had his car pushed to the pit area. That handed the lead over to Tommy Myer.

Points leader Kelly Shryock continued his consistent streak as he climbed into the third slot on lap twenty. On the next lap Gustin used the high side to power into the lead past Myer before another caution with eleven laps remaining. Shryock would use the low line to get by Myer for the runner up spot while Jon Tesch used the high side to also make the pass on Myer. Shryock would take over the race lead with seven laps to go as Shryock ducked under Gustin. Myer would get back by Tesch for third and later sneak by Gustin for the runner up with three laps to go. Shryock extended his lead late as he picked up his first Hunt win and just his second win on the USMTS trail this season. Tommy Myer, Ryan Gustin, Jon Tesch, and Jason Hughes followed him across the line.

Shryock's win all but solidified his chances of winning the Hunt for the Championship this year. He now holds a commanding 107 point lead over Hughes with just four races remaining on the docket. Action continues tonight again at the North Central Speedway in Brainerd before the final three days are held at the Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway next weekend. Pre-entries have already eclipsed the 100 mark for that event that supports three complete nightly shows.

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

Friday, September 18, 2009

Clay County Fair Results

Thursday night saw the Clay County Fair host the final night of the Arnold Motor Supply Summer Shootout Series in Spencer. A great field of cars were on hand for the evening as I'm sure some of the teams spent part of the day wandering through the fair. While walking into the grandstand area, it was noticed that a new flagstand had been put in place along with cement barriers down the front stretch. Definitely an upgrade from the forklift in previous trips to Spencer!!

Twenty-three hobby stocks took the green flag, but two quick cautions waved before a lap could get completed. The third time would be the charm with Darin Johnson leading the first lap before giving way to Shane Klaassen on lap two. Klaassen would extend his lead and cruise to the win as well as earning the series points title. Johnson would finish second followed by Mathias Lux, Nick Meyer, and Kurt Fothergill.

1. 901 Shane Klaassen
2. 20J Darin Johnson
3. 33M Mathias Lux
4. 2 Nick Meyer
5. 9 Kurt Fothergill
6. 59 Corey Gronewald
7. 8 Merle Bass
8. 20z Zach Bales
9. T1M Tim Sidles
10. 74K Brad Kathman
11. 20N Justin Nehring
12. T8 Brandon Nielsen
13. 30 Kevin Kajewski
14. 33c Cory Schreiber
(all cars that finished)

Next up would be the 360's (bmods) for their twelve-lap event. They too, would have a caution before the first lap was completed. When the green flag stayed out long enough, it was Greg Sidles leading lap one before the yellow flag waved two more times. The green flag would stay out longer, giving drivers a chance to get in a rhythm. Josh Ruby took advantage in a big way as he took his machine to the top side and made it work as he climbed to fifth and then second within two laps of the restart. A lap later Ruby would take the lead away at the halfway point when the caution came out yet again. Sidles would receive an intense challenge from Eric Puhrmann for the second spot late in the race as the two swapped positions within the same lap, but it would be Puhrmann getting the edge at the line. Bruce Wickman suffered a flat tire during the race, but was able to get it changed and rejoin the field, enabling him to grab the series points title for the year.

1. 30 Josh Ruby
2. 59 Eric Puhrmann
3. 1 Greg Sidles
4. 98 Dan Hanselman
5. 14z Zach Norgaard
6. 35 Bo Egeland
7. 14 Jason Fisher
8. 57 Doug Bartles
9. 33 Tim Rupp
10. 27 Bruce Wickman
11. 75 Mike Albert
12. 79A Adam Onken
13. 27B ??
(all the cars that finished)

Twenty-five IMCA stock cars hit the track next for their finale. Jake Masters used his pole start to grab the early lead until Chad Palmer got by on the inside on lap three to take over command of the ship. Elijah Zevenbergen and Luke Sathoff battled it out side by side for several laps, swapping the third position. Zevenbergen would get the upper hand with a handful of laps remaining while Masters challenged Palmer for the lead. Palmer was able to keep Masters behind him as he took the checkered flag first. Zevenbergen would be crowned the points champion.

1. 14 Chad Palmer
2. 11 Jake Masters
3. 66z Elijah Zevenbergen
4. 5 Luke Sathoff
5. 56 Tom Sierck
6. 67 Max Hoffer
7. 12 Eric Flander
8. 7L Jeffrey Larson
9. 04 Roger Verdoorn
10. 17 Corey Oftedahl
11. 21B Bryce Bodle
(all I was able to get)

Twenty-two IMCA modifieds would be led to the green flag by Jim Thies and Brian Schmitt. The field would also include tv personality and NASCAR Nationwide competitor Kenny Wallace on this night. Wallace would start in the fifth position, but an early multi-car wreck in turn one on the second lap would a damper on his thoughts of winning. I counted at least eight cars involved, but luckily all of them would rejoin the field on the restart. After being involved in that wreck, Jay Noteboom worked his way back into the fifth spot utilizing the cushion. Noteboom would push things a little hard entering turn three and hop the left rear wheel of Oliver Kollofski, sending Kollofski into a spin and bringing out the yellow flag. Restarting in fifth, it would only take a few laps before Noteboom replaced Thies as the leader of the pack. It was clear sailing from there as Noteboom took the checkers ahead of Jeremy Mills, Reese Coffee, Chris Abelson, and Jim Thies.

1. 7N Jay Noteboom
2. 10 Jeremy Mills
3. 16 Reese Coffee
4. 1x Chris Abelson
5. 23 Jim Thies
6. 1cc Clayton Christensen
7. 36 Kenny Wallace
8. 17s James Slawson
9. 16x Chris Rakness
(all I got)

Overall the track held up pretty good considering there was a lot of dust in turns one and two during hot laps. Track crew continued to sprinkle water on the racing surface throughout the night to keep the dust down to a minimum which also provided two racing grooves for the features. I then had to endure the lengthy 3 1/2 hour drive home as I pulled into my driveway at 1:45 Friday morning.

Thursday's race concluded the season at the Clay County Speedway, but promoter Joe Ringsdorf is just getting started on his busy weekend as his Fairmont Raceway will host the Bob Shryock Memorial Friday and Saturday. Ringsdorf will be busy next weekend as well as Fairmont will be racing Friday, Algona on Saturday, and Mason City next Sunday to cap off the season. For more information on the Shryock Memorial race, check out www.fairmontraceway.com for details.

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

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Yankee Classic Opener to Guss Jr

The annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic in Farley, Iowa got kicked off Wednesday night with a full show of IMCA/spec late models along with qualifying races for bmods, flyers, and limited stocks. It was my understanding that the bmods, limited stocks, and flyers ran heat races and last chance qualifiers to determine the feature lineup for tomorrow night while the late models ran a complete show Wednesday night. With that being said, I only kept track of the late models.

Terry Neal and Doug Nigh sat on the front row of the thirty-five lap late model feature after those two finished that way in the "fast dash", a six-lap sprint involving the top six cars in passing points. Neal would grab the point at the start while Ray Guss Jr took the runner up spot on lap two. Four laps later Guss Jr would find the cushion to his liking as he snared the lead away from Neal before encountering lapped traffic on the quarter-mile track. Jason Rauen climbed into the second spot on lap ten after he too found the top side to be the fast way around Neal before a caution slowed things down. That caution would involve Charlie McKenna, the winner of the bmain, and two other cars.

The restart hampered Rauen as slid backslid from second to seventh in a matter of a lap. Another yellow flag waved four laps later when Eric Gustaf slammed into the front stretch wall exiting turn four. At that point, Dan Shelliam (I believe he was driving the #16 car) had advanced from his sixteenth starting spot into the top five. When racing resumed, Marty Diercks would make a move on Neal for the second position on lap sixteen.

With twelve laps remaining, Charlie McKenna had rebounded nicely to find himself in the fifth spot running the high line of the track. McKenna and Jason Schueller, driving what appeared to be a backup car of Eric Gustaf's, duked it out for several laps for the fifth spot with McKenna getting the advantage in the end. But at the front of the pack it was Ray Guss Jr taking home the $1,000 payday for his efforts. In the post-race interview, he mentioned that he hadn't been to Farley since they built the smaller track. As some may say, it must be "beginner's luck". :)

1. 58 Ray Guss Jr
2. 4D Marty Diercks
3. 28c Terry neal
4. 6D Doug Nigh
5. 22 Charlie McKenna
6. 90x Jason Schueller
7. 16 Dan Shelliam (sp?)
8. 4DX Rob Toland (Rick Dralle's car)
9. 50 Joe Zrostlik
10. 15 Kelly Meyer (sp?, looked like it was Justin Kay's car)
11. 87 Jon Merfeld
12. 60 Greg Kastli

all I could get.. was hard to figure out who was on lead lap and who wasn't as several cars went to their pits and came back out. Also the PA system was hard to hear. Not sure if they had it turned to the pits or for both the pits and the stands, but it was difficult to hear regardless.

The Yankee Dirt Track Classic continues on through the weekend at the Farley Speedway. For more information, check out the website at www.simmonspromotionsinc.com

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

Monday, September 14, 2009

Supernationals Recap

America's Racing Vacation, also known as the Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals, is officially over. After crowning late model champion Ray Guss Jr Monday night and sprint car champion Shannon Eriksen Tuesday night, the rest of the week saw qualifying for Saturday's main event. Friday night saw Kevin Stoa take home the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational event for the IMCA modifieds, a race that fans across the country voted for their favorite drivers for a couple months in the summer.

Saturday got kicked off in traditional fashion as a few poker games were played to determine the starting grid for the Race of Champions for each class. Two of those Race of Champions (hobby stocks and sportmods) events would be the inaugural running. Michael Murphy would take the checkered flags first in the hobby stock event while Kevin Sather kept his great season going by winning the sportmod sprint.

Dustin Smith continued his fantastic season as he took the win in the stock car Race of Champions while Jay Noteboom added his name to the list of winners for the modified Race of Champions. Both drivers have enjoyed a lot of success this season as Smith has won somewhere in the range of eleven features just at the Marshalltown Speedway alone, while Noteboom won the Dakota Classic Tour and the Harris Clash.

I believe the first main event feature of the evening was the IMCA hobby stocks. Shannon Anderson and Devin Smith set the pace as the two separated themselves from the rest of the field. Excitement was building with about ten laps remaining as the two started to trade paint in the corners. Anderson used the inside groove to nudge Smith out of his preferred groove and grab the lead. Smith built up some momentum late in the race and closed in on Anderson and tried to use the same move in turn three on the final lap, but it didn't work out for him as his car spun around. Shannon Anderson would go on to take the checkered flag and be crown the hobby stock Supernationals Champion for 2009. This race went green to checkered, but unfortunately that would be the only feature to do so.

The IMCA Northern Sportmods were up next for their finale. Kevin Sather appeared to have the dominant car early on, but he found himself involved in two wrecks throughout the event and had to retire to the pits early. The race would definitely be a battle of attrition as many other top contenders went out as well, but when the smoke cleared it was Mike Pruitt holding off Austin Kaplan at the line to take home his first Supernationals crown.

The "class too tough to tame", the IMCA stock cars, were next on the card as they lined up for their thirty-lap event. This race would find its ups and downs for a couple drivers as both Dustin Smith and Wisconsin driver Jeremy Christians found themselves at the front of the pack at one point before getting tangled up in separate caution flags. Both drivers went to the work area and worked their way back to the front before suffering the same thing. Donavon Smith and Chad Estes were up front late in the race with Estes having the slim edge at the white flag. Donavon drove deep into turn three on the bottom side and slid up into Estes as they came out of turn four and it would be Smith at the line to etch his name into the record books as only the second driver in history to win a Supernationals Championship in two different divisions. Christians and Dustin Smith made it back to third and sixth, respectively.

It would then be time for the moment most people had waited for all week, or all year for that matter. Thirty-three IMCA modifieds were introduced to the fans and driven around the 3/8-mile oval in the back of Karl Chevrolet trucks. Drivers then had their picture taken on the stage before making their way back to their cars for the start of the race.

Pole-sitter Jake Durbin took the early command of the field and continued to stretch out his lead lap after lap. After a few cautions, David Murray and others were starting to track down Durbin until Durbin spun and collected Murray. Durbin had a tire going down that caused him to spin. That put Jay Noteboom in control and he seemed to be on his way to the win. That is until he exited turn four coming to the white flag. Noteboom's car slowed down the front stretch, sending cars behind him in a frenzy to get by. The win would come down to Randy Havlik or Craig Reetz. Havlik drove into turn three deep and came away with the exciting win. Noteboom suffered a broken rearend gear.

What a way to cap off the IMCA Supernationals for 2009!! While this website is focused on promoting the positive things in racing, I must say that I saw a considerable amount of rough driving this year that wasn't penalized. I heard the same thing from several other fans. I understand that not everything can be seen from the flagstand, but it didn't appear to me that the corner workers were doing their part. Perhaps officials could think about putting two "officials" atop the VIP tower and have each of them assigned to a set of corners. While the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, it would help make the calls that were not made last week.

America's Racing Vacation saw a total of 816 race cars in action over the course of the week. That number ranks second only to the 825 race teams that ventured to Boone last year. The Northern Sportmods continue to be the fastest growing class as they set a new record with 165 in attendance this year.

Let's hope for another great week of racing next year at the IMCA Supernationals in Boone!

I'd like to take this time to thank IMCA for their hospitality all week. It was greatly appreciated!! Every IMCA official I came in contact with were friendly and helpful.

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

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Eriksen Spins, Eriksen Wins

Tuesday night marked the second night of the Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals held at the Boone Speedway. While I decided to take the night off of "reporting" on Monday, the action was fierce in the hobby stocks, stock cars, and late model races throughout the evening. Ray Guss Jr would take home the Supernationals crown in the IMCA Deery Brothers late model fifty-lap feature while points leader all but locked up another series title with only one race remaining on the schedule. That race is the big finale held at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa the weekend of September 18-19 at the Pepsi Nationals where the winner will take home a cool $10,000 payday.

The focus on Tuesday would turn to the IMCA sprint cars as fourteen cars were on hand. Jenni Eriksen would use the outside front row start to take command early on in the twenty-lap race, but her luck would run out when her car spun in turn two on lap eight. She was able to keep the motor running as she did a 360, but she lost three spots in the process and handed the lead over to her brother Shannon. While most of the field were running the cushion, a couple positions would change as they crossed the finish line for the checkers. Shannon Eriksen took home the win followed by Chris Graf, Brett Geldner, Neil Stevens, and Jenni Eriksen.

Last chance qualifying was held Tuesday night for the IMCA hobby stocks along with the second night of qualifying for the IMCA stock cars. IMCA stock cars also had Race of Champions qualifying events to determine the ten cars to start that prestigious race on Saturday.

Wednesday afternoon will be the start of four nights in a row for qualifying the IMCA modifieds. Also in action Wednesday will be last chance qualifying for the IMCA stock cars. At this point I haven't decided if I'll take notes or just be a spectator and enjoy the show. Monday night was a lot of fun wandering through the pits and talking with drivers I haven't seen in some time.

For nightly results, check out www.imca.com and look for the daily results tab in the upper left hand corner.

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

Monday, September 7, 2009

Donlinger Holds Off Hughes For Kasson Checkers

The final stop of a six-night swing for the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) was a stop at the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minnesota Sunday night. Thirty-six modifieds were on hand to try their luck at picking up a win before a two-week layoff off the Hunt trail. Dereck Ramirez and Tim Donlinger were the lucky ones to redraw the front row for the forty-lap feature.

Ramirez would take the point at the drop of the green flag although Donlinger would stay on his rear bumper. Donlinger saw an opening entering turn one after Ramirez chose to drive a little bit higher line, handing Donlinger the lead on lap seven. Fourt-place starter Jason Hughes slowly workd the top side of the speedway to pass Steve Wetstein for third and three laps later advance to the runner up spot by lap twelve. Ryan Gustin was also charging hard on the outside as he climbed to sixth on lap fourteen. Gustin would pick off two more cars on the following lap just before the caution flag waved to bunch the field back up.

At that point, Jon Tesch was the hard charger of the show as he started fourteenth and found himself solidly in the top five. The restart proved to be in Wetstein's favor as he got by Gustin on the inside to take over the third spot before another yellow waved three laps later. Gustin would wind up losing a couple spots on this restart after his car pushed high in turn one, allowing the front four cars to distance themselves from the rest of the field.

Wetstein and Hughes would swap the second position a time or two while both were closing in on Donlinger's lead. The final caution of the race came with eight laps remaining to set up a great finish. Hughes grabbed the lead just before the caution and led the field to the green, but Donlinger would regain control as the field neared the white flag. Coming out of turn four, Hughes would try to make the last second effort to steal the win away from Donlinger but came up .009 seconds short as Tim Donlinger pulled off the exciting win in front of a packed house in Kasson. Hughes finished a close second, Steve Weststein third, Kely Shryock fourth, and Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top five.

Unofficially by my calculations, Shryock now holds an 80-point advantage over Hughes with five races left on the Hunt. Ryan Gustin lost some valuable points last night as he now trails by 114 points, but still holds down the third spot.

Shryock 1219
Hughes 1139
Gustin 1105

As mentioned above, the USMTS has almost two weeks off before hitting the road as they venture north to the North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minnesota on September 18-19. The following weekend will conclude the USMTS national tour culminating with the Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley on Sept 24-26.

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

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Simpson, Myer Visit Victory Lane at Deer Creek

The United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) joined the World Dirt Racing League (WDRL) late models for a doubleheader at the Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Minnesota on Saturday, Sept 5. These two traveling series don't usually show up on the same card at the same track, but for the last couple of years they have been meeting on the Saturday before Labor Day in southern Minnesota.

Twenty-four WDRL late models were on hand last night with Dave Eckrich setting quick time during group qualifying. Chad Simpson would win the pole dash to give him the pole for the forty-lap, $5,000 to win feature event. Simpson would take charge from the get-go while Adam Hensel and Chad Mahder raced side by side for several laps for the runner up spot. Mahder would hold on to that spot until just before a caution flag waved on lap six when Hensel would take it away from him. Simpson would open up a straight away lead within six laps after the restart before catching lapped traffic. Three more cautions would wave throughout the event, but nobody was able to put any pressure on Chad Simpson as he grabbed his fourth WDRL win of the season. He was followed across the line by Adam Hensel, Nick Anvelink, Chad Mahder, and Dave Eckrich.

The focus would switch to the open wheel modifieds for the USMTS thirty-five lap feature. A couple of local veteran favorites, Mark Noble and Tommy Myer, had luck on their side when they redrew the front row. Myer would lead lap one before a quick yellow came out. Fourth starter Dereck Ramirez worked under Noble to nab the second spot while Friday night's feature winner Ryan Gustin was on the move once again, taking the third spot away from Noble on lap eight. Jason Hughes, who started ninth, drove to the high side and advanced to the fifth spot by lap thirteen.

Up front Ramirez would nip Myer at the line to lead lap fourteen, but Myer would battle back on the outside to regain the lead. The two would swap the lead two more times before the caution came out with ten laps to go. At that point, Gustin had moved into the second spot behind Myer and elected to restart on the outside of the first full row. Gustin would lose a little grip up there and fade a bit while Steve Wetstein slipped into the third spot. Gustin, Jason Cummins, and Wetstein would exit the second corner three-wide with two laps remaining, allowing Tommy Myer to race to the win. Jason Cummins would sneak up to second late in the race followed by Dereck Ramirez, Ryan Gustin, and Steve Wetstein.

The racing action was fast and furious all night long with the late models having time trial times in the 14 second range. The track crew at the Deer Creek Speedway stayed on top of track conditions all night long to provide a great surface for the drivers. That being said, I'm anxiously awaiting the weekend of Sept 24-26 for the Featherlite Fall Jamboree that will crown the national champion for the USMTS series. For more information, check out www.deercreekspeedway.com.

The USMTS travels to the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minnesota tonight (Sunday) for the final night of six consecutive races this week. Then they will have about two weeks off before traveling to Brainerd (MN) Sept 18-19.

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

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Gustin Notches 3rd USMTS Hunt Victory

The United States Modified Touring Series made a stop at the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minnesota on Friday, Sept 4. Forty cars checked into the back gate while other classes in action included the Wissota pure stocks, Wissota midwest modifieds, and two divisions of hornets.

Adam Godeke jumped to the race lead at the start of the Wissota pure stock feature. He would lose the lead to Brandon Shaner on lap two after a restart, but when the next caution flag waved Shaner would get docked two spots for jumping the first restart. Godeke would take the helm back, but on lap seven Shaner worked to the inside this time to snare the lead away and go on to take the win. Dylan Nelson was second, Dustin Sletten third, Kylie Kath fourth, and Jason Newkirk rounded out the top five.

1. 23 Brandon Shaner
2. 3N Dylan Nelson
3. 9D Dustin Sletten
4. 83 Kylie Kath
5. 32 Jason Newkirk
6. 8 Wayne Bellrichard
7. 3G Adam Godeke
8. 17M Matt Miller
9. 16K Kevin Vogt
10. 77 Samantha Stark
11. 16 Sammie Fromm
12. 27 Matt Simon
13. 78 James Connors
14. 00 Jesse Cruz

Up next would be the twenty-lap Wissota midwest modified feature. Greg Pfeifer Jr would hold down the top spot on lap one before giving way to Dan Wheeler on lap two. Andrew Wiste made the move to climb into the runner up spot on lap three before the caution waved a lap later. Wiste's good run would come to an end when his car spun in turn four on lap six to bring out another yellow. Bryan Hernandez would slip under Wheeler on lap twelve to take over the lead, one that he would not relinquish the rest of the caution-filled race. Brandon Davis would take the runner up spot away from Wheeler on lap five with Pfeifer Jr and Albert Wytaske rounding out the top five.

1. 18z Bryan Hernandez
2. 50III Brandon Davis
3. RED1 Dan Wheeler
4. 73JR Greg Pfeifer Jr
5. 1 Albert Wystaske
6. 70 David Stevens
7. 29 Joe Horgdal
8. 23 ??
9. 23s Adam Stowell
10. 36 Beau Lammers
11. 83 Billy Steinberg
12. 17 Harland Morehart
13. 20 Cole Queensland
14. 30 Scott Hienker
15. 34 Travis Wytaske
16. 50w Andrew Wiste
17. 93 Bob Fischer

The finale of the evening would be the USMTS 40-lap feature with Jason Krohn and Al Hejna sitting on the front row. Krohn would utilize the pole start to grab the lead as the track dried out and the preferred groove was down on the tires. Hejna would slip back to fifth early on before making his way back up to third about ten laps into the race. Ryan Gustin would sneak under Corey Dripps for third on lap three while Zack VanderBeek took the lead away from Krohn on lap four. VanderBeek made the outside line work for him, something that avid race fans don't see very often as Zack normally likes the inside groove.

Gustin would slip by Krohn on lap six for the runner up spot before snaring the lead away from VanderBeek seven laps later. Points leader and multi-time series champion Kelly Shryock was on the move as well as he climbed to the fourth spot on lap fifteen after starting eighth. The leaders would hit lapped traffic just before the halfway point, which allowed Shryock to get by Hejna for the third spot. Corey Dripps and Hejna raced side by side for several laps for the fourth spot with Dripps getting the advantage. The only caution of the race would come with eight laps remaining when Bobby Swanson spun. VanderBeek and Shryock started the first row behind leader Gustin with Shryock gaining the upper hand on the restart to take over the second spot. Shryock would close the gap to Gustin as the laps dwindled down, but it would be Ryan Gustin holding on to capture his third Hunt feature win. Shryock settled for second, VanderBeek third, Johnny Bone Jr fourth, and Corey Dripps rounded out the top five.

Top 10
1. 19R Ryan Gustin
2. 3 Kelly Shryock
3. 33z Zack VanderBeek
4. 12B Johnny Bone Jr
5. 31 Corey Dripps
6. 12 Jason Hughes
7. 3D Tim Donlinger
8. 14 Jon Tesch
9. 7 Al Hejna
10. 65 Tommy Myer

The USMTS series heads to the Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Minnesota Saturday evening for a doubleheader with the World Dirt Racing League (WDRL) late models before ending the weekend at the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minnesota Sunday.

The Chateau Raceway in Lansing will host the Midwest Modified Nationals next weekend on Friday and Saturday. Be sure to check out their website at www.chateauraceway.net for more information.

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

Friday, September 4, 2009

Hughes Collects 4th Hunt Win

The United States Modified Touring Series made its second stop of the season at the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa on Thursday, Sept 3. It would be night #3 of six on the current swing in the Hunt for the USMTS National Championship. After not qualifying for the first Hunt race back in La Monte, Missouri, Jason Hughes has stepped up his game and has collected three wins thus far going into the Alta race.

Before the thirty-lap modified finale, the support class features would be run with the hobby stocks first to hit the track. Fifteen cars took the green flag with Pat Cross grabbing the lead at the start. Just before the halfway point, Craig Brotherton showed his strength as he passed Drew Barglof for third. Brotherton started ninth on the grid of the twelve-lap race. A caution with three laps to go bunched the field up, but that didn't slow Pat Cross down as he took home his first BVR win. He was followed across the line by Daniel Smith, John Briggs, Devin Smith, and Justin Nehring.

1. 21c Pat Cross
2. 88 Daniel Smith
3. 87 John Briggs
4. 81 Devin Smith
5. 20N Justin Nehring
6. 45B Criag Brotherton
7. 9F Kurt Fothergill
8. 66 Matt Mahoney (66L Lynn Wichers' car)
(all I got, 15 cars)

Twelve bmods would make their way to the speedway for their feature of the evening. Pole sitter Brett Meyer jumped out front early on and opened up a comfortable lead while Austin Lucas took the second spot away from Jason Mallicoat when his car pushed up the race track at the halfway point. Mallicoat was piloting the car normally driven by Tyler Olson. Tim Rupp made a late charge to the front as he passed Mallicoat on the inside for the third position with four laps to go. However he would overdrive the corner on the last lap and spin around in turn one, allowing most of the field to get by him. Brett Meyer would take home the win followed by Austin Lucas, Jason Mallicoat, Tony Pogeler, and Doug Smith.

1. 1M Brett Meyer
2. 9x Austin Lucas
3. 11 Jason Mallicoat
4. 9 Tony Pogeler
5. 12 Doug Smith
6. 14z Zach Norgaard
7. 90 Chris Grothe
8. 2 Keith Sanders
9. 59 Eric Puhrmann
10. 98x Dan Hanselman
11. 33 Tim Rupp
12. 57 Doug Bartels

Only eight stock cars checked in on the evening and pole sitter Dustin Smith made it look easy as he took home yet another feature win. He was followed by Chris Ullrich, Wayne Crimmins, David Smith, and Josh Suhr.

1. 85 Dustin Smith
2. 01U Chris Ullrich
3. 35 Wayne Crimmins
4. 8 David Smith
5. 16 Josh Suhr
6. 66z Elijah Zevenbergen
7. z28 Jeff Zehr
8. 60 Kurt Krauskopf

After picking up an impressive heat race win, track local Justin Sackett would make the redraw and pick the lucky number one frisbee to put himself on the pole for the thirty-lap USMTS feature. He would be flanked by eight-time national champion Kelly Shryock. Sackett would get the jump on the start and take command of the race until the caution came out on lap seven. With Shryock second on the restart, he would fade back a bit as R.C. Whitwell and Jason Hughes motored by in turn two. Unfortunately for those two drivers, a caution would come out before the completion of the lap, negating the passes.

That didn't seem to bother Hughes as he again powered his machine up on the cushion on the restart to climb into the third spot. He would later make the pass for the lead down the backstretch a lap later. Another yellow flag came out with nine laps to go, at which point the attention was given to youngsters Jake Neal and Ryan Gustin. Both drivers were manhandling their machines on the top side and making up ground on the leaders. Neal took over fourth with eight to go before climbing to third a lap later. Gustin would also get by Jon Tesch to slide into the fifth spot with five to go before another caution came out when Jon Tesch spun around.

The top five at that point were Hughes, Shryock, Neal, Whitwell, and Gustin. Shryock elected to take the outside on the restart, forcing Neal to take the inside. Neal would get the better restart and take the runner up spot away while Gustin slipped by Whitwell for fourth. Shryock would edge out Neal at the line for second while Gustin crossed the line just behind them in fourth with Whitwell taking fifth. Neal, however, would later be disqualified in post-race tech.

Top 10
1. 12 Jason Hughes
2. 3 Kelly Shryock
3. 19R Ryan Gustin
4. 96T R.C. Whitwell
5. 20 Rodney Sanders
6. 17 Justin Sackett
7. 7K Jason Krohn
8. 31 Corey Dripps
9. 33z Zack VanderBeek
10. 65 Tommy Myer

After taking the win, Hughes cut into Shryock's lead for the Hunt. The gap is now down to 58 points with seven races to go. The USMTS heads north to the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minnesota tonight (Friday) before finishing up the weekend at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota Saturday and at the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minnesota Sunday.

The Buena Vista Raceway announced they will have a two-day special on October 17-18. I believe it was mentioned that the modifieds and sportmods would be going topless. So check out the track website at www.buenavistaraceway.net for more details.

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

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Hughes In Right Place at Right Time

On the final night of racing at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, the pit area was jam packed as nearly 120 race teams made their way to the big half-mile speedplant. The United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) was the headliner along with USRA stock cars, USRA bmods, USRA hobby stocks, and hornets.

The first feature on the track would be the USRA hobby stocks. Seventeen cars took the green flag with pole sitter Nathan Wood grabbing the early advantage. After a caution, Scott Spilde would apply pressure on Wood's driver's side door for several laps. He was unable to make the pass, however, and Wood continued to lead the way. Another caution allowed Chris Hovden to work under Spilde for the runner up spot before the top four cars would line up in rows of two for a couple laps. One final caution waved and Chris Hovden took full advantage as he darted to the inside of Wood off turn two on the final lap and pulled ahead going into turn three. Wood tried to drive his car in deep on the cushion, but couldn't make it stick as Chris Hovden took home the feature win. Nathan Wood was second, Scott Spilde third, Troy Hovey fourth, and Dan Hovden rounded out the top five.

1. 70 Chris Hovden
2. 52 Nathan Wood
3. 18 Scott Spilde
4. 4G Troy Hovey
5. 16 Dan Hovden
6. 9 Mark Lewis
7. 98 Kyle Anderson
8. 70s Steve Holthaus (I assume he was driving, could have been a Hovden)
9. 2H Dan Homeister
10. 5A Ben Arends
11. 51 Stac Schroeder
12. 37G Alex George
13. 6 Cory Gansen
14. 73G Kurt George
15. 82x Kari George
16. c3 Chase Pruismann
17. 57 Steve Brass

The thirteen-car hornet feature was next and it was Nathan Chandler picking up the win.

A field of twenty-two USRA stock cars took the green flag with Adam Silvey taking the early advantage. With Silvey out front, Mitch Hovden and Mike VanGenderen battled it out for the runner up spot as they swapped the position a couple times. Tory Reicks would work his way towards the front in fine fashion as he climbed to the fourth position after starting tenth. Hovden would get high and clip the wall in turn two, giving up several spots. Silvey would then experience some kind of mechanical failure as he pulled off the backstretch, handing the race lead over to Mike VanGenderen. That wouldn't last long as Reicks would take the top spot away on the next lap and take home the win followed by VanGenderen, Kevin Donlan, Dan Christopher, and Mitch Hovden.

1. 27T Tory Reicks
2. 57v Mike VanGenderen
3. 33 Kevin Donlan
4. 42 Dan Christopher
5. 15 Mitch Hovden
6. 5 Mike Bergan
7. 20 Dan Trimble
8. 37 Loren Kuennen
9. 00 Danny Cole Jr
10. 00T Tony Schimmels
11. 20R Gary Rotenberger
12. 11 Dave Cellan
13. 41 Cody Henkes
14. 99s Rick Suckow
15. 60 Kurt Krauskopf
16. 97x Adam Silvey
17. 29 Matt Griener
18. 121G Arlen Hoy
19. 40 Shay Curtin
20. 69 Jake Ludeking
21. 97 Lynn Panos
22. 11x Troy Scholbrock

The thirty-lap USMTS feature would be run next as Al Hejna and R.C. Whitwell shared the front row when the green flag waved. Hejna would dash to the lead with a great initial start with Ryan Gustin quickly making a charge from fifth to third on the first lap and advancing to second on the second lap. Gustin would chase down Hejna in a matter of a few laps, but was unable to make the pass for the lead. A caution came out in which Zach VanderBeek powered his Cheetos-sponsored car to the inside of Gustin to capture the second position. Gustin would fight back on the top side of the speedway until his car got loose in turn three and made a signicant impact with the outside wall.

With only thirteen laps down, there was plenty of racing left and Jason Hughes would take the second spot away from VanderBeek on the restart. Tommy Myer would follow Hughes to take over third. Race leader Al Hejna would clip an implement tire on the inside of the backstretch, prompting his car to turn to the right and clip the wall. When he did that, the driveshaft was spit out from under his car along with a trailing arm, ending his great run at the front of the pack. With ten laps to go, Jason Hughes would inherit the lead that he would not relinquish as he scored his third Hunt victory thus far. Zach VanderBeek finished second, Tommy Myer third, Tim Donlinger fourth, and Dustin Boney rounded out the top five.

1. 12 Jason Hughes
2. 33z Zach VanderBeek
3. 65 Tommy Myer
4. 3D Tim Donlinger
5. 22 Dustin Boney
6. 7 Ryan Dolan
7. 14 Jon Tesch
8. 3 Kelly Shryock
9. 27M Mark Shulte
10. 7K Jason Krohn
11. 4R Dereck Ramirez
12. 44 Darrell Nelson
13. 111 Bumper Jones
14. 96T R.C. Whitwell
15. 35 Jeff Schluetter
16. 20 Rodney Sanders
17. 8 Colt Mather
18. 14J Jake Neal
19. 31 Corey Dripps
20. 25 Scott Green
21. 7 Al Hejna
22. 19R Ryan Gustin
23. 5R Morgan Bagley
24. 10 Mike Steensma

The final event of the lengthy night would be the twenty-four car field of USRA bmods. Thirty-four cars were on hand, but it would be traveler Mike Shelton taking home the win followed by Bob Sutherland, Matt Jones, Dan Tenold, and Tyler Droste.

1. 16 Mike Shelton
2. 4ord Bob Sutherland
3. 23 Matt Jones
4. 86 Dan Tenold
5. 92 Tyler Droste
6. 14 Brian Schrage
7. 96 Ray Lundry
8. 20 Greg Mitchell
9. 21 Curtis Engen
10. 21L Matt Lettow
11. 10 Tyler Fecht
12. 16x Chris Verthein

All in all the racing was pretty good tonight. The hobby stocks put on the best show of the night as the leaders were side by side when they took the white flag. Tonight's program closed the curtains on the season at the Highway 3 Raceway.

The USMTS travels west to the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta on Thursday. I believe also on hand will be the stock cars, hobby stocks, bmods, and hornets. Be sure to check out www.usmts.com for start times, results, and updated point standings for the Hunt.

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

Pinkerton Cashes In Again At Oskaloosa

The past several trips to Oskaloosa has typically found the same person in victory lane when the dust settles. Whenever there is extra money on the line, Brad Pinkerton seems to always find his way at the front of the pack when the checkered flag waves. Pinkerton has won a couple big-paying stock car shows at Osky in the past as well as having picked up three USMTS races in his backyard. That is until he picked up his fourth USMTS victory last night.

Pinkerton's luck was evident from the beginning of the night as he found himself on the pole of the first of five heat races. He would score the win and redraw the "3" chip for the feature. Al Hejna and Jason Krohn, a pair of "7" machines, sat on the front row for the thirty-lap nightcap. Hejna won the previous USMTS visit back on August 5.

Hejna would grab control at the drop of the green flag while Pinkerton used the high line to take over second from Krohn on lap four. Deeper in the field Ryan Gustin was mounting a charge to the front as he made his way up to eighth using the low line. Gustin transferred out of one of two bmains and started 17th on the grid. Jason Hughes, who has picked up two Hunt feature wins thus far, began lurking forward with a pass on Krohn to snag the fourth spot away on lap six. Within the same lap or so, Pinkerton made his move on Hejna for the lead by using the cushion to do so. A caution would come out soon after and reset the field, with Jon Tesch looking under Hejna for the runner up spot. On that restart, Ryan Gustin and Kelly Shryock made contact in turn one that resulted in Gustin slowing to a stop and Shryock suffering a flat tire. Both would restart at the tail of the field, but giving up a lot of valuable points.

By the time lap eleven rolled around, Dereck Ramirez caught my radar as he advanced into the sixth position. Ramirez was relegated to use a provisional to make the show and started 21st. Just before the final caution flag waved on lap eighteen, Zach VanderBeek worked his way to the eighth spot after he too had to take a provisional. Unfortunately a red flag would be thrown when Ron VerBeek made heavy contact with the turn three catchfence. VerBeek would climb from his car a few minutes after the safety team arrived, but the car appeared to be far worse off then the driver.

Hejna would try to use the inside line on the restart to pull even with Pinkerton exiting turn two, but Pinkerton's car was just too good in the next set of turns and remained out front. Krohn and Hughes battled it out for the fourth spot with Hughes taking not only that spot, but also getting by Tesch to snare the third spot. Hejna would fall in line behind Pinkerton and try to reel him in late in the race, but it would be Brad Pinkerton visiting victory lane once again when the checkered flag waved.

Top 10: (38 modifieds)
1. 17P Brad Pinkerton
2. 7 Al Hejna
3. 12 Jason Hughes
4. 7K Jason Krohn
5. 3D Tim Donlinger
6. 14 Jon Tesch
7. 4R Dereck Ramirez
8. 33z Zach VanderBeek
9. 20 Rodney Sanders
10. 19R Ryan Gustin

Mike VanGenderen used his outside front row start to take the catbird seat in the USRA stock car feature, but that would be short-lived as Brian Mitrisin quickly advanced from his eighth-starting position to third after one lap and split VanGenderen and pole sitter Matt Griener exiting turn two for the lead on lap two. After a few cautions, Shane Weller proved that it's not where you start but rather where you finish. Weller was the winner the last time the track was in action back on August 5 and started tenth on the grid, but made his way to second late in the race before getting a great run off turn two to sneak past Mitrisin for the lead on lap eleven. From that point Weller would not look back as he captured another win.

13 stock cars
1. 20DUB Shane Weller
2. 12M Brian Mitrisin
3. 57v Mike VanGenderen
4. 67 Kyle Falck
5. 29 Matt Griener
6. 52 Nathan Wood
7. 11 Kyle Anderson
8. 126 Kevin Harsch

Tyler Groenendyk found the high side to his liking as well as he darted to the lead from his second starting spot in the USRA bmod feature. Andrew Schroeder was carving his way through the pack from his tenth starting position to grab fourth on lap six. Schroeder would take advantage of a lap eight restart to advance to the runner up spot, but the gap was too big to slice into by that time as Tyler Groenendyk took home the checkers.

24 bmods
1. 17T Tyler Groenendyk
2. 02 Andrew Schroeder
3. D1 Drew Lawson
4. 55 Bobby Greene
5. 16 Mike Shelton
6. 85 Jason McDaniel
7. 8J AJ Johnson

Fifteen laps would be the distance for the USRA hobby stocks as Kris Walker took the early lead. Tenth starter Danny Thrasher was quickly on the move to fourth by lap two while Dustin Griffiths was also on the prowl. Griffiths had to start 18th on the grid, but found himself up to seventh by lap four. Nathan Wood climbed into the third spot at the same time Jason McDaniel was passing Kris Walker for the lead. A caution would be displayed on lap ten with five laps to go that would set up a wild restart. Donavan Nunnikhoven restarted in fifth, but used the outside line to eventually make his way to second. He would challenge McDaniel for the lead, but his efforts would come up short as McDaniel took home the win.

19 hobby stocks
1. 85 Jason McDaniel
2. 2N Donavan Nunnikhoven
3. 52 Nathan Wood
4. 10G Dustin Griffiths
5. 84 Danny Thrasher
6. 18 Kris Walker

The Southern Iowa Speedway will now sit idle for a few weeks until the weekend of October 9-10 rolls around for the MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge. Be sure to check out the track website at www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa for more details on that special event.

The USMTS moves up the road to the Highway 3 Raceway for action Wednesday night for their second of six consecutive nights. Hot laps will get started at 6:30 with racing to follow around 7:00. USRA stock cars, USRA bmods, USRA hobby stocks, and hornets are also on the card for tonight. For up to the minute results and point standings, check out www.usmts.com.

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