Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween Treat

On Friday afternoon, I received a phone call from Positivelyracing head man Jeff Broeg asking if I would be interested in attending a race with him on Sunday afternoon. I was unaware of a race this late in the season, but when he informed me of the track I decided to meet him and do a little "road trippin" to Butler, Missouri and the Butler Motor Speedway. Time to celebrate Halloween "racin style".

Jeff and I had plenty of time to discuss several topics along the way during our lengthy trip south of Kansas City. We discussed many rumors floating about along with general racing news. It was a lot of fun bench racing with a man that has a plethora of racing knowledge.

The Sunday afternoon racing card saw late models, modifieds, b-modifieds, factory stocks, street stocks, 600 cc sprints, and hobby stocks (or better known as hornets here in Iowa). A healthy purse was up for grabs in the late models ($2,000 to win) and modifieds ($1,500 to win). While the modified car count was solid with 25, the late model count was unexpectedly low with only eleven or twelve.

The heat races provided some great racing action for a mid-day start time. Two distinct racing grooves were used throughout all divisions with the high side in turns three and four actually being a preferred line by many.

The first feature event would be the factory stocks. Paul Snyder would take the point and lead in the early going, but Don Danner made his move following a restart and passed Snyder on the inside for the race lead. Snyder would later lose his second position to Brian Ziegler following another caution flag, but the race belonged to Don Danner as he picked up the win. Brian Ziegler was second, Paul Snyder third, Jerry Schmidt fourth, and Devin Weymeyer rounded out the top five.

Next up was the b-mod feature. A solid field of twenty-three cars took the green flag with Bobby Maggard getting the early advantage over JC Morton. Several caution flags plagued the event, but it also presented an interesting game of chess. JC Morton and Jay Lamans were the players and the interesting plot was who would be in the second spot when the next caution flag was displayed. With the double-file restart the second-place car gets the option of starting on the inside or outside line. Every time it appeared the driver took the inside. However, every restart saw the outside guy get the advantage and take the spot away until the next yellow flag. It was definitely puzzling for Jeff and I as to why the guys didn't opt for the outside when they clearly knew that spot would get the advantage each time. But I digress back to the racing action.

One driver who benefited from the numerous cautions was Mike Striegel. After falling victim to the two-spin rule in his heat race, he was forced to start towards the tail of the field. He quickly dissected his way through the field and found himself passing Wayne Graybeal for the fourth spot. Another caution came out, and presumably after the flag had been waved, Morton and Lamans made contact with Morton coming to a stop inside of turn one. Both drivers were sent to the tail for their involvement. That put Striegel in the runner up spot, and a few laps later he worked his way under Maggard for the lead. Maggard would proceed to lose a couple more positions before I noticed he had left the track late in the race. Mike Striegel would go on to take the checkered flag ahead of Andrew Smith, Eric Tinderholdt, Andy Beauchamp, and Mark Evinger.

The nine-car field of street stocks were up next. Sundance Keeper (yes, that's his real name) started on the pole and bolted to the lead. Steve Shadden looked under Jessy Willard for the second spot about halfway through the race for the second position. Shadden would slide high exiting turn two and give the spot back to Willard. The race would go green to checkered as Sundance Keeper dominated the racing in picking up the prize. Jessy Willard would finish second, Steve Shadden was third, Don Danner fourth, and Paul Snyder rounded out the top five. And yes, you may noticed that Danner and Snyder were in both the factory stock and street stock top five. They raced the same car in both divisions, as did Brian Ziegler.

Following a caution-free race is always somewhat difficult to live up to, and this time the modifieds would be that class. Unfortunately they had a much different outcome as they had four attempts to complete just the first lap. When a lap finally got completed it was pole sitter Chad Lyle taking the top spot with Terry Schultz following him in second. Shad Badder would sneak inside of Schultz to take over the second spot prior to the caution waving once again. From that point on none of the top five positions changed as Chad Lyle picked up the win. Shad Badder finished second, Terry Schultz was third, Aaron Marant finished fourth, and Jody Tillman completed the top five.

The late models entered the track for their feature event with eight of the eleven cars on hand taking the green flag. Pole sitter Matt Johnson quickly took command out front with Larry Jones running second. With a small field of cars only one yellow was displayed, but very little passing was seen during the race as the track had locked down during the modified feature. Matt Johnson took home the win followed by Larry Jones, David Turner, Chuck Comer, and Jerry Morgan.

Following that race Jeff and I decided it was time to hit the road for our 5+ hour trip back home. Still to be run were the 600 cc sprints and the "hobby stocks" (hornets).

During the races Jeff and I were greeted by Trenton Berry. I had the pleasure of meeting Trenton at LA Raceway in LaMonte and have seen him at select tracks since then. He informed us that he was no longer with the Racinboys.com people, and had embarked on a new venture. He started a website of his own, www.racindirt.com, as he gave us his business cards. Be sure to check out his website, as that is where I got the names of the drivers Sunday as I didn't recognize very many.

Sunday's race at Butler marked race #90 for me on the season. While there is a strong possibility of it being my last, I can't rule out the chance of making it down to Springfield (Missouri) Thanksgiving Saturday for their Turkey Classic race.

On a side note, I noticed that the Marshalltown Speedway has already published their 2011 schedule on their website. Promoter Toby Kruse has also nullified all the rumors floating with the announcement that IMCA will indeed be the sanctioning as his facility in 2011. Be sure to check out that schedule. Also be sure to check out the special events calendar here on Positivelyracing.com as more tracks will be included starting in 2011 to provide a wider variety of options for a larger population of people.

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

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Gustin Family Wins Big in 2010

It has been said that racing is a "family sport". Well that saying is definitely true when it comes to the Gustin family. At some point in their life every member of the Gustin family has piloted a race car. It began with Dick Gustin and Dale DeFrance, and their children caught the bug as well. I remember watching Rick Gustin wheel a stock car and modified around the half-mile tracks in Webster City and Eldora. Darrel DeFrance still wheels a late model while his sister Judy (Gustin) is a former Marshalltown Speedway track champion in the stock car division.

Fast forward a few years... Now there are four Gustin's racing along with Darrel DeFrance, and don't forget about relative Damon Murty. That's six relatives involved with racing from one family, something that perhaps only the Smith family from Lake City, Iowa can brag about to my knowledge. All six relatives enjoyed a fantastic year in 2010, and the following will be somewhat of a recap of each of their respective seasons.

Jimmy Gustin - I'll start with Jimmy beings he is the oldest of the immediate family. Jimmy accomplished something that resembles another "Jimmie" (Johnson) as he won his fourth consecutive track championship at the Marshalltown Speedway. He also was in contention for the Boone Speedway track championship, but had to settle for third instead. His biggest victory was when he crossed the finish line to become the 2010 Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals Champion at the Boone Speedway.

Here are Jimmy's unofficial 2010 stats:
57 starts; 9 wins (not including preliminary and Supernationals wins); 29 top 5's; 43 top 10's; average finish of 6.4
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/jimmy.htm


Richie Gustin - Richie had a phenomenal year in 2010. He was atop the IMCA North Central Region point standings for most of the first half of the year before bowing out at the end. Richie focused primarily on weekly racing at the Marshalltown Speedway and following the inaugural season of the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour. About mid-season his hopes were high for capturing both titles, but a chassis changed in July brought about some major challenges and both goals were left unobtained. That should not take anything away from his great season, however, as he did finish second in the Hawkeye Dirt Tour point standings and sixth at Marshalltown. He picked up three wins on the eight-race tour. His biggest win came at the famed Knoxville Raceway during the Harris Clash in July, and then backed it up with another win on the first night of the Late Model Nationals event.

Here are Richie's unofficial 2010 stats:
55 starts; 16 wins; 27 top 5's; 33 top 10's; avg finish 8.9
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/richie.htm


Ryan Gustin - It's hard to imagine Ryan having a better season then he did in 2009 when he finished second in the final USMTS Hunt for the Championship standings to Kelly Shryock. But, that's exactly what happened. Ryan received a phone call from Ed Gressel and was asked if he wanted to race for him. That was the start of something magical as Ryan picked up a season-best 17 wins on the USMTS series this year. He swept both races at the nearby Oskaloosa track while winning at fifteen other different tracks. During the month of June Ryan enjoyed a five-race winning streak that was capped with an exciting last-lap pass of Jason Krohn at Fort Dodge. Despite finishing in the top ten in 80% of his races, half of those times were during the Hunt. Those finishes resulted in another runner-up to the champion, and this year it was Jason Hughes.

Here are Ryan's unofficial 2010 stats:
60 USMTS starts; 17 wins; 40 top 5's; 48 top 10's; avg finish 4.8. Also ran two IMCA races (finished 3rd in Inaugural Hawkeye Dirt Tour event at Independence) and won a sportmod race at Memphis (MO) in October
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/ryan.htm


Jenae Gustin - The only female of the bunch, Jenae finished her second year in the IMCA sportmod / bmod division. While she didn't enjoy as much success as her brother's, she did pick up her first career win at the Marshalltown Speedway on August 27. She continues to learn more about the car and what changes can be made. I'm sure she'll find more success with added seat time and experience.

Here are Jenae's unofficial 2010 stats:
32 starts; 1 win; 3 top 5's; 12 top 10's; avg finish 10
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/jenae.htm


Darrel DeFrance - While that ends the list of "Gustin's", there are still two more relatives to talk about. Darrel DeFrance enjoyed another solid season in the IMCA late model class. He collected five feature wins this year, all at Webster City. He once again added to his "Ironman" total by attending all 16 Deery Brothers Summer Series events. He picked up the track title at the Hamilton County Speedway while finishing second to Todd Cooney by a mere two points at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway. DeFrance also finished third in National Points.

Here are Darrel's unofficial 2010 stats:
47 starts; 5 wins; 21 top 5's; 31 top 10's; avg finish 5.4
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net.defrance.htm/


Damon Murty - I'm sure looking back Damon Murty will remember his 2010 season. He became the newest member of the 100 IMCA stock car wins club when he picked the checkers at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt on August 12. Murty was also crowned the champion of the IMCA Stock Car Shootout Series on the strength of three finishes of third place. Murty bounced around hitting different tracks throughout the season. While that diminished his chances of winning a track championship, it surely didn't halt his chances of winning. He picked up eight feature wins and finished tenth in IMCA Nationals Points.

Here are Damon's unofficial 2010 stats:
54 starts; 8 wins; 36 top 5's; 40 top 10's; avg finish 6.3
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/murty.htm


Gustin Family unofficial 2010 stats combined:
305 starts; 56 wins; 156 top 5's; 207 top 10's; avg finish 6.61


So as you can see, the Gustin family enjoyed a lot of success over the course of the 2010 season. I have been working at compiling other drivers' stats, notably the top drivers in IMCA National Points, IMCA Rookie of the Year points, and some region champions. I am also working on obtaining results from other drivers that enjoyed a great amount of success this season. So be sure to check back in the coming weeks for those updates. Until then, go to http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/ and click on the "Drivers Stats" link to see what I've been up to.

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

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Lengthy Weekend Provides Good Racing

This past weekend I was provided with a difficult choice. There were two two-day shows going on at tracks that I really enjoy attending. The weather was similar for both locations both days. What is a person to do? Well, I decided to go to one track one night and the other track the following night. That meant a whole lot of traveling and a lengthy weekend without much rest.

So Friday night I headed south to the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis (MO) for their Pepsi Memphis Fall Nationals event. Memphis has been a favorite track of mine for the last couple of years. I knew they would get a large car count, and I was right when announcer Tony Paris noted 149 cars in the pit area.

Upon arrival there were a couple vehicles on the track trying to pack the moisture in. The problem was, there was too much water placed on the track and not enough vehicles wheel-packing. That prompted the grader to make an appearance, and about ninety minutes later we finally got to hot laps. And of course one minor issue would have to lead to another, right? During one of the hobby stock heat races, a driver drove a little too deep into turn one and ended up driving over the concrete barrier and through the fencing. Needless to say that took a fair amount of time to get cleaned up.

Because of the delays, I opted not to keep my usual notes. I can tell you the winners of the upper divisions were: Michael Long (open modifieds), Rich Smith (IMCA-type modifieds), Matt Greiner (stock car), Ryan Gustin (b-modified), and Dan Wenig (hobby stock). For more complete results, check out www.heartlandmotorsports.com/Memphis/2010/10_15_2010.htm.

Friday night's races concluded at 2:38am Saturday morning. Tack on another 3+ hour trip home for me, and I pulled into my driveway at 6AM!! The racing action was fast and furious, and there weren't too many incidents that were a direct result of the spongy surface.

The delays and time getting home helped make my decision easier for heading to the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta (IA) Saturday night for their Topless at the Beaver event. The IMCA modifieds would run without their roofs on this chilly night. 119 cars were packed into the pit area with some drivers having to pit outside of turn four.

The 4-cylinder class made their way to the track first for their feature. A solid field of twenty cars were on hand and Cory Flanigan wasted no time in taking his machine to the top spot. Bill Whalen Jr made the long haul from Riverside seem worthwhile as he hounded Flanigan for a majority of the race. Whalen Jr slowed in turn two after receiving the white flag, allowing three cars to make their way by. Not sure if Whalen Jr experienced problems or just thought it was the checkered flag, but he would end up with a fifth place finish. Flanigan would lead flag to flag to pick up his 17th win of the season. Kennin Colestock finished second, Tom Summerfield third, and Randy Cass fourth.

Next up would be the mod-lites/dwarf cars. Only seven cars were on hand, but they provided decent racing. Outside front row starter Ed Zehm rocketed to the lead, but Mike Kennedy would try to close the gap as the race went on. The gap was just too big as Zehm picked up the caution-free race win ahead of Mike Kennedy, Dalton Dingman, Colby Oberembt, and Matt Goodin.

Things were now set for the hobby stock feature. Pole sitter Jeff Lyon paced the field the first lap, but Devin Smith snuck under him and took over the lead on lap two. Deeper in the field Justin Nehring was making significant progress early in the running. After starting thirteenth, he quickly manuevered his way to seventh in just three laps. The only caution of the race came on lap five. Nehring would be the beneficiary of this restart as he was on the outside of the third full row (7th). He powered his machine on the cushion and advanced to the fourth spot on the next circuit before advancing to second by the time he crossed the finish line again. Nehring pulled even with Smith down the backstretch and ran side by side with him for a couple laps. Nehring would finally clear Smith with four laps to go, but it appeared as though his car got tight in the corners as Smith kept within striking distance. When the checkered flag waved it was Justin Nehring taking the exciting win by a mere fender over Devin Smith. Matt Mahoney finished third, Craig Brotherton fourth, and Michael Murphy rounded out the top five. Jeff Lyon crossed the line in fourth, but was later disqualified in post-race tech.

Twenty-two b-modifieds were now set for their finale of the night. Outside front row starter Austin Lucas grabbed the early lead, but pole sitter Tim Rupp would keep pace with him. Rupp would take over the lead by using the bottom groove, but Lucas would regain the lead on lap five. The caution flag waved on lap six, and at that point I noticed that Doug Smith had already worked his way up to fifth after starting twelfth. A lap after the restart Smith found himself in second while Jason Mallicoat pursued in third. Mallicoat was driving the #36 car normally driven by Matt Pittman. With six laps to go Smith ducked under Lucas entering turn one and got the advantage exiting turn two to pick up the race lead. Jake Simpson and Austin Lucas would battle it out for the second spot with Simpson getting the nod with three to go before the caution waved a lap later.

Just before they went back racing, I noticed the #67 Ron Beckstrom had a right rear flat tire. Unfortunately he found out the hard way as the next lap under green he lost the handle on the backstretch and went for a wild ride that saw him knock over a couple cement barriers. Luckily he would be okay. When racing picked back up, nobody had anything for Doug Smith as he picked up the win. Jake Simpson was second, Jason Mallicoat third, Steve Reetz was fourth, and Tim Rupp completed the top five. Smith won Friday night's event as well.

The stock cars made their way to the track next. Nineteen cars were on hand with the "open" or "big" carb rules in effect. Pole sitter Ken Tietz took command from the drop of the green flag. Jason Ward quickly settled into second with Wayne Crimmins chasing in third. The stock cars were typically the most competitive all year at BVR, but last night they were single file on the bottom side of the track. Crimmins was able to sneak by Ward with three laps to go, but Ken Tietz was never seriously challenged up front as he picked up the win. Wayne Crimmins was second, Jason Ward was third, Roger Tripp finished fourth, and Brian Blessington rounded out the top five.

The finale of the night would be the Topless modified feature. Twenty-one cars were on hand with Rick Seaman not making the call. Before the field could even make it to the flagstand, the green light was quickly replaced with the yellow. Austin Wolf got turned sideways exiting turn four on the start and collected about six cars. Following the cleanup, it would be Mike Jergens taking the lead while Craig Reetz passed Jeff Conner for the second spot on lap two. The only caution of the race came on lap four. Brian Schmitt took advantage of the restart as he snuck by two cars to move into the fourth spot. Reetz and Todd Shute would put on a good show for the fans as they battled it out for the second spot. Reetz hugged the inside line while Shute worked the middle of the track. Shute pulled even with about six laps to go, but was unable to make it stick as Reetz pulled ahead by a few carlengths. Shute reeled him back in with two to go, but again pushed in turn one to give up what he had gained. Up front it would be Mike Jergens picking up his first career modified victory. Todd Shute was able to sneak by Craig Reetz at the line for second with Brian Schmitt in fourth and Shane Demey in fifth.

It was a good way to close the season at the Buena Vista Raceway. It's always a tossup when scheduling a race in October in Iowa as you never know what kind of weather you're going to get. A beautiful day turned into a cool evening, but the racing action was good throughout the night. For more complete results, check out the BVR website at www.buenavistaraceway.net and click on the results tab.

I'd like to thank Jeff Herrig and Eric Blum for their hospitality all year long. I enjoyed the six trips I made this season and hope to attend a few more times next season.

My next race will be next Saturday, October 23rd for Shiverfest. Shiverfest is typically the final racing event of the year in Iowa and is held at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Fellow Positivelyracing.com blogger Jeff Broeg helps promote this event for the local kidney dialysis units. It's a fun time for the kids as well, as hay rack rides before the races and trick-or-treating after hot laps are held. For more information, be sure to check out www.leecountyspeedway.com. Hope to see you there!!

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

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Big Paydays For Saturday's Winners at Oskaloosa Fall Challenge

Another ideal weather day was in store for race fans in and around the Oskaloosa area for night two of the 24th Annual Musco Lighting Fall Challenge Saturday night. With temperatures in the 80's and a light breeze, fans flocked to the "Mahaska County Monster" half-mile facility to get perhaps their last taste of dirt track racing before the end of the season. The feature winner in all four divisions would pocket a cool $2,000 paycheck for their efforts. With the added money on the line, there was definitely a lot of excitement and anticipation to go along with the large field of cars.


After all the qualifying events were completed, the USRA b-modifieds quickly took to the track for their feature. Another stellar field of forty-nine cars were narrowed down to twenty-four on the starting grid with Cayden Carter rocketing to the lead from his outside front row start. Row five starters Tyler Groenendyk and Jason Schlangen quickly moved forward as they found themselves in third and fourth, respectively, at the completion of lap three. The caution waved on lap five when Scott Davis and Schlangen made the slightest of contact going into turn one that resulted in Schlangen going around. That brought about a chain reaction that eventually included eight cars stopped on the track. When the green flag came back out, however, Schlangen was back up front rather then at the back of the pack as officials apparently decided he was still moving when the caution waved. Two more quick yellows kept the field bunched, but when the green flag stayed out Cayden Carter checked out as he picked up his 19th win of the season and the $2,000 top prize. It seems Carter is always at the top of the results when there is a big money special at Oskaloosa, and last night was no different. Tyler Groenendyk came home second, Scott Van Buskirk was third, Scott Davis fourth, and Jason Schlangen rounded out the top five. Lucas Lundry drove from his 21st starting spot up to seventh while Tad Reutzel advanced eight spots to finish ninth.

Keeping the open-wheeled theme going, the USRA modifieds were next up for their twenty-five lap feature. Colt Mather, driving one of Kelly Shryock's cars, and Shryock sat on the front row with Shryock getting the advantage in the early going. Missouri's Matt Dotson followed Shryock to the second spot while Corey Dripps and Brad Pinkerton battled side by side for the fourth spot. Dotson began to reel in Shryock a few laps before they caught lapped traffic, but that all went for not as the caution flag waved on lap nine. A series of cautions plagued the next couple of laps before the red flag came out when Mark Elliott, Terry Walker, and a couple others tangled on the front stretch and blocked the track. On the ensuing restart Mather got a great jump and powered by Dotson on the inside. The caution came back out a lap later, and while under caution Shryock's car came to a stop to end his night in a disappointing fashion. That handed the lead over to Mather with Jake Neal and Matt Dotson right behind him. As the race picked back up both Zack VanderBeek would exit the track and Ron VerBeek and Matt Dotson both suffered flat tires. When the dust settled it was Colt Mather celebrating in victory lane with a $2,000 check and trophy. Jake Neal finished second, Corey Dripps was third, Bruce Hanford fourth, and Brandon Banks completed the top five.

USRA hobby stocks again boasted a big field of cars as forty-five were on hand Saturday night. Two of the best in the business paced the field to the green flag with Andy Boeckman and Chris Hovden sitting on the front row. Hovden would get the advantage while Boeckman slid back to third after Nathan Wood passed him on the outside. Boeckman continued to fade after he got too high and opened the door for several competitors behind him to slip past. A caution came out on lap five, and while driving under yellow Boeckman went to the work area to change a flat tire. Ryan Vicker and Don Nunnikhoven split Jason Kohl as they advanced to third and fourth, respectively. Up front Hovden and Wood were nose to tail by themselves until Vicker eventually caught them. A caution with four laps to go set up a shootout. Vicker was able to drive by Wood on the outside to snag the second spot while Shane Klaassen did the same to Nunnikhoven for fourth. When the checkered flags waved it was Chris Hovden holding on for the big money. Ryan Vicker settled for second, Nathan Wood was third, Shane Klaassen fourth, and Jason Kohl rebounded for fifth. Klaassen is the USRA hobby stock national points leader and likely clinched the championship.

The USRA stock cars were set to close out the evening once again as they again fielded forty cars. Elijah Zevenbergen grabbed the lead on lap one, but fifth starter Mark Elliott quickly pounced and sliced his way to second when he passed Barry Sanderman. Elliott made the pass on Zevenbergen on lap three, but that was wiped out when the red flag came out for Nathan Wood as he made heavy contact with the turn four fence. Wood would be okay. Zevenbergen would lose a couple spots following the restart as Elliott and Lynn Panos both scooted by. Another red flag was displayed when Shane Weller got high and climbed the wall in turn three before gravity took over and rolled the car over. He too would be okay. Following another restart with eleven laps remaining, Randy Killen made a great move to the inside as he passed two cars to advance to third. He would later work his way under Panos for second, but bobbled a bit and allowed Panos to get the spot back. Panos would get momentum and pull even with Elliott down the backstretch before claiming the top spot exiting turn four.

A caution with six laps to go spelled trouble for the leaders. Elliott and Killen made contact entering turn one, giving Killen a flat tire. Killen would push up the track and make contact with Todd Staley, sending him into the wall. The caution would wave again with Killen and Elliott retiring from the race. Staley would restart in second behind Panos, but it was soon evident that the contact had done some damage as he quickly backed up through the field. Panos would push high, opening the door for Darin Toot and Bryan Webb to get by. As they came to the line, Darin Toot would hang on by a slim margin for the win. Matt Greiner snuck by Bryan Webb for the second spot with Lynn Panos finishing fourth and Steve Jackson fifth.

The action was not complete with the waving of the checkered flags though. Webb would drive in deep in turn one and made contact with Toot and Panos, starting a chain reaction that involved several cars. Webb's car I believe rolled, but came to a rest on all four tires. He would walk away, but definitely provided an exciting finish to conclude the Fall Challenge and therefore the 2010 season at the Southern Iowa Speedway.

Earlier in the night, stock car driver Jeremy Swanson also went for a scary ride as he rolled his machine several times. He hit the turn one fencing and got air born while rotating violently and coming to a rest on all four's. He was responsive, but was transferred to a hospital. The announcer mentioned that the x-rays came back good, but further tests were being performed. Here's hoping that Swanson's injuries are not too severe.

Racing action concluded right at the midnight hour last night. For more complete results, check out www.usmts.com and click on the appropriate link. For race fans that want to continue traveling, next weekend there are a couple options within a couple hours of drive time. The Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri is holding their Pepsi Memphis Fall Nationals next Friday and Saturday. Check out www.scotlandcountyspeedway.com for more info on that race. Also next Friday and Saturday the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa is scheduled to run their "Going Topless at the Beaver" event. For more information on that event, check out www.buenavistaraceway.net. I haven't totally made up my mind yet as to which direction I'll be heading, but you can be sure I'll be at one of them.

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

Saturday, October 9, 2010

175 Cars Pack The Pits @ Oskaloosa Fall Challenge

The pit area was jam packed with race cars Friday night at the Southern Iowa Speedway for nigh one of the 24th Annual Musco Lighting Fall Challenge. It was mentioned by track announcer Tony Paris that Musco Lighting has been the title sponsor of this event for all twenty-four seasons, which I thought was rather cool and unusual. Shows a lot of loyalty towards the community and its racers. Action got off on a slow start as it took a little extra time to roll in the track. But things definitely heated up once the track was ironed in.

The first feature of the night would be the USRA b-modifieds. Fifty-four race teams checked in for the night with the field be shaved down to twenty-four starters. Bill Gibson grabbed the lead from his outside front row starting spot with pole sitter Mike Grantham right behind. Grantham pushed high in turn one on the second circuit, opening the flood gates for Andrew Schroeder and Brett Moffitt to slip past. The caution flag waved on lap three for a spun car, and when racing resumed northeast Iowa driver Jason Schlangen made his move on the top side to claim the fourth spot away from Brad Iverson. Another caution waved on lap six when Drew Lawson tagged the wall exiting turn four. Lap fourteen provided another yellow flag for Paul Underwood spinning in turn four, and Scott Davis took advantage as he passed two cars on the restart to advance to third. However Andrew Schroeder would regain the third spot when he ducked low of Davis a lap later. A car slowed down the frontstretch when the checkers were set to come out, so the finish was a yellow/checkers. Bill Gibson picked up the win ahead of Brett Moffitt, Andrew Schroeder, Scott Davis, and Jason Schlangen. The hard charger of the race was Tad Reutzel as he advanced to the eighth position after starting twenty-second.

USRA modifieds were next up for their twenty-five lap feature event. Pole sitter Zack VanderBeek wasted no time in asserting himself at the top of the leaderboard. Ron VerBeek powered his machine into the second position and tried to chase down VanderBeek. The leaders encountered lapped traffic quickly on lap six before the caution waved on lap nine. VerBeek would not come up to full speed right away on the restart, pushing him back to fourth as Bruce Hanford and Brad Pinkerton made their way by. VanderBeek continued to check out on the field up front as he opened it up to a straight away lead until the caution waved again with seven laps remaining. VerBeek was able to reclaim the runner up spot as both he and Kevin Blackburn got by Hanford on the restart. But up front the night belonged to Zack VanderBeek as he dominated the field for the win. Ron VerBeek finished second, Kevin Blackburn was third, Kelly Shryock was fourth, and Ryan Peckham completed the top five of the twenty-five car field.

A big field of forty-nine USRA hobby stocks were on hand for the first night of the Fall Challenge. That number was reduced to twenty-four starters as well with outside front row starter Craig Brown getting the edge early on. This race had a few hiccups getting going in the beginning as cautions waved on lap two, three, and six. When racing resumed Brown continued his advantage up front while the battle was for second. Todd Reitzler and Shane Klaassen would swap the position a time or two before Klaassen secured the spot. Danny Thrasher was a car on the move as he powered his machine to fifth after starting eighteenth. Chris Hovden stayed with Craig Brown up front, but was never quite able to make his move for the lead. When the checkers waved it was Brown by a carlength over Hovden for the win. Shane Klaassen finished third, Todd Reitzler fourth, and Danny Thrasher was fifth.

The final event of the night would be the USRA stock cars. Once again, a big field of forty-four cars were dwindled down to a starting grid of twenty-four. Outside front row starter Corey Stout paced the field with northeast Iowa driver Shay Curtin following in second. The caution waved on lap four, and on the restart Curtin made his move to maneuver past Stout for the lead. Kyle Harwood lose the third position as both Nathan Wood and Todd Inman advanced forward. Then a series of stoppages would occur over the next handful of laps.

The caution waved on lap eight, and then again on the restart as Mike Johnston hammered the outside fence in turn one to bring out the red flag. Fortunately Johnston was okay. Racing resumed long enough for Wood to pass Stout for second before the second red flag came out. Gary Bass jumped the cushion in turn four and avoided hitting the outside wall, but came down the track as he drove down the frontstretch. He would hit the right rear of Kevin Donlan, breaking the rear axle among other things. Donlan would slide sideways for several feet before it finally dug in and rolled violently. Donlan also would walk away unharmed. The third and final red flag came when Keith Williamson's car caught an oil fire under the hood entering turn one. He too would be uninjured. When racing finally got back going, Steve Jackson swung to the inside of Stout on the restart to claim the third spot. Up front it was all Shay Curtin as he pocketed the $1,000 paycheck. Nathan Wood would finish second, Steve Jackson third, Todd Inman was fourth, and Matt Greiner rounded out the top five.

While the track appeared to be a bit one-lane on the top, the stock car drivers managed to work the bottom side in throughout the race. Unfortunately their race was the final one of the night, so passing was at a premium. I'm hoping the track will be a bit more dry and slick tonight to provide a wider racing groove.

With such a large field of cars, I expected things to run a bit late. However, when the final checkered flag waved at around 1:30am I was a bit disappointed that it took that long. Hopefully things will go much smoother and quicker tonight. Don't forget, there will be NO HOT LAPS tonight and racing action will start at 6pm. The weather looks to be perfect once again, so get there early to get a good seat.

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

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The "Other" World 100

Last weekend on my way to Knoxville, I realized that I had not made it to a new track yet this year. I got spoiled over the last couple of years of making it to several new tracks, but that opportunity hadn't come up yet this season. After reading Jeff Broeg's latest blog Backstretch I decided I wanted to try my hand at a new track. Jeff mentioned that Peoria Speedway in Illinois was running Wednesday night as a makeup date. So I took it upon myself to call up a good racing buddy of mine, Bob Litton, and ask if I could meet up with him. He said sure, so I met him and his wife Rita at a truck stop along I-80 and off we went. A couple hours later we pulled in to the track parking lot.

We went up to the grandstands to lay out our blankets and such, so it gave me a little time to look around. I immediately compared the track itself to East Moline as it was a tight 1/4 track with concrete walls surrounding it. The flagman and the scorers are located in the infield, something that I've only seen at a few tracks. The seating was wood bleachers, but they were very sturdy and were spread throughout the frontstretch. The lighting was a sore spot in my opinion as they only had one light on each pole. Granted there were several poles, but we noticed at least one light was burned out. Hot laps were run in a quick manner, and while waiting for time to do the opening ceremonies I noticed the pit steward in the staging area outside turn two was watering down the area with a garden hose. I can honestly say I've never seen that before, although I have seen infields watered down with a hose.

On to the racing... the first feature run was a late model feature. I'm having difficulties remembering if it was the crate late models or the open late models, but I would assume crates. I wasn't able to write down driver names and was unfamiliar with everybody, so I apologize for the following sketchy details. Eighteen cars took the green flag with pole sitter Donny Walden rocketing to the lead. The T2 car of Todd Bennett swung to the inside of #38 for the third spot a few laps in while the leaders caught the end of the field by lap four. A caution came out on lap five as I heard the announcer say there was fifteen laps remaining. Walden quickly solidified his lead and would go on to take the win. Mike Mullvain would finish second, Todd Bennett was third, #32 was fourth, and #21 rounded out the top five. Again I'd like to apologize for not catching their names.

It was then time for the "other" World 100, a 100-lap feature race for the UMP modifieds. Drivers were quickly introduced to the crowd, so I was at least able to get the drivers' last names this time around. Mark Johnson took control from his pole starting position while Ray Bollinger ducked low on the #D3 of Dillon for the second spot. The first of several cautions waved on lap three, and when racing resumed Gary Cook Jr passed Dillon for third. The top four would begin to separate from the pack until the caution flag waved again on lap ten. On that restart Cook Jr powered his way to the lead on the cushion and remained out front through a series of yellow flags. Bollinger would scoot by Mark Johnson for the runner up spot on the lap twelve restart. Bollinger and Cook Jr would battle for the top spot as they broke away from the field. The caution flag waved on lap fifty for the halfway point as drivers were allowed to make a pitstop to change tires, add fuel, and anything else they wanted. Nine caution flags were flown in the first fifty laps while only fourteen of the original twenty-two cars remained on the track.

Following the pitstop, the drivers seemed to get a better rhythm going as only one caution waved in the final fifty laps. That came on lap fifty-nine, and this time a single-file restart was in order. Bollinger took advantage as he powered his machine to the cushion and drove by Cook Jr for the lead. Cook Jr would later show some smoke and appeared to be on his way to losing a motor, but the smoke disappeared a few short laps later. Cook Jr would be challenged by Mark Johnson for that runner up spot while Bollinger pulled away to a full half-lap advantage. Johnson would take control of the number two position but would not have anything for Ray Bollinger. Bollinger went on to take the win as only five cars were on the lead lap at the end. Johnson would finish second, Cook Jr was third, Mike Chasteen Jr finished fourth, and Nathan Balensiefen completed the top five.

After watching the modifieds and knowing there were two more races left, the Litton's and I opted to hit the road early. We left the track around 8:38 and pulled back in to Iowa City around 11pm. That meant I still had another good two hour drive home yet. I got home sometime close to 2am after stopping in Grinnell and Marshalltown to look for a battery for my sister (with no luck, of course). That meant I was away from home for 15 hours as I had left at 11am to meet up with them. The things we'll do for a race!! Thanks to Jeff Broeg for mentioning this race in one of his previous blogs, or I wouldn't have known about it.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, there are several races going on this weekend. I have decided that I'll be heading to Oskaloosa for both nights of their Fall Challenge. Be sure to get out and support a track near you as the weather looks to be beautiful this weekend!!

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

Monday, October 4, 2010

End of September Recap

Ok, ok... I'll admit, I've been a little lazy as of late in writing blogs from races that I've attended. I've had a few other more important things on my plate that I concentrated my attention on, but now that I've got some free time on my hands I'll attempt to get caught up.

Last Thursday I attended the opening night of the 7th Annual Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model Nationals. This event keeps getting bigger and bigger year after year. When I arrived at the ticket gate there were several lines of people waiting to buy their general admission ticket. Considering that the gates had opened a good thirty minutes before I showed up, I'd say a good crowd would be on hand.

To go along with the unsanctioned late models this year, IMCA modifieds were on hand as a support class. The invitation-only saw thirty-eight cars in attendance Thursday night while sixty-one late models were anxious to get the weekend kicked off.

Time trials were up first for the late models with two cars not taking the green flag. If memory serves me correctly, those two were Ron Boyse and Curt Schroeder. Jimmy Owens would be the only driver under the 18-second mark, giving him fast time for the night. Each of the five heat races would invert the top ten.

Heat races, a late model C-main, and B-mains for both classes would set the stage for the IMCA modified feature. The field was narrowed to twenty-four starters with Richie Gustin and Darin Duffy sitting on the front row of the twenty-lap race. Gustin would rocket to the lead and began to stretch it out almost immediately as he built up a half-straightaway lead in the first four laps. The first and only caution of the race came out on lap seven with a strange occurance. Eric Dailey came to a stop, Jeremy Mills blew up, and Michael Long came to a stop (all in turn four) in a synchronized manner.

Once those machines were assisted to the infield, the green flag came back out and once again Gustin opened up his lead. Ryan Ruter and Todd Shute were battling it out for the third spot around the halfway point before Ruter solidified himself as the stronger car. Not only did he secure the third spot, but he worked under Duffy for the runner up spot with eight laps to go. Ruter, nor anybody else for that matter, had anything for Richie Gustin on that night as Gustin picked up the dominating win. Ryan Ruter finished second, Darin Duffy was third, Todd Shute was fourth, and Mark Schulte rounded out the top five.

As the modifieds exited the track, all eyes focused to the staging area for the late models. Josh Richards and Tim McCreadie sat on the front row of the twenty-five lap feature. McCreadie would lead the first two laps before giving way to Richards on lap three. Deeper in the field Billy Moyer was slicing his way towards the front. After starting eleventh on the starting grid, Moyer passed three cars in three laps to attain the fourth position. A yellow flag on lap seven negated the third pass as he was realigned in fifth position, but on the restart he threaded the needle between Austin Hubbard and Earl Pearson Jr to grab the third spot. Ahead of him, McCreadie found the cushion to his liking as he powered his way back by Richards for the lead on lap ten. Richards slowed in turn one and gave up three spots. He would continue to struggle in that corner, so not sure if it was handling issue or something under the hood.

With McCreadie out front and Pearson Jr hanging closely in second, Moyer made his move to the outside to make the pass for second on Pearson Jr. One lap later he dove to the inside of McCreadie to assert himself atop the leaderboard. From that point on it was all Billy Moyer as he picked up the Thursday night feature win and $7,000 payday. Tim McCreadie finished second, Scott Bloomquist was third, Earl Pearson Jr fourth, and Brady Smith rounded out the top five.

Saturday

After taking Friday night off, it was back to the famed Knoxville Raceway on Saturday for the conclusion of the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals. After hearing that Billy Moyer picked up Friday night's victory, everybody was wondering if Moyer could sweep all three shows at Knoxville this weekend. The top twenty-four cars in points were locked in to the night's 100-lap finale with the final six competitors to be determined through a course of a C-main and B-main. NASCAR star Ryan Newman failed to qualify, but was given a provisional starting spot.

Before the 100-lapper for late models, the IMCA modifieds would put on a twenty-five lap feature of their own. Rich Smith and Michael Long paced the field to the green flag with Long leading after the first lap. Todd Shute quickly worked his way from sixth to the lead when he ducked to the inside of Long on lap two to make the pass. Darin Duffy and Long battled side by side momentarily for the runner up spot before Duffy secured it. The caution came out on lap seven to shrink Shute's big lead. Unfortunately things got worse on the restart as the red flag was displayed following Jake Durbin's rollover down the backstretch and entering turn three. I didn't catch the incident until the end, but fortunately Durbin would be okay.

When racing resumed Long would jump the cushion in turn four and lose several spots, opening the door for Thursday night winner Richie Gustin to slide into the third spot. Shute again opened up a straight away advantage with ten laps to go when smoke began to pour from the leader. A caution with four laps to go for debris proved to be the dagger in the heart of the former Supernationals champion as Shute exited the track and giving up the lead. Darin Duffy would take command of the race with Gustin and Jon Snyder lined up behind him in the double-file restart formation. After running the cushion for most of the race, Gustin attempted to make his way back up there entering turn one following the restart. Unfortunately he did not have Snyder cleared and significant contact was made, sending Snyder hard into the fence to bring out the caution again.

Another caution plagued a good race, but when the final green flag came out Gustin would be the one hopping the cushion in turn four and dropping back to sixth. Wisconsin driver Brian Mullen saw the opportunity and took advantage as he slipped into the runner up position ahead of Rich Smith and Jeremy Mills. Duffy would take the win ahead of those three drivers while Gustin rebounded for a fifth place finish.


The late models were then called to the front stretch for their introductions and such. The grand finale would see arguably the two best late model drivers of all time on the front row with Scott Bloomquist on the pole and Billy Moyer to his outside. Those two drivers have accumulated almost 1300 wins between them on their careers.

Bloomquist would get the advantage on the start to take the lead, but the caution came out on lap two for a car that had spun. Another caution immediately followed the restart when Steve Francis spun around and collected Brad Neat, Jason Rauen, and Darren Miller. All were able to continue. Two more cautions would fly within the next few laps, keeping the pace at a standstill. On the ensuing restart, however, the pace would pick up as Moyer worked to the inside of Earl Pearson Jr for the second position. Darrell Lanigan swept to the inside of Pearson Jr as well to advance to the third spot, but up front Moyer made the inside work again as he passed Bloomquist for the lead on lap twelve. Lanigan also used the inside to get by Bloomquist for the runner up spot two laps later while Jimmy Mars was trying to make his way to the front. After starting 25th on the grid, Mars had sliced his way through half the field up to the twelfth spot by lap fourteen.

The yellow flag came out on lap twenty-six when Rob Moss slowed. With the field bunched back up, Bloomquist was able to get back up to third after passing Jimmy Owens and Lanigan. Josh Richards had moved himself up to the second spot at this point while Shannon Babb and Mars continued their way to the front as they sat seventh and eighth, respectively. Babb started twenty-first. Moyer built up a comfortable lead out front until the caution waved yet again on lap thirty-six when Denny Eckrich slowed. Richards and Bloomquist exchanged the runner up spot seemingly every lap with Richards securing it around the halfway point of the race. Young sensation Austin Hubbard was on the charge as he passed Mars and Owens for the fourth spot before getting around Bloomquist for third. Jimmy Mars slowed on lap 57 to bring out yet another caution. At this point Bloomquist opted to head to the pits to make some changes. The crew took a little too long as he would go a lap down and never recover.

On the restart Babb powered his machine on the top side as he moved up two spots to third. He and Richards then engaged in a battle for the second spot as they swapped positions for awhile. The caution waved once again with thirty-three laps to go when Rick Eckert slowed, which prompted Knoxville race officials to red flag the event to allow crews to refuel the cars. That was the only thing they could do as no tire changes were allowed. Three more caution periods occurred within the next four laps, but the final twenty-nine laps went by clean to the finish. Billy Moyer enjoyed a big lead as he masterfully worked his way through lapped traffic as he picked up his third win of the weekend to complete the Knoxville sweep! Josh Richards would finish second ahead of Darrell Lanigan, Steve Francis, and Will Vaught. Shannon Babb finished sixth and Jimmy Mars made a valiant comeback to finish seventh. Moyer's efforts on the weekend was worth $54,000 with $40,000 coming Saturday night.

Sunday
Sunday proved to be a near-perfect day as the sun was shining brightly and temperatures were comfortable. I decided to venture west on Highway 20 to visit the Calhoun County Fairgrounds in Rockwell City for their afternoon show. While the featured division was the Sport Compact Nationals they also ran modifieds, bmods, hobby stocks, and stock cars Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately the car count was not what I had expected, but there was some good racing that went on.

First up would be the hobby stocks. Josh Ruschmann vaulted to the lead from his outside front row start. Devin Smith would work his way to second after starting seventh while Eric Knutson charged from eighth to third. The caution came out, and on the restart Smith lost the handle and gave up the second spot to Knutson. Another caution came during the white flag to set up a green/white/checkered. That is what Knutson had hoped for, as he fought to the inside of Ruschmann and wrestled the lead away when the white flag was displayed again. Knutson went on to take the win ahead of Ruschmann, Devin Smith, and Donnie Gustaff.

Next up would be the bmod class. Only six cars were in attendance, but outside front row starter Geoff Olson didn't mind. Piloting his brother's 1T car, Olson rocketed to the lead and never looked back as he picked up the win. Doug Smith got by Steve Reetz for second around the midpoint of the race and began to reel in Olson, but Smith bobbled a bit in turn two late and settled for the runner up spot. Reetz finished third, Phil Ricke was fourth, Corey Bosma fifth, and #22T (Teneyck?) was sixth.

The modifieds were up next for their feature event. Ten cars were on hand, but Duane Peterson failed to make the call. They had a hard time getting started as three cautions waved before the completion of the first lap. When the green flag did stay out, it was pole sitter Jimmy Cole taking the lead with Jay Goosman following close behind. Goosman then worked to the inside of Cole to snag the lead away. Later in the race Jim Thies would also scoot by Cole for the second spot, but Goosman was the class of the field on that day as he picked up the win. Thies was second, Cole third, Jason Scheiders fourth, and Geoff Olson completed the top five. Olson was again driving his brother's 1T sportmod.

Four stock cars were up next and Josh Hohensee would take the lead after starting third. Fourth-starter David Smith quickly worked into the second spot before taking the lead when Hohensee spun sideways and collected Jeff Harkrider. No yellow was thrown, and Smith enjoyed a huge lead the rest of the way to the checkered flag. Brian Snell finished second, Hohensee was third, and Harkrider completed the field.

It was now time for the twenty-lap Sport Compact Nationals. All drivers got to draw their starting positions on the frontstretch in front of the crowd. Mike Nehring and Cory Flanigan would start on the front row with Flanigan taking command in the early going. Merv Chandler worked to the inside of Flanigan to take the lead away. Nehring would use the same move to get by as well, pushing Flanigan back to third. Two cautions came out back to back, with the second one involving Flanigan with a flat tire. Late in the race Nehring and Chandler made contact with each other, opening the door for Jer Pedersen to squeeze by for the lead. Jason Ewing got under Chandler for the second spot late in the race. Pederson would take the win, Ewing was second, Chandler third, Mike Nehring fourth, and Duane Ferguson rounded out the top five.

That concludes my three-race weekend report. This week I hope to get another two or three races in once again as the weather looks awesome at this point. There are plenty of options again this weekend as well, but here are the ones I'm looking at attending:

Friday/Saturday - Fall Challenge (Oskaloosa, IA) - USRA classes, $1,000 to win all classes Friday, $2,000 to win all classes Saturday

Friday/Saturday - Octoberfest (Beatrice, NE) - IMCA (stock cars, hobby stocks, sportmods, modifieds)

Friday/Saturday - Jayhawk Modified Classic (Kansas City, KS) - $5,000 to win open modifieds

Friday/Saturday - Thunder on the Hill (Mayetta, KS) - MLRA Late Models + IMCA modifieds

Saturday - Thunder in the Heartland Challenge (Donnellson, IA) - modifieds, sportmods, hobby stocks, stock cars, 4-cylinders

Saturday/Sunday - (East Moline, IL) - $5,000 to win late models plus support classes each night

I'm sure there are others going on in the upper midwest as well. Be sure to check out the calendar on www.positivelyracing.com or you can also check out my personal website http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net and click on the calendars there.

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