Saturday, July 31, 2010

Snyder Scores Impressive Win at Boone

Saturday night I decided to make my first trip of the year to the Boone Speedway. It was definitely a different atmosphere as I couldn't recall many driver names and car numbers. With all the cars in attendance (announcer Bucky Doren stated 150 were in the pits), I definitely give the 4D Fan Report duo credit for keeping driver names correct in their results and blog. Speaking of the 4D Fan Report, they took tonight off and took in the NASCAR Nationwide race at Newton Saturday night. So although I guess one could say I was "filling in" for them, though that was not my reason for going.

The Mod-Lite/dwarf car feature was first to hit the track after the farming session. Even after given a few laps to work the track in, the track was still a bit on the slimy side. James May grabbed the top spot after starting in the fourth row after the front three rows tip-toed their way around the first circuit. Ed Zehm was on the charge as well as he slid into the second spot after passing David Schmalzried on the low side. Zehm would later make the move on May to snare the lead away with five laps remaining thanks in part to a lapped car on the front stretch. Zehm picked the right line and never looked back as he picked up the win. James May finished second, Tim Hennigar was third, David Schmalzried fourth, and pole-sitter Cliff Barber rounded out the top five. Twenty-four cars were on hand with all cars starting the feature.

1. 41z Ed Zehm
2. 88 James May
3. 57 Tim Hennigar
4. 01 David Schmalzried
5. 4 Cliff Barber
6. 64 Randy Bryan
7. 99 Josh May
8. 8 Dusty Masolini
9. 66F Eric Hendrickson
(sorry, all I was able to get)

Next up would be the IMCA sportmods. After narrowing the starting field down to twenty-four, Jake Strayer would lead the pack to the green flag. Rick Ringgenberg quickly moved into the second position as he dove to the inside of Stacy Clark. Clark would give way to Clint Luellen a lap later before a caution waved on lap four. A single file restart would be used (something I rarely get to see with the tracks I attend), but the battled for second through fifth would shape up between Ringgenberg, Luellen, Harris Clash winner Jared Timmerman, and Eric Elliott. Luellen would win that battle as he used the outside line to get by Ringgenberg at the halfway point. A lap later he made the same line work again as he passed Strayer for the lead. Another caution came out on lap twelve, but the top five positions remained unchanged from that point on. Clint Luellen picked up the win ahead of Jake Strayer, Rick Ringgenberg, Eric Elliott, and Scott Davis.

1. 3L Clint Luellen
2. 18J Jake Strayer
3. 72 Rick Ringgenberg
4. 9E Eric Elliott
5. 81D Scott Davis
6. 41 Jeremy Embrey
7. 2 Bill Wears
8. 57 Lynn Brockett
9. 3R Randy Roberts
10. 35 Bruce Egeland
11. 22J Jeff Blume
12. 19J Jenae Gustin
13. 1TX Bobby Davis III
14. 29B Ben Wilson
(again, all I could get)

Twenty IMCA modifieds made the call for their feature event that saw the yellow flag came out before a lap could be completed. Scott Baker would lose a motor seemingly seconds after taking the green flag as the field entered turn one. The outside front row starter somehow managed to get to the top side of the banking and exit the track without anybody else making contact. That moved Jon Snyder up to the front row alongside Bill Davis Jr. Snyder would take advantage of the situation as he rocketed to the lead. Jimmy Gustin would get the better of younger brother Richie for the third spot early on as Snyder continued to build an increasingly bigger lead with each lap. Gustin would sneak to the inside of Davis Jr for the runner up spot with five laps to go. Richie would jump the cushion in turns three and four and lose a couple spots before retiring to the infield. Jon Snyder would power his way to the victory ahead of Jimmy Gustin, Bill Davis Jr, Kelly Lyons, and Cale Sponsler.

1. 69x Jon Snyder
2. 19 Jimmy Gustin
3. 1 Bill Davis Jr
4. 27 Kelly Lyons
5. 93 Cale Sponsler
6. 18 Jake Durbin
7. 5 Todd Shute
8. 87 Joel Bushore
9. 28R Russ Dickerson
10. 2L Adam Larson
11. K1 Kyle Krampe
12. 58 Dennis Pittman
13. 32 Rick Speck
14. 12c Kent Croskey
DNF
19G Richie Gustin
24 Robert Avery
83G Josh Gilman
49T Tim Stevens
94 Fred Schimmels
15x Scott Baker
DNS
36x Russ Gladson
02 Brian Law

A b-main was used to dwindle the IMCA stock cars down to a field of twenty-four, but three of those cars failed to make the call. Pole-sitter Jeff Harkrider paced the field from the start with Josh Brauckman giving chase. Brauckman would put some serious pressure on Harkrider, but the leader would not fold. Point leader Donavon Smith was slicing his way through the field as he passed Josh Daniels and Andy Bryant to move into the third spot on lap ten. On lap fourteen Brauckman drove in a little too deep and made significant contact with Harkrider at the front of the pack. While both cars were trying to straighten each other out, that allowed Smith to take the top spot away. That was all Donavon Smith would need as he went on to take the win. Josh Brauckman rebounded for a solid second place finish, Andy Bryant was third, Alan VanGorp was fourth, and Wayne Gifford rouned out the top five. Harkrider crossed the line in fourth, but was black flagged for having a flat tire.

1. 35 Donavon Smith
2. 22x Josh Brauckman
3. 77 Andy Bryant
4. 19A Alan VanGorp
5. 22 Wayne Gifford
6. 25J Josh Daniels
7. 55 Cory Bushnell
8. 26K Butch Bass
9. 9 Jerry Gifford
(again, all I could get)

Two IMCA hobby stock features were next on the schedule to cap off the night. Tim Barber would grab the lead early on in the first feature as Austin Luellen took over the second spot by utilizing the inside line when Clint Rothfus suffered a flat tire and sent the field scattering. Luellen would later lose the handle on his machine and collect Chris Hupp, allowing four competitors to slip past. Matt McDonald would take the second position away from Pat Mather with two laps to go, but he was unable to track down Tim Barber as Barber put his machine in victory lane. McDonald was second, Mather third, Mark Hidlebaugh fourth, and Tony Cox rounded out the top five.

1. T10 Tim Barber
2. 12M Matt McDonald
3. M15 Pat Mather
4. 96 Mark Hidlebaugh
5. 1BC Tony Cox
6. 83 Chris Hupp
7. 3L Austin Luellen
8. 14 Matt Wahlert
9. T15 Jacob Thompson
10. 20 Donnie Gustoff
11. 23 Cody Gustoff
12. 1x Michael Peterson
13. 4wx ??

The second IMCA hobby stock feature saw Darin Rothfus grabbing the early lead with Jesse Hopkins just behind in second. Those two would make contact on lap two following a restart that scattered the field. When the chaos settled down, it was Michael Murphy out front followed by Richard Yaw II, Ed Mahlstedt, and Matt Hudspeth. Hudspeth disposed of Mahlstedt for the third spot before Mahlstedt exited the track with a flat tire. Up front it was all Michael Murphy as he took home the win. Richard Yaw II came home second, Tim Hadley was third, Matt Hudspeth fourth, and Scott Lograsso completed the top five.

1. 25M Michael Murphy
2. 20T Richard Yaw II
3. 78 Tim Hadley
4. 9R Matt Hudspeth
5. 83s Scott Lograsso
6. 911 Darin Rothfus
7. 51 Matt Webb
8. 38R Aaron Rudolph
9. 5A Tyler Pickett
10. 16B Jay Arends
11. 10 Travis Fenton
12. 24B Brandon Britton

It was definitely nice getting back to the Boone Speedway. It won't be long before I make my way back as I hope to attend the Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals coming up in early September. For complete results from tonight, be sure to log on to www.raceboone.com.

I realize I didn't have a full field rundown of results like the 4D Fan Report, but hopefully I won't get criticized too much. *Smiles*

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

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Guss Jr Collects 4th Deery Series Win at Knoxville

Wednesday evening saw a return trip back to the Knoxville Raceway as the second part of the Harris Clash was back in action after being delayed for a couple weeks. IMCA sportmods along with the Deery Brothers Summer Series for late models were on the card for the night.

Once the qualifying events were in the books, it was time to go feature racing. Pole sitter Jared Timmerman paced the field of IMCA sportmods to the green flag with twenty-three other competitors lined up with him. The field had been dwindled down from over seventy entries. An early caution on lap two saw Cayden Carter take advantage of the double-file restart as he jumped to the outside and blasted his way to the second position after passing four cars. Two laps later Carter's machine would begin to show smoke, but that didn't slow the youngster down as he used the top side to power by Timmerman for the lead on lap six. Timmerman would regain the lead five laps later and appeared to be on his way to picking up perhaps the biggest win of his career, until the yellow flag came out as the field was coming to the checkered flag. Cayden Carter lost the handle of his machine in turn three and spun to a stop before getting run in to by Adam Ackerman a few seconds later. Both cars would be done for the event.

That meant a two-lap shootout to decide the winner. Timmerman was out front ahead of Nate Chodur and Dylan Book on the restart. Timmerman was able to hit his marks the final couple laps while the rest of the field struggled with the handling in the corners. Jared Timmerman would pick up the top prize and trophy with the win. Dylan Book got by Nate Chodur at the end for second and third, respectively. Jeremy Embrey finished in fourth after starting 21st on the grid, and Jim Gillenwater rounded out the top five competitors.

The thirty-five lap IMCA late model event would cap off the evening as Tyler Bruening and Jay Stewart sat on the front row. The race had a hard time getting started as three restarts were needed before getting a lap completed. The action wasn't up to speed long until another caution waved on lap two when Jeremiah Hurst spun sideways on the front stretch. Yet another caution flag was displayed when T.J. Criss spun his machine and Kevin Blum had nowhere to go and slammed into the stopped car. After the violent hit, it was good to see both drivers were okay.

When racing resumed, Jay Stewart held down the top spot ahead of Bruening and Jeff Guengerich, who was piloting the defending champion car. Last year Tommy Elston drove the #15 to the win. After restarting fourth, Ray Guss Jr quickly dove to the inside of Bruening and took the third spot away. Guengerich would drive to the inside of Stewart to take the lead away while Guss followed to second. Behind them a couple of crafty veteran late model drivers were on the prowl as Darren Miller and Brian Harris were now both in the top five just five laps into the race. Both Miller and Harris may be better known for their open late model reputation, but they were out to prove that they can wheel any type of machine put in front of them.

Miller snuck inside of Stewart to take away the third spot. At that point I noticed Jeff Aikey had already made his way into the top ten. After failing to finish his heat race and narrowly securing a transfer spot in the "B-main", Aikey started nineteenth on the grid. He had taken over the seventh spot on lap six before getting by Andy Eckrich for sixth a lap later. Aikey cracked the top five with a pass on Jay Stewart on lap ten, which also happened to be the circuit that Ray Guss Jr powered his machine around the cushion to snare the lead away from Jeff Guengerich. Guss would instantly put distance between he and Guengerich before a caution bunched the field back up around the midpoint of the race.

The fast pace was short-lived, however, as Charlie McKenna clipped the inside berm entering turn one and went for a wild ride. I counted at least six barrel rolls before the car sat back down on all four tires. Fortunately McKenna got out of the car under his own power and walked back to his trailer. Restarting in fourth, Jeff Aikey ducked to the inside lane and passed Guengerich and Darren Miller to advance to the runner up spot. It seemed Aikey was set to challenge Guss for the win, but he apparently used up his tires in getting to the front as Miller was able to get back by him for second. Ray Guss again would pull away from the field as he picked up his fourth win of the season. Darren Miller took home a solid second place finish in his first start of the season. Jeff Aikey, Jeremiah Hurst, and Brian Harris rounded out of the top five. Hurst rebounded nicely after that lap one spin and was definitely a fast car on the inside lane.

Despite only having two classes of cars, the program seemed to drag on throughout the night. Tow trucks were slow in hooking up cars on the track, something I have not had the misfortunes of witnessing much this year. But then again, I was at the "Sprint Car Capital of the World". After stopping down to chat with a couple drivers, I made my way home and walked in the door right around 2AM.

I'd like to thank Bob Harris for putting on this terrific event each year. It seems the weather is always a factor in the originally scheduled date, and I've been around long enough to know that the crowd base and perhaps car counts taper off if an event is forced to reschedule. But Bob Harris was determined to put on a great show for the fans, and he definitely made me feel welcome for both events of the Harris Clash this year.

For complete results, be sure to check out www.harrisclash.com or www.imca.com. As of right now, I'm unsure of my weekend plans. I was going to hit up Marshalltown Friday, but they have postponed their modified gambler race to next week to help out with the time factor. They have a couple makeup features to run Friday night as a result of the rains that came last week. I have also been thinking of going to Boone on Saturday. For some reason or another, I have yet to make it to that track yet this year, which is definitely different for me. One race I do know I'll be at will be Tuesday night as the USMTS invades Algona during the Kossuth County Fair.

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

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Wise, Schroeder Score Two in a Row

Another warm day on Sunday prompted me to get out of the house and head to another race. Today's destination would be the I-35 Speedway in Mason City. A fair amount of cars were checked into the back gate for tonight's action.

Taylor Frerichs would lead flag to flag and take home a dominating win in the junior hornet feature. Alan Aird picked up his second win of the season as he did the same in the "pro" hornet feature.

A field of twenty IMCA hobby stocks made their way to the track. Kory Adams held down the top spot after starting on the point, but Chad Gentz was on the move early as he climbed into the third spot after passing Bernie Adams on the high side. Scott Dobel would dart to the inside exiting turn four to take the lead away from Kory Adams on lap four. Gentz would look to the inside of Dobel and made contact, but both competitors were able to keep their cars straight and continue on with Gentz taking over the lead. Last week's feature winner Stac Schroeder was on the charge as well as he passed Dobel on the inside to snare the runner up spot away. With three laps remaining, the leaders encountered lapped traffic on the backstretch. Gentz went low while Schroeder went high, and Schroeder took advantage and powered his way to the lead. Stac Schroeder would go on to take the win ahead of Chad Gentz, Scott Dobel, Mick Meyers, and Heath Tulp.

Twenty-two IMCA sportmods took the green flag as three cars were unable to make the call. Corey Klouse took advantage of starting on the pole and raced to the early lead with Nate Whitehurst sitting just behind him. Klouse would lose the handle in turn four which allowed Whitehurst to slip under him and take over the race lead. Nick West was making a run on Klouse on the front straight when the two cars got together, sending West's car sideways on the front bumper of Klouse's machine. West's car would then make contact with the outside wall before coming to a stop. This caution would set up a double file restart behind the leader Whitehurst as Klouse and Shane Swanson made up the first row. However, Swanson would stop on the backstretch and need the assistance of a tow truck to the pits to end his night early. More on what happened next later.

Adam Ackerman took advantage of that restart to jump to the outside of Whitehurst and power his machine to the lead. Dan Tenold and Alex Zwanziger held down the third and fourth positions, respectively, while Ackerman cruised to the win. Nate Whitehurst finished second, Zwanziger got by Tenold on the final circuit for third, and Corey Klouse completed the top five.

Next up would be the IMCA stock cars. Twelve drivers were on the starting grid with pole sitter Brad Broers getting the early nod up front. Joe Willier found the top side to his liking as he passed Calvin Lange for third. Lange would give up the fourth spot a short time later to Merlyn Hegland as the battle up front heated up. Kevin Paca used the inside line to squeeze by Broers with Willier just a few feet behind, but Willier was able to make a run of his own on the inside and get by both front runners to snag the lead for himself. Joe Willier would go on to take the feature win ahead of Kevin Paca, Calvin Lange, Brad Broers, and Chris Adams. Paca was able to fend off Lange and Broers at the end as his car was smoking heavily when it exited turn four for the final time.

Eleven IMCA modifieds hit the track for the final event of the night. Levi Nielsen jumped out front early with Jeremy Brogaard settled in behind. JJ Wise ducked to the inside of Brogaard on lap two to take the second position away. Levi Nielsen appeared to be leaking fuel while running a quick pace, but no black flag was thrown. He would eventually come to a stop in turn four to bring out a caution as some pondered if he ran out of fuel.

Wise would inherit the race lead, but the battle behind him was starting to get good. Curt Badker restarted in second, but Shane Monson got by Brogaard for third to set up a battle of racing grooves. Badker used the inside groove while Monson rode the cushion and made the pass for second. Monson would later swap the lead with Wise before a caution came out again with five laps remaining. Monson bobbled just enough entering turn one that allowed JJ Wise to dart under him and scoot away for the race win. Shane Monson would settle for second, Curt Badker was third, Alex Yohn fourth, and Jeremy Brogaard in fifth.

Now, back to that restart in the IMCA sportmod feature. I'm not sure what the track or IMCA rules state, but the end result seem to be a little unfair in my eyes. With Nate Whitehurst out front by himself, Corey Klouse and Shane Swanson made up the first row with John Warrington and Adam Ackerman behind them. Let me see if I can illustrate this a little better:
49 Whitehurst
8 Klouse 55 Swanson
64 Warrington 5 Ackerman

When Swanson stopped and was taken off the track, Ackerman and the rest of the outside line moved directly ahead. Now I know IMCA rules say on the initial start that they don't criss-cross, but I haven't heard of any rule regarding restarts. So while Ackerman was in fifth place prior to Swanson leaving, he should have been realigned in fourth. Instead, he was placed outside of Klouse and therefore was in third on the ensuing restart.

This just prompted another thought into my head. I've been to several tracks that use the double-file restarts. It seems that each track is a little bit different. One track may let the second place decide where he/she wants to be, and another may require the second place car go to the inside. Some tracks have the fourth place car always go to the inside, and some have them on the outside if the second place car chooses the outside. I personally think all tracks, or IMCA, need to get together and mandate a specific rule for restarts. As a fan it gets a little confusing figuring out what's going on unless the track announcer informs you.

Ok, off my soap box for the night. The races were run in swift order tonight as they were completed by 8:30pm. For more results, be sure to check out www.i-35speedway.com.

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

Oftedahl Scores Thrilling Win in Algona

A beautiful Saturday afternoon prompted me to make a return trip to the Algona Raceway. It had been roughly six weeks since I had been to the fast oval, but after last night's racing I'll be sure to get up there again much sooner rather then later. Despite all the rain received throughout the week, promoter Joe Ringsdorf was seen watering the track when I arrived at 5:30pm. He would sprinkle the track several times throughout the evening to keep the dust down to a minimum.

Wesley Steward started shotgun on the field of ten junior hornets, but would wind up taking the win. Steward must have been in the process of adjusting to a different car he had taped-on numbers on the side of his hotrod. The previous week he was in Webster City with a different car number. Point leader Tim Doocy would take the narrow win over Jared Nicoson in the "pro" hornet feature while the tandem of Troy Krug and Kyle Sidles took home the cruiser feature win.

Dustin Smith led the first lap of the IMCA hobby stock feature that yielded a field of seventeen cars. Smith's lead would be short-lived, however, as he pushed up the track. That allowed several cars to get by under him with Chad Krug taking the lead. Point leader Devin Smith was on the charge in the middle of the pack as he climbed his way to third by the halfway mark when he passed Nick Meyer on the inside. Smith would use the same line to get by Micah Lavrenz for the runner up spot. Krug appeared to have things well in hand until the caution came out late in the race to set up a two-lap shootout. On the double-file restart, Lavrenz suffered a flat tire while Meyer clipped the frontstretch wall. Meyer would regroup to finish sixth. Smith was unable to get momentum going again as Chad Krug would take home the win. Smith settled for second, Cory Weishaar third, Chad Gentz fourth, and Alan Ricke completed the top five.

Sixteen IMCA sportmods made the call for their feature event with Gerald Curry leading the first lap before a caution flag waved. On the restart Curry, George Nordman, and Mike Carlson would all get together in turn two to bring out the caution immediately again. Nordman was the only one to drive away as Curry and Carlson would retire from the event. Nordman would inherit the lead with Jake Simpson sitting right behind him. Simpson would power his machine to the outside in turns three and four and make the pass on Nordman for the lead. Simpson would put some distance between himself and Nordman as he captured the win. George Nordman would finish second, Matt Hoeft edged Doug Cook for third, and Tyler Heetland rounded out the top five.

Cory Oftedahl took command of the IMCA stock car field at the drop of the green flag with John Wiemann and Mike Mauer closely behind. Kevin Opheim charged from his seventh-starting spot and passed Mauer for the third position. Opheim would keep going forward as he later passed Wiemann for second. David Smith was also on the move as he climbed into the fourth spot at the halfway point after ducking low of Wiemann. Opheim would drive a bit deep into turn one and make contact with Calvin Lange, resulting in Lange spinning. He would keep the candles lit and keep going. A caution flag would wave, not related to that incident, with three laps to go to set up a thrilling finish. Oftedahl would lead the row of Opheim and Smith to the green flag. Smith and Opheim raced side by side for the duration of the race with Smith nipping Opheim at the stripe on the inside line for second. Cory Oftedahl picked up his third win of the season ahead of Smith, Opheim, Josh Hohensee, and Chad Palmer.

The final event of the night would be the IMCA modifieds. Action didn't get started long before the caution waved when Austin Wolf spun in turn four and smacked the outside wall. Two other cars were involved as well I believe, including Chris Rakness. On the restart things again didn't get up to speed before the caution waved again as Mike Jergens apparently clipped a rut and turned right, making contact with Eric Dailey. That would end Dailey's night while Jergens would return only to exit the track later in the race.

The next restart proved to be just as action-filled as Jeremy Brogaard was still out front of the pack. As the leaders entered turn one, Jeremy Mills drove in a little deep and slid up the track and made contact with Brogaard's machine. Both cars kept moving, but the black flag was waiting for Mills when he came around to the front stretch. That handed the lead over to Ryan Watnem with Ricky Stephan and Josh Ruby behind him. Rob Hughes found the top side to his liking as he began to pick off cars steadily. He would get up to Ricky Stephan for the second position as those two exchanged the spot for a couple laps. As the laps clicked away Hughes was able to prevail but both had nothing for Ryan Watnem as he picked up another win. Hughes was second, Ricky Stephan third, Josh Ruby fourth, and Chris Rakness was fifth.

The racing action was fierce and fast last night. I believe the racing concluded right around 9:30, giving fans ample time to either visit with drivers or be on their way home.

For complete results and a look at the upcoming schedule, be sure to check out www.algonaraceway.com. One race you might want to circle on the calendar is Tuesday, August 3rd. That night the United States Modified Touring Series makes a long-awaited return to the Kossuth County Fairgrounds as part of the Kossuth County Fair. I'm definitely excited to see what the dirt-pounding modifieds of the USMTS can do on that tricky race track!

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

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Guss Celebrates Southern Iowa Fair Deery Win

During the last couple of seasons the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series for late models have had a tradition of visiting the Southern Iowa Speedway during the fair. Wednesday night was another chapter in that short book as thirty-one late models checked into the back gate along with the normal classes of weekly competition.

The USRA b-mods were first to run their feature event. Mike Wanders took the early lead with Carter Vandenberg just behind in second, but Cayden Carter was on the move as he climbed to third before the first of three cautions came out on lap three. Two laps later Carter ducked to the inside of Wanders and took the lead away. Wanders would then give up the second slot as Vandenberg and Bill Gibson made their way by. The laps clicked off and a restart with three laps to go kept the field bunched up. Jason McDaniel took advantage of the opportunity as he motored by Gibson on the outside to snare the runner up spot away, but he couldn't catch Cayden Carter as the fourteen year old captured yet another win. Jason McDaniel was second, Bill Gibson third, Carter Vandenberg fourth, and Mike Wanders rounded out the top five.

Twenty USRA hobby stocks would then hit the track and outside front row starter Todd Reitzler wasted no time in taking command in this one. He wouldn't be alone for long, however, as Donovan Nunnikhoven and Derek Kirkland joined him and raced three-wide down the backstretch at one point for the race lead. Nunnikhoven would come out of that with the lead, but he and Kirkland swapped the lead a time or two before Nunnikhoven suffered a flat tire to end his night prematurely. From that point on Derek Kirkland would go on to take the win ahead of Todd Reitzler, Kris Walker, Steve Allen, and Craig Brown.

While the USRA stock cars only had nine cars on the track for the feature, they provided some thrilling action for the big fair crowd on hand. Pole sitter Mike VanGenderen jumped out front early with Shane Weller sitting comfortably in second and Nathan Wood in third. Those three would separate from the rest and began a fierce battle for the lead. Weller and Wood raced side by side for the runner up position as they both tried to find a way by VanGenderen. With four laps remaining Wood dove to the inside and made the pass for the lead. Weller would find a way by VanGenderen a lap later, but the night belonged to Nathan Wood as he found his way to victory lane. Shane Weller finished second, Mike VanGenderen third, Kyle Harwood was fourth, and Corey Stout finished fifth.

Steven Blattler paced the field of fourteen USRA modifieds as perennial contenders Zack VanderBeek and visiting Kelly Shryock were lurking behind. The field got strung out before the halfway point of the race, at which point Shryock took over the second position from VanderBeek. Shryock began to chase down Blattler and made up a lot of ground late in the race as the duo encountered lapped traffic. Shryock would come up short by about six carlengths as Steven Blattler took home the win. Shryock was second, VanderBeek third, Ryan Peckham fourth, and Josh Truman rounded out the top five.

The finale of the evening would be the thirty-five lap IMCA Deery Brothers late model feature. Mark Preston and Charlie McKenna paced the field to the green flag with McKenna getting the early nod up front. Andy Eckrich settled in behind in second while points leader Ray Guss Jr passed Preston for third. Despite a couple cautions within a few laps of each other in the early going, Guss Jr made his way by Eckrich on the cushion and set his sights on McKenna's lead. Guss Jr would get a good run on the inside of McKenna to take the lead away on lap eleven and looked to quickly put some space between he and the pack. After fading to fourth, Eckrich found his marks again and would pass Terry Neal and Charlie McKenna to move back into the second position.

Two more cautions allowed McKenna and Eckrich to continue their battle for the runner up slot. Eckrich would get it for good with five laps to go as he looked to reel in Guss Jr. McKenna's luck would run out as he slammed hard into the turn three guardrail with three laps to go to bring out the red flag. McKenna walked away from the accident, but his misfortunes would also damper Eckrich's attempt at running down Guss Jr for the lead. Ray Guss Jr would go on to take the win with Andy Eckrich settling for second. Jay Johnson found some speed on that final restart to climb to third with Terry Neal and Jeremiah Hurst completing the top five.

Ray Guss Jr would expand his points lead by a much wider margin as his nearest competitor, Mark Burgtorf, was unable to make the field after apparently blowing a motor in his heat race. Things kinda look dead in the water now for the rest of the competitors, but Guss Jr may suffer the same bad luck as Burgtorf did Wednesday night and make things a little more exciting.

For more information regarding the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series, log on to www.imca.com. For complete results from the other four classes of competition, check out www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa.

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

Duffy Highlights List of Winners at Fayette County

On Tuesday evening I ventured a couple hours to the northeast and visited the Fayette County Speedway in West Union as they hosted the fifth stop on the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds. Also on the slate of events that night would be a track points night for stock cars and hobby stocks. Much to the surprise of the crowd, and most likely the drivers as well, it would be decided that the stock cars and hobby stocks would run double features to make up for the rain-shortened events from the previous Friday night.

The feature action got kicked off with the seventeen-car field of stock cars. Danny Cole Jr would lead the pack as he darted from the pole position, but crafty veteran Dan Trimble has logged many laps around the fast quarter-mile speedplant and quickly moved into the third slot by lap two. Mitch Hovden would look to the inside of Cole Jr for the lead several times, but was unable to make it stick. Trimble closed the gap to the leaders as he made it a three-car race for the top spot and challenged Hovden's runner-up position. Trimble would take second away from Hovden before riding the cushion and snaring the lead away from Cole Jr. From that point on Dan Trimble was able to cruise to victory as he crossed the finish line ahead of Mitch Hovden, Lynn Panos, Danny Cole Jr, and Kevin Donlan. A sidenote - I was disappointed that Tory Riecks was not in attendance that night. I always enjoy seeing him race, although I haven't seen his name in the results much this season.

Up next would be the thirteen-car field of hobby stocks. Veteran racer Steve Holthaus sat on the front row and quickly charged to the lead at the drop of the green flag. His step-son, Chris Hovden, made it a family affair by sliding into the third spot on lap two as they sandwiched Troy Hovey. Those three along with Steve Larson began to separate from the rest of the field prior to a caution coming out. Hovden and Scott Spilde took advantage of Hovey miscalculating a set of corners as they advanced to second and third, respectively. Hovden and Holthaus would then engage in a seesaw battle at the front of the pack as they swapped the lead a couple of times. Chris Hovden would secure the top spot as the white flag was displayed and would go on to take the win. Scott Spilde edged out Steve Holthaus for second at the line with Dan Hovden and Troy Hovey completing the top five.

The action then turned to the open-wheeled JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds. Only twenty-six cars were on hand for the evening, but all competitors were able to make the call for the feature. Outside front row starter Nate Caruth got the jump on the field as he took the top spot early on in the thirty-lap event. Three cautions within the first four laps kept things nearly at a standstill, especially considering there was a three-car incident in turn two that required assistance from tow trucks in which only two were on hand during the night. After starting seventh, a driver on the move was Darin Duffy. Duffy charged to the inside of rookie Mike Jergens for the third spot prior to the lap four caution and climbed his way into second just before a lap five caution. Duffy capitalized on the single file restart to dart to the inside of Caruth to inherit the lead. Once out front Duffy began to put some open space between him and his competitors as Jergens got by Caruth for second. I thought a restart with five laps remaining might be an opportunity for positions to swap late in the race, but that would not be the case in this situation. Darin Duffy would take home the win ahead of Mike Jergens, Jeff Waterman, Nate Caruth, and Vern Jackson.

Series points leader Josh Foster was unable to make the trip north as apparently he suffered a non-racing injury and is likely to have to sit out a number of weeks as a result. That is unfortunate news as Foster has been very consistent on the tour and is also the track point leader at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. Rich Smith inherited the points lead in the Hawkeye Dirt Tour as he is out front of Mike Jergens and Richie Gustin. Smith finished sixth while Gustin had a seventh-place finish.

With nearly a two-hour trip back home, I opted not to stay for the makeup features for the stock cars and hobby stocks. From reading Ryan Clark's writeup at "In Staging" here on Positivelyracing.com, it sounds like those two events were clicked off in good time and fans were walking out of the stands by 10:30pm.

For the latest information regarding the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour, log on to their website at www.dirttour.com. For a schedule of events and more information pertaining to the Fayette County Speedway, click on their website at www.fayettecountyspeedway.com.

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

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Wise Finds Victory Lane in Mason City

A picture-perfect afternoon made me decide to venture back north to the I-35 Speedway in Mason City Sunday afternoon. Other then the USMTS race held there in June, I hadn't been to Mason City since Memorial Day weekend. It felt a little awkward walking into the facility and taking my usual seat.

Feature action got kicked off with the junior hornets. Nine cars were on the starting grid as Sam Winkowitsch grabbed the early lead. She would get passed on the outside by Coby Winters, who would go on to take the win. Winkowitsch settled for second, Harold Stinnett third, and Ben Nordskog was fourth. The "pro" hornets saw ten cars make the call. This race would include a family feud as Scott Schlichting grabbed the top spot early, but brother Jared dove to the inside in turn three and took the lead away. Jared would take the win ahead of Scott while Blake Cole and Jesse Harang rounded out the top four.

Fifteen IMCA hobby stocks then took to the track for their feature. Bernie Adams held a narrow lead at the completion of lap one before Cory Gansen took it away using the inside line. An early caution set up a double file restart behind Gansen, which allowed Stac Schroeder to power to the outside and briefly hold the captain's chair. Gansen would battle back and regain the lead as the top four cars (Gansen, Schroeder, Bernie Adams, and Heath Tulp) had separated from the field. Schroeder again would take the lead from Gansen, but a caution for Bernie Adams spinning to a stop inside of turn three on the final lap would negate the pass and set up a two lap shootout to the checkers. Schroeder got a good jump on the restart and pulled alongside Gansen on the inside entering turn one. Gansen would slide high, allowing Heath Tulp to also get by for the runner up spot as Stac Schroeder went on to take the win. Tulp finished second, Bernie Adams third, Jeremy Solberg fourth, and Gansen completed the top five.

Nate Whitehurt darted to the lead in the IMCA sportmod feature that saw an early caution for debris on lap two. George Nordman used the restart to get by Parker Brumm for the runner up spot before Brumm and Nick West engaged in a fierce battle for third. The two drivers swapped positions seemingly every lap before West gained the upperhand. Meanwhile Nordman ducked to the inside of Whitehurst for the lead. Positions two, three, and four were up for grabs the final handful of laps as Dan Tenold slid high in turn four to relinquish the third spot. Whitehurst and Brumm scooted by and tried to chase down Nordman and West, but on the final lap Whitehurst spun to the inside of turn four. George Nordman captured the win ahead of Nick West, Dan Tenold, Adam Ackerman, and Parker Brumm.

Pole sitter Brad Broers paced the field of twelve IMCA stock cars to the green flag while Derek Green and Kevin Paca settled in behind. Chris Adams would power around Paca to take over the third spot while visiting driver Mel Elsberry charged to fourth from the rear of the field. Elsberry drifted too high, however, and allowed Kevin Opheim to sneak by. Opheim would later get by Adams on the outside for third as Broers maintained a comfortable lead up front. Derek Green would slide high in turn four, leaving the door open for Opheim and Adams to make their way past to move into second and third, respectively. Broers would lead flag to flag as he picked up the feature win. He was followed across the line by Kevin Opheim, Chris Adams, Merlyn Hegland, and Derek Green.

The finale of the night would be the twelve-car field of IMCA modifieds. Alex Yohn would lead lap one ahead of J.J. Wise and Shane Monson. Yohn would get the car a bit sideways in the corner, forcing Wise to hit the brakes and opening the door for Monson to power by on the outside for the lead. Yohn would battle back and regain the top spot while Wise would later get his machine sideways and lose a couple positions. Yohn would lose the handle and bring out a caution as he was running second, giving that position to Rob Rose. Rose would try the inside line and pull even with Monson in the corners, but Monson's momentum off the cushion allowed him to pull ahead by the slimmest of margins down the straight aways. The two frontrunners would make contact, however, and both cars were sitting when the caution flag waved. That handed the race lead over to J.J. Wise. Wise was able to maintain a steady lead over Curt Badker as Wise took the checkers first. Badker finished second ahead of Rob Rose, Shane Monson, and Terrance Prochaska.

It was good getting back up to the I-35 Speedway. Saw a lot of friends I hadn't seen in quite awhile. Be sure to click on www.i-35speedway.com for complete results, point standings, and the upcoming schedule.

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

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Aikey, Elliott Score Wins at Hamilton County Speedway

Tapfan's Tours got back into the swing of things Saturday night as I headed back to the Hamilton County Speedway for my first race in nine days. With the hot temperatures hovering around, I figured the overhead awning would be beneficial at Webster City and opted for that track. As it turned out, the car count and crowd would both be minimal, most likely from the heat.

Four hornets were on hand tonight, but Wesley Stewart was unable to start the feature. Adam Strunk took the lead from the start, but all three cars stayed together in a pack for the duration of the race. Daniel Ayers challenged Strunk on the inside, but was unable to finish the pass. Nick Hogan would then challenge Ayers, but Ayers powered back to second. Adam Strunk would take home the win with Ayers second and Hogan third.

The eleven car field of IMCA hobby stocks was perhaps the weirdest feature I've witnessed this year. Tim Smith, piloting the car normally driven by Roger Haupt Jr, grabbed the lead early. Meanwhile first-time visitor Heath Tulp weaved his way through traffic as he climbed into the third spot by lap two before passing Daniel Krieger for second a lap later. Following a caution, Tulp would pass race leader Tim Smith. A bit deeper in the pack, Robert Dilley was on the prowl as he moved passed Krieger for third. Dilley was driving the car normally driven by Brandon Chaplin. Tulp would slow down the backstretch, relinquishing the lead back to Tim Smith. Dilley used the low line to pass Smith for the lead just before Smith went up in smoke. Dilley would score the win ahead of Allen Dixon, Craig Graham, Ryan Darling, and Matt Ring. Darling, Ring, and Tulp were grouped together as none of them wanted to finish fourth it seemed.

Moving on to the twenty-car field of IMCA sportmods. Brandon Toftee took control in the early going with Shawn Hunter right behind. Kyle Brown got by Hunter just before a caution waved, and on the restart Bob Sutherland and Matt Lettow also got by Hunter. Following another restart, Brown would slide up the banking in turn four and receive contact from Matt Lettow. Brown would regroup and continue on while Lettow would suffer a flat right front tire. Two more late cautions kept the field bunched up, allowing Sutherland to pass Toftee for the lead with three laps to go. Rocky Caudle would later get by Toftee but settled for second place as Bob Sutherland took home the win. Caudle was second, Toftee third, and Duane VanDeest was scored fourth. Not quite sure who was fifth, but the next three cars across the line were Brandon Leeman, Beau Kaplan, and Kyle Brown.

Ryan Leeman and Reid Keller remained side by side at the completion of lap one of the stock car feature with Leeman getting the upper hand on lap two. At the time everybody was running the cushion until Scott Bloemke drove to the inside of Jim Mitchell to take the third spot away. A double file restart ensued after Mike VanGenderen spun in turn two, which allowed Mark Elliott to sneak under Bloemke for the third spot. Elliott, Keller, and Leeman would later go three-wide exiting turn four down the front straight. Keller would get the advantage with Elliott right behind. Meanwhile VanGenderen was working his way back through the field as he climbed into the third spot when the white flag was displayed. Reid Keller would hold on for the win ahead of Mark Elliott, Mike VanGenderen, Ryan Leeman, and Scott Bloemke. Only ten cars were in attendance tonight.

When the green flag dropped for the twelve-car IMCA modified feature, there was little doubt as to who was going to win. Mark Elliott weaved his way from his sixth starting spot to take the lead on lap one and he immediately began to pull away from the field. Scott Olson, who started alongside Elliott, would later make his way to second after passing Travis Prochaska and Scott Williams. By that time Elliott had already built up a straight away advantage. A caution waved on lap eight to bunch the field back up, which allowed visiting driver Todd Shute to dive inside of Olson to make the pass for second. Olson would later go pitside with troubles. Despite two more caution flags, the home track advantage for Elliott was too much to overcome for former IMCA Supernationals champion Todd Shute as Elliott took the win. Shute would finish second, David Brown third, Travis Prochaska fourth, and Scott Williams rounded out the top five.

The finale of the night would be the IMCA late models. Jason Vansickel grabbed the lead from the start, but Jeff Aikey was quickly working his way through the field. Aikey started tenth in the eleven-car field, but worked his way to fourth in just three laps. Aikey would soon get by Jason Hahne and Randy Faux to move into second, and by lap seven he would pass Vansickel for the lead. By the halfway point in the race Aikey had built up a straight away lead over Hahne, but Hahne would receive pressure from Kelly Tapper. Tapper would find a way by Hahne on the bottom side while Todd Cooney followed Tapper to third. The night belonged to Jeff Aikey as he picked up another Hamilton County Speedway victory. Kelly Tapper would finish second, Todd Cooney third, Jason Hahne fourth, and Darrel DeFrance was fifth.

The Hamilton County Speedway is back in action Thursday night as part of the Hamilton County Fair. The track will hold the 5th annual Thursday Night Thunder, an event that will pay $1,000 to win for each of the following classes: IMCA late models, IMCA modifieds, stock cars, IMCA sportmods, and IMCA hobby stocks. The hornet division will be running for $300 to win. For more information, log on to www.hamiltoncountyspeedway.com.

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

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Gustin Takes Checkers at Harris Clash

The Harris Clash ranks as one of the most prestigious single-day events in IMCA modified racing these days. The event held at the famous Knoxville Raceway was rescheduled from Tuesday night, but the fans still saw seventy modifieds in action Thursday night. Those seventy modifieds were narrowed down to a field of thirty for the feature event that would run twenty-five laps. I thought the feature used to be thirty, but I may be mistaking.

Jay Schmidt and Mark Elliott were the front row starters for the feature event. Elliott would quickly get out front to pace the field with Todd Inman following closely behind. A caution flag waved on lap six, bunching the field back up with a double file restart. The middle of the pack got a bit out of shape, allowing Richie Gustin to slip by several cars to advance into the tenth spot on lap seven after starting twentieth. Gustin would make his way by two more competitors the following lap as he steadily got faster on the bottom side of the track.

Meanwhile, Josh Foster and David Murray were also cars that were on the move. Foster climbed to the fourth position after starting thirteenth while Murray advanced from sixteenth to fifth by lap eleven. Elliott continued to hold down a comfortable margin up front. With six laps remaining Murray opted to go to the outside of Jeff Jones before darting back to the inside of Josh Foster to take over the third spot. It appeared Murray was set to track down the top two contenders until he slammed into the wall and brought out the caution with two laps to go.

The two-lap shootout saw the top five as Mark Elliott, Jordan Grabouski, Richie Gustin, Josh Foster, and Jeremy Mills. With the double file alignment, Grabouski took the inside with Gustin on the outside. After watching Gustin run the inside groove to get to the front, I was skeptical he would have anything for the front runners from the outside line. When the green flag waved again, Elliott and Grabouski got good starts to pull away slightly. Bad luck would strike Elliott as he exited turn two and slowed down the backstretch, leaving the race lead open for Grabouski and Gustin. Gustin powered back on the outside and drew even exiting turn four for the white flag. The two raced side by side through the first set of turns before Gustin drove deep into turn three. Richie Gustin would get momentum off the cushion to give him the big payday and the win. Jordan Grabouski would settle for second, Jeremy Mills was third, Josh Foster fourth, and Johnny Saathoff was fifth.

Gustin pulled off an improbable win. He won a b-main event that lined him up twentieth on the grid. Mills started seventeenth, Long eighteenth, and Saathoff 21st. So there was plenty of passing going on throughout the field.

I'd like to personally thank Bob Harris for the great hospitality he gave the Positivelyracing.com crew. I met up with Bob after the races and we both agreed that tonight was one of the most competitive races we had seen in awhile.

I also had the chance to chat with Jim Zimmerline. Jim is a photographer and was on hand taking pictures tonight. So be sure to check out Zipp's Photos at www.zippsphotos.com.

A little sidenote that isn't so much related to the races tonight. I've gotten to know quite a few people either through the racing community personally or they've noticed who I am because of this blog. I've noticed recently that many of them called me by my "nickname" or screenname of "Tapfan", or "Tap" for short. While I do answer to that, I would like people to know that I do have a real first name. It seems as though sometimes people only call me by the nickname and it makes me wonder if they even know my real name. So next time you see me, I would greatly appreciate it if you used my name rather then Tapfan. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

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

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Aikey Takes Home Big Money

The Motor Inn of Webster City was the title sponsor of the Summer Spectacular being put on at the Hamilton County Speedway on Tuesday, July 6. Twenty-four of the best IMCA late models in the area were on hand to compete for the lofty payout that also included lap money. Also in action Tuesday night were the IMCA sportmods and IMCA hobby stocks.

After the heat races were concluded track crews went to work over in turns three and four as that area of the track was extremely rough. Rain on Sunday and into Monday likely had a lot to do with that as Saturday night's racing surface was smoother then on this night.

When work was completed, the IMCA hobby stocks rolled onto the track for their fifteen lap feature. Eleven cars made the call with Kyle Schmauss grabbing the early lead from the outside front row. Matt Ring would hold down the runner up spot until Robert See found the high side to his liking and make the pass on lap three, despite smoke coming from under the hood. See would make his move on Schmauss on lap five as he ducked to the inside to pull even down the front stretch. Schmauss' night would come to an early end, however, when the driveshaft let loose on lap six. Brad Ratcliff took advantage of the caution as he motored by Matt Ring on the outside for second as he tried to chase down See. Ratcliff drove to the inside of See in turn three, but pushed up the track and made significant contact with the leader exiting turn four. Both cars would end up in the pits after severe damage, handing the lead over to Matt Ring. From that point on Ring had clear sailing on his way to the win. Brandon Chaplin would have a strong second place finish followed by Daniel Krieger, Adam Hagen, and Craig Graham.

The twenty-lap IMCA sportmod feature then hit the track as twenty competitors were ready to try their luck at the half-mile oval. Pole-sitter Rocky Caudle wasted no time in assuming the lead, but the action was heating up behind him as there was two and three-wide racing in the middle of the pack. Several cautions would keep the pace at a standstill, but Caudle would lose the lead when he spun on the inside of turn three on lap eight. Matt Lettow, Cayden Carter, Bob Sutherland, and Jesse Sobbing were all in line to attempt to dethrone Davis at the front of the field, but they were too busy racing each other for positions as Davis remained out front with a comfortable advantage. Behind him positions changed almost every lap until the checkered flag waved as Davis took home the win. Jesse Sobbing made the pull from western Iowa seem worth it as he picked up a second place finish, Matt Lettow was third, Bob Sutherland fourth, and Cayden Carter rounded out the top five.

It was then time for the headliner, a fifty-lap IMCA late model feature that would include a ten-minute stop at the halfway point to allow drivers to make changes to their cars, with the exception of new tires and adding fuel. Jeff Aikey was lucky on the redraw as he would start from the pole, wasting no time in jumping to the lead. This race would also have a hard time finding that racing rhythm as caution flags waved five times within the first fifteen laps. Despite the lack of momentum, Aikey maintained a good advantage up front as positions were up for grabs behind him. Charlie McKenna was on a mission as he found himself quickly up to third behind Aikey and Todd Cooney. Cooney would suffer a flat tire on lap seven, sending him to the tail of the field.

Terry Neal was another mover in the early stages of the race as he advanced to the fourth spot after starting twelfth. When the mandatory stop took place the top five consisted of Aikey, Greg Kastli, Terry Neal, Charlie McKenna, and Bryan Klein. Klein's great run would come to an end when he apparently tried to cut turn one too sharp as he got up on two wheels and went for a short rollover. Klein would get out of the car under his own power.

As attrition kept piling up, Aikey would continue to set the pace up front. As the laps clicked away he left no doubt he was the class of the field on this night as he went on to pick up the $2,500 paycheck, but with lap money he was awarded an extra $300 to make his trip from Cedar Falls worth $3,000. Terry Neal finished second, Greg Kastli third, Kelly Tapper fourth, and Charlie McKenna rounded out the top five.

Unfortunately only ten of the twenty-four cars took the checkered flag as the rough terrain took it's toll on the equipment last night. Hopefully Al Urhammer and his staff can get a good handle on the track later this week and get things ironed back in for another night of racing Saturday night. A little cooperation from the skies above would be a tremendous help as well.

For complete results and a look at the upcoming schedule, check out www.hamiltoncountyspeedway.com.

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

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Webster City 7/6 Results

Unofficial

Hobby stocks - 12 cars
1. 58 Matt Ring
2. 28 Brandon Chaplin
3. 45K Daniel Krieger
4. 00 Adam Hagen
5. 13G Craig Graham
6. 3 Allen Dixon
DNF
91 Robert See
1R Brad Ratcliff
5 Tyler Pickett
38J Jeff Weber
06 Kyle Schmauss


IMCA Sportmods - 22 cars
1. 81D Scott Davis
2. 99 Jesse Sobbing
3. 21 Matt Lettow
4. 4ord Bob Sutherland
5. 10 Cayden Carter
6. 12 Doug Smith
7. 8 Bill Hoover
(all I was able to get, other then the DNF's)


IMCA Late Models - 24 cars (50 lap feature, 10 minute pit stop at halfway point)
1. 77 Jeff Aikey
2. 28c Terry Neal
3. 73 Greg Kastli
4. 85 Kelly Tapper
5. 22 Charlie McKenna
6. 14 Boone McLaughlin
7. 99D Darrel DeFrance
8. 75 Clint Wendel
9. X Ryan Griffith
10. 29 Nick Pedersen
DNF
32 Chad Cooney
14w Kyle Wahlert
76 Jason Hahne
1 Jeremy Houdap (spelling?)
25 Bryan Klein (rolled in turn one, but was okay; car smashed)
9 Ryan Giles
3T Jeff French
21 Ben Nading
30 Todd Cooney
45 Curt Martin
92 Josh Most
8 Al Johnson
37E Jason Vansickel
58 Ray Guss Jr. (broke rear end in heat race, left track early)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Hamilton County Speedway Hosts 100 Years of Horsepower

After a few weeks of being underwater along with a great week of weather and a group of people contributing with long hours of hard work, the Hamilton County Speedway was back in action Saturday night as they celebrated 100 Years of Horsepower. According to announcer Ryan Bergeson, the first automobil race held in Webster City was back on July 4, 1910 at what is now the Webster City high school baseball diamond.

Seven classes were on hand for this special night as the Midwest 305 sprint cars joined the regular weekly lineup. The hornet division was first to run their feature as six cars were ready for action. A caution on the first lap was not welcomed by Adam Strunk as the youngster was looking to pick up his seventh win in a row at the track. However, he would duck off to the pits under this yellow with mechanical issues. Mike McFarland, making his first visit of the year, would lead the field from flag to flag as he crossed the stripe with the win. Nick Hogan would finish second, Daniel Ayers third, Nathan Miller fourth, and Devin Atchison in fifth. It should be noted that Nick Hogan took his car to victory lane and had pictures taken after the races, so McFarland may have been disqualified in post-race tech.

Next up would be the eleven-car field of IMCA hobby stocks as two cars, Roger Haupt Jr and Adam Hagen, were unable to make the call. Robert See would grab the top spot with Matt Ring just behind in second. A lap two restart saw Brad Ratcliff rocket from fifth to third in a matter of a lap. Ring and See would swap positions a couple times before See would secure the lead. Ratcliff saw an opening on the inside in turn three to get by Ring with a little contact, but he would come up one spot short as Robert See picked up the win. Ratcliff was second, Matt Ring third, Craig Graham fourth, and Curt Graham in fifth.

1. 91 Robert See
2. 1R Brad Ratcliff
3. 58 Matt Ring
4. 13G Craig Graham
5. 14G Curt Graham
6. 503 Rick Osterman
7. 45K Daniel Kreiger
8. 38 Ryan Darling
9. 06 Kyle Schmauss
10. 74L Les Langfitt
11. 51 Nate Bonin
DNS
00 Adam Hagen
24R Roger Haupt Jr

IMCA sportmods were up next as twenty cars filled up the starting grid. Outside front row starter Kyle Brown took off like a jet for the lead. Two early cautions kept the pack bunched up. Beau Kaplan was on the prowl as he charged from his eighth starting spot up to third at the halfway point as he snuck inside of Brandon Toftee. Kaplan worked his way around Chad Louk for the runner up spot with three laps to go before three cautions would then plague the ending. Kaplan was unable to get enough momentum built up to challenge Brown again as Kyle Brown would take the flag to flag victory. Beau Kaplan finished second, Matt Northrop was third, Rocky Caudle fourth, and Chad Louk fifth.

A field of twelve stock cars were next on the slate with Greg Elliott narrowly beating Jason Minnehan to the stripe to lead the first lap. Jason Wagoner quickly advanced four positions in the first two laps to find himself in fourth while Minnehan got under Elliott for the lead on lap three. Wagoner would methodically work his way on the bottom side of the track to work his way into second at the halfway point before stealing the lead away from Minnehan with three laps remaining. Mark Elliott was on the charge, however, as he moved into second late in the race and began to reel in Wagoner. The two raced side by side for the last handful of laps, and as they came out of turn four it would be Mark Elliott picking up the photo-finish win. Jason Wagoner settled for second, Jason Minnehan was third, Greg Elliott fourth, and Mark Haglund rounded out the top five.

1. 412 Mark Elliott
2. 20 Jason Wagoner
3. 7 Jason Minnehan
4. 1 Greg Elliott
5. 31M Mark Haglund
6. M5 Jim Mitchell
7. 19 Reid Keller
8. 97 Adam Silvey
9. R31 Ryan Leeman
10. 80 Scott Bloemke
11. 26 Tony Wagoner
12. 5 Dave Hubbard

After witnessing fourteen Midwest 305 sprint cars in action Friday night in Fort Dodge, only a field of eight showed up Saturday night in Webster City. Matt Stephenson rolled his machine in the heat race, so a field of seven would run the feature. Casey Fredrichsen wasted no time in jumping to the lead from the pole. Following a caution on lap six, Randy Reinhard would stay close for a lap or so to the leader before Fredrichsen again would check out on the field. He would cruise to the easy win ahead of Randy Reinhard, Keith Carlberg third, Earl Tice fourth, and Bob Hilldreth in fifth.

1. 20 Casey Fredrichsen
2. 10B Randy Reinhard
3. 21 Keith Carlberg
4. 2T Earl Tice
5. 55KC Bob Hilldreth
6. 93A Alan Ambers
7. 11s Shadrach Sporaa
8. 55 Matt Stephenson

Keeping the open wheel segment going, the IMCA modifieds were up next with seven cars ready to go. David Brown got the lead early on, but Scott Olson was lurking in the distance as he make his way around Scott Williams for the second spot. Olson would use the outside groove to make the pass on Brown for the lead on lap five before pulling away for the easy win. David Brown would finish second, Scott Williams third, and Justin Sackett rounded out the field of finishers.

1. 8x Scott Olson
2. 21 David Brown
3. 64 Scott Williams
4. 17 Justin Sackett
5. 14 Derek Oberle
6. 12 Mark Elliott
7. 45 Levi Nielsen

The finale of the evening would be the fifteen-car field of IMCA late models. Al Johnson would take command of the race from the start. A caution on lap six allowed the field to keep pace with Johnson, but that was about as close as they'd get as Johnson pulled away to a straight away win. Jason Hahne finished second, Jeff Aikey was third, Darrel DeFrance fourth, and Kelly Tapper rounded out the top five.

1. 8 Al Johnson
2. 76 Jason Hahne
3. 77 Jeff Aikey
4. 99D Darrel DeFrance
5. 85 Kelly Tapper
6. 3 Kevin Sather
7. 32 Curtis Glover
8. X Ryan Griffith
9. 30 Todd Cooney
10. 21 Ben Nading
11. 3s Jeff French
12. 45 Mike Pedersen
13. 29 Nick Pedersen
14. 37E Jason Vansickel
15. 57 Scott Badker

There was a fireworks display soon after the conclusion of the races to help celebrate the holiday weekend.

I'd like to give a big shoutout to all the people that helped in any way in getting the track back in racing condition the past several days. I know Al Urhammer and the fairboard are just a few of the many that had a hand in the efforts. The track was dry, but for the most part I thought it was relatively smooth.

I'd also like to mention that I met Wayne Redmond last night. I hope I spelled his last name right. Wayne caught me as I was walking from the pits to my car and introduced himself to me. While Wayne is no longer behind the wheel, he now helps sprint car driver Randy Reinhard in the pits to stay active with his racing enthusiasm. Thanks Wayne for introducing yourself!!

The Hamilton County Speedway will be back in action Tuesday night, July 6 as the Summer Spectacular will be on display. The headline event will be a 50-lap, $2500 to win IMCA late model event that will also include lap money. Also on the docket will be IMCA hobby stocks and IMCA sportmods. Be sure to check out www.hamiltoncountyspeedway.com for more information and complete results from Saturday night!

My next race will be the Harris Clash at the Knoxville Raceway Tuesday night as modifieds invade the famed half-mile track. I'll make the return trip Wednesday night as well for the late models and sportmods.

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

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Schmitt Celebrates Victory With Family

I'll start off this blog by doing a little catching up. Thursday night I ventured down to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson to take in the 3rd Annual Liberty Cup, an event that hosted the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA modifieds along with the American Stock Car Shootout series for IMCA stock cars. Also on the racing slate were hobby stocks.

The event lasted a little longer then I had anticipated. Several cautions, especially for implement tires on the track, kept slowing the action down throughout the night. So the three-hour trek home saw me pull into my driveway around 2:30am. I opted not to take the time to write a blog as I have been on the go all week and decided I'd write about it later. However, after reading some of my colleague's blogs from the event, I think they pretty much covered everything. So check out www.positivelyracing.com and click on "Back Stretch", "In Staging", "4DFanReport", "Midwest Racing News", or "Running the High Side" for all the action from Thursday night!!

Friday nights usually find me at the Marshalltown Speedway. This week, however, I would change it up a bit as I had already been to Marshalltown on Monday. So I headed in the opposite direction and made a stop at the Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge for the fourth time this season. A regular race night plus the addition of the Midwest 305 sprint cars made for a full night of racing.

First up for feature action were the hornets. Eleven cars took the green flag with Nick Hogan jumping out front early. Lyle Oberhelman would pass Gary Carlson for the second position at the halfway point, but Hogan had built up a commanding lead and would go on to take the win. Oberhelman would get second, Carlson third, William Wolff fourth, and Mick Evans completed the top five.

Next up would be the econo stock division. Only six cars were on hand last night as Zachary Angstrom grabbed the top spot at the drop of the green flag. Shannon Crouse made his way to second before giving up that spot to Colby Davis. Angstrom cruised home to the win ahead of Davis and Crouse to fill out the remaining cars on the track. I believe Nate Evans was fourth and Brad Crouse was fifth with Jed Peterson rounding out the field.

Sixteen hobby stocks were now set to battle it out for supremacy. Daniel Krieger used the outside front row to power his way out front. Following an early caution, Jeff Lyon would restart in fifth but methodically work his way to third after passing Josh Niemand and Myles Michehl. Up front Krieger was never seriously challenged as he took the checkered flag first ahead of Paul Toms, Michael Becker, Jeff Lyon, and Kyle Schmauss.

1. 45K Daniel Krieger
2. 24T Paul Toms
3. 8B Michael Becker
4. 59 Jeff Lyon
5. 06 Kyle Schmauss
6. 21 Myles Michehl
7. 27P Kevin Berger
8. 29N Cody Nielsen
9. 2EZ Josh Niemand
10. 96 ??
11. 30x Dave Schmauss ??
12. 74 Les Langfitt
13. 14 Todd Hillman
14. 49 Jack Marsh
DNF
64 Steve Peterson
20N Justin Nehring - black flagged for attempting to change tire after causing yellow

Andy Tiernan and Mike Pruitt were two abreast as they crossed the line to complete the first lap of the limited modified feature that saw sixteen cars take the green. Pruitt would later take the advantage on the outside, but behind them Brett Meyer was on the move. After starting ninth, Meyer worked his way into fourth after passing George Gilliland. A caution allowed Meyer to sneak under both Doug Bartels and Tiernan to take over the runner up spot as he tried to chase down defending IMCA Supernationals sportmod champion Mike Pruitt. Meyer would slide high following anothe restart, allowing Tiernan to shoot back by on the low side. Tiernan found the low line to be the quick line as he caught and passed Pruitt for the lead as he went on to take the win. Brett Meyer would fight back to second, Mike Pruitt third, Brian Miller fourth, and Steve Reetz rounded out the top five.

1. 321 Andy Tiernan
2. 1M Brett Meyer
3. 92 Mike Pruitt
4. 24 Brian Miller
5. 80 Steve Reetz
6. 8 Bill Hoover
7. 5 Mitch Frakes
8. 2T Todd Thomas
9. 20s Segebart
DNF
10. 20 Chad Louk
8JR Paul Atchison
36 Matt Pittman
54E Clay Evans
57 Doug Bartels
40 George Gilliland
27B Aaron Benz

The Midwest 305 sprint cars made their way to the track for their feature race next. Fourteen cars were locked and ready as Gordy Vogelaar paced the field from the pole. Twelfth starter Casey Fredrichsen was on the charge as he climbed into the top five at the halfway point. A caution allowed a few positions to change late in the race, but Vogelarr's position remained unchanged as he picked up the dominating victory. Local Fort Dodge driver Randy Reinhard would finish second, Travis Lain third, Fredrichsen fourth, and Ryan Voss rounded out the top five.

1. 1A Gordy Vogelaar
2. 10B Randy Reinhard
3. 33 Travis Lain
4. 20 Casey Fredrichsen
5. 3D Ryan Voss
6. 55 Matt Stephenson
7. 93A Alan Ambers
8. 4E Jeff Edgington

The sprint cars laid down quite a bit of rubber prior to the eight-car stock car feature. Pole sitter Jason Minnehan grabbed the top spot with Jeff Deal right behind. An early caution reset the field in single file formation, and things would remain that way as the top four cars were bunched together. Deal would get a little too high in turn three, allowing Wayne Crimmins and Malcolm Teachout to get by. Deal and Teachout would come together as Deal made the pass back by, but Teachout got the last word as he came right back at him the next lap and "moved him" a bit, resulting in Deal spinning out on the final set of corners. But it would be Jason Minnehan celebrating in victory lane at the end of the race. Wayne Crimmins was second, Malcolm Teachout third, Matt Mundt fourth, and Jeff Deal was fifth.

1. 7 Jason Minnehan
2. 35 Wayne Crimmins
3. 20T Malcolm Teachout
4. 25M Matt Mundt
5. 22 Jeff Deal
6. M2 Matt Fox
7. 15 Jeremy Crimmins
8. 1 Greg Elliott

The modifieds were now set to bring a curtain down the night's action. Rod Scheuermann took command at the start while Brian Schmitt quickly took over the runner up spot from Scott Sturm. Schmitt would not stop there as he powered his machine to the top side in turns three and four to take over the lead. From that point on Schmitt would continue to increase his lead to nearly a straight away ahead of Dave Doughty, who passed Scheuermann at the midpoint of the race. Two cautions within the final five laps would bunch the field back up, but both times Schmitt was able to separate himself from the pack. Brian Schmitt would go on to take the win ahead of Dave Doughty, Rod Scheuermann, Brad Williams, and Jake Simpson.

1. 61 Brian Schmitt
2. 85 Dave Doughty
3. 14R Rod Scheuermann
4. 22BW Brad Williams
5. 7 Jake Simpson
6. 88 Ryan Watnem
7. 8x Scott Olson
8. 23 Scott Sturm
9. 15 Shane Demay
10. 36 Jeff Conner

Schmitt's win helped put a little icing on the cake as he had several family members celebrating birthdays. His wife Brenda, son Sam, and niece Courtney were all having birthdays within a couple days. Some of Brian's family members have dubbed me as his "lucky charm" as I have been in attendance for both of his wins this year. Schmitt won at Alta back on June 9.

For more information and complete results from the Mineral City Speedway, be sure to check out www.fdspeed.com.

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