A gorgeous November fall day on Saturday allowed me the chance to return to the Springfield Raceway yesterday for the 3rd Annual Turkey Classic. I was on hand last November for the event before persistent light rain forced officials to postpone the show until March. The bright sunshine and warmer temperatures allowed both drivers and fans alike to show up in bunches at the speedy quarter mile oval. It was announced that 170 race teams were packed in the pits, and the stands were probably close to capacity.
After finding a group of friends from Iowa that also made the trip, I sat down and visited a bit while hot laps were running. Much to my surprise, the modifieds and late models ran their heat races first. Seventy-five modifieds and thirty-five late models were on hand, a number that I hadn't expected. Modifieds ran eight heat races and five b-main events to narrow the field down to twenty, while the late models held four qualifying heats and two b-mains for the same starting field. Passing points was used for both classes to determine qualifiers out of the heat races along with starting lineups for the b-mains.
The modifieds would be the first feature to hit the track. After two failed attempts to get the race going, officials opted to use a single file start. Pole-sitter Steve Martin jumped out front early. The race would be plagued by several caution periods, roughly eight by my calculations. After one of the restarts, there was two and three-wide racing going on in the middle of the pack, showing fans how well prepared the track was. After bringing out the initial yellow flag as a result of a spin, Scott Drake was proving he would still be a factor as he set sail on the top side to try to make up ground. After restarting ninth, he quickly made his way up to the third spot before another caution flag waved, putting him back in fourth. Drake would advance to the runner up spot and put pressure on Martin, but the caution flag haulted his efforts every time. Steve Martin would be able to keep his distance out front as he pocketed the win. Scott Drake was second, Rex Merritt third, Jim Body fourth, and Paul Reeder I believe rounded out the top five.
1. 21M Steve Martin
2. 12D Scott Drake
3. 25 Rex Merritt
4. 71 Jim Body
5. 97 Paul Reeder
6. 09 Casey McClaskey (sp?)
The late models were up next for their feature event. Ken Essary and Johnny Fennwald paced the field to the green flag with Fennwald getting the edge on lap one. Essary and Justin Wells quickly challenged Fennwald's lead and made it three-wide down the front stretch before both were able to split Fennwald's machine going into turn one. Essary would get the advantage off the corner before he and Wells distanced themselves from the field. Wells would make his move on the outside as Essary got caught behind lapped traffic, giving him the lead. However, that pass would not stick as the caution flag came out before the lap could get completed, handing the lead back over to Essary. Four more caution flags would appear before the end of the race, which helped Brad Looney advance towards the front of the field. Looney used the low line to drive by Fennwald's machine to take over the third spot. A little further back, Chuck Comer was working the top groove as he climbed to sixth after starting fifteenth. Unfortunately as soon as I noticed that, he slowed entering turn three and pulled off the track. Up front Ken Essary maintained his lead as he went on to take the checkered flag ahead of Justin Wells, Brad Looney, Johnny Fennewald, and Matt Johnson.
1. 55 Ken Essary
2. 98 Justin Wells
3. 23 Brad Looney
4. 91 Johnny Fennewald
5. 5J Matt Johnson
6. 77A Justin Asplin
7. 97M Joey Mack (started 18th)
I would like to give the Springfield Raceway a big shout out. The track was in great shape all afternoon and evening and provided a lot of great racing. However, I would also like to give them one piece of constructive criticism. From a fan's perspective, it would be much appreciated if you had more then one official with a headset when trying to realign cars following a caution. I felt sorry for the guy on the front stretch having to do all the work pretty much by himself.
Due to the lengthy time of realigning cars and all the caution flags, I opted not to stick around for the bmods and legends as I had a 6 1/2 hour trip back home. For those of you who believe I am "crazy", I can had reinforcement to your belief as I pulled into my driveway around 3:15AM after leaving the track around 8:00pm.
The Springfield Raceway also made the announcement that they will be running E-mods next year. No rules were mentioned, but be sure to check out their track website throughout the winter months on this new class. Also mentioned was a pure stock/enduro shootout event scheduled for Memorial Day. The winner will receive a lofty paycheck of $2,000 as told by the announcer. As mentioned before, check out the track website at www.springfieldraceway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Howard Willis Picks Up Night 1 @ Battleground Speedway
The USMTS Southern Series was back in action at the Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas last night as the first night of a triple-header weekend. Forty-five USMTS modifieds were on hand along with 48 limited modifieds in action Thursday night at the 3/8-mile speedplant. Upon arrival, USMTS president Todd Staley greeted me and introduced me to the promoter. After spending a few minutes chatting with me, he was off to continue getting things ready for the evening.
As mentioned forty-eight limited modifieds were on hand, which were run in six heat races. The top three transferred directly to the feature while the rest went to one of two B-main events. The feature was scheduled to go twenty-five laps with Paul White leading the field to the green from the pole. White jumped out front by turn one, but the first lap failed to get put in the books as ten cars were involved in a big wreck in turn one. Four of those cars were able to return to the track after making repairs, but the decision was made to reduce the scheduled distance down to twenty laps.
White would again get the jump on the field when the green flag waved again, with Howard Willis giving chase close behind. Another caution would fly about five laps in, where once again the decision was made to reduce the laps to just fifteen. By this time, only thirteen cars remained on the track. White was able to keep a steady distance between himself and Howard Willis the remainder of the race, picking up a cool $1,000 paycheck. Brad Ball took home third place.
Also scheduled for twenty-five laps and a $1,000 payday, the USMTS modifieds made their presence on the track. New Mexico driver Bumper Jones redrew the pole position, but it would be Garrett Durrett assuming the top spot on lap one. Scott Green made his presence known as he dove to the inside of Jones a couple laps in to grab the runner up spot. Green would not stop there as he carried his momentum to the lead around Durrett on the next circuit. Howard Willis was a man on a mission as he quickly climbed his way to fourth after starting tenth. A caution on lap six bunched the field up, with Jones regaining the top spot on the restart. Willis and Scott Green both slipped under Durrett to move up to second and third, respectively.
Willis closed in on the rear bumper of Jones before slipping back a couple of car lengths. Meanwhile, the two drivers atop the Southern Series point standings were going at it side by side deeper in the pack as Kelly Shryock and Jason Hughes battled for the eighth spot. Both drivers advanced out of a B-main event. Morgan Bagley also had a great run as he started sixteenth and was up to the fifth spot around the midway point of the race. Up front, Willis made the low side stick as he passed Jones for the lead amidst lapped traffic. Willis would not look back as he slowly separated himself and went on to take the win. Bumper Jones, Scott Green, Dereck Ramirez, and Morgan Bagley rounded out the top five.
1. E Howard Willis
2. 111 Bumper Jones
3. 25 Scott Green
4. 4R Dereck Ramirez
5. 5R Morgan Bagley
6. 33z Zack VanderBeek
7. 12 Jason Hughes
8. 3 Kelly Shryock
9. 58 Garrett Durrett
10. 561 David Horner
11. 20 Rodney Sanders
Hughes gained a few points on Shryock's slim lead, narrowing the gap to just eight points in the Southern Series Hunt. Two more races are on hand at the Battleground Speedway this weekend before the Hunt concludes with a three-day extravaganza at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas the first weekend of December.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
As mentioned forty-eight limited modifieds were on hand, which were run in six heat races. The top three transferred directly to the feature while the rest went to one of two B-main events. The feature was scheduled to go twenty-five laps with Paul White leading the field to the green from the pole. White jumped out front by turn one, but the first lap failed to get put in the books as ten cars were involved in a big wreck in turn one. Four of those cars were able to return to the track after making repairs, but the decision was made to reduce the scheduled distance down to twenty laps.
White would again get the jump on the field when the green flag waved again, with Howard Willis giving chase close behind. Another caution would fly about five laps in, where once again the decision was made to reduce the laps to just fifteen. By this time, only thirteen cars remained on the track. White was able to keep a steady distance between himself and Howard Willis the remainder of the race, picking up a cool $1,000 paycheck. Brad Ball took home third place.
Also scheduled for twenty-five laps and a $1,000 payday, the USMTS modifieds made their presence on the track. New Mexico driver Bumper Jones redrew the pole position, but it would be Garrett Durrett assuming the top spot on lap one. Scott Green made his presence known as he dove to the inside of Jones a couple laps in to grab the runner up spot. Green would not stop there as he carried his momentum to the lead around Durrett on the next circuit. Howard Willis was a man on a mission as he quickly climbed his way to fourth after starting tenth. A caution on lap six bunched the field up, with Jones regaining the top spot on the restart. Willis and Scott Green both slipped under Durrett to move up to second and third, respectively.
Willis closed in on the rear bumper of Jones before slipping back a couple of car lengths. Meanwhile, the two drivers atop the Southern Series point standings were going at it side by side deeper in the pack as Kelly Shryock and Jason Hughes battled for the eighth spot. Both drivers advanced out of a B-main event. Morgan Bagley also had a great run as he started sixteenth and was up to the fifth spot around the midway point of the race. Up front, Willis made the low side stick as he passed Jones for the lead amidst lapped traffic. Willis would not look back as he slowly separated himself and went on to take the win. Bumper Jones, Scott Green, Dereck Ramirez, and Morgan Bagley rounded out the top five.
1. E Howard Willis
2. 111 Bumper Jones
3. 25 Scott Green
4. 4R Dereck Ramirez
5. 5R Morgan Bagley
6. 33z Zack VanderBeek
7. 12 Jason Hughes
8. 3 Kelly Shryock
9. 58 Garrett Durrett
10. 561 David Horner
11. 20 Rodney Sanders
Hughes gained a few points on Shryock's slim lead, narrowing the gap to just eight points in the Southern Series Hunt. Two more races are on hand at the Battleground Speedway this weekend before the Hunt concludes with a three-day extravaganza at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas the first weekend of December.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Duel in the Desert
Although I wasn't able to make the trip out to the dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I found myself glued to my computer screen watching the webcast of the 12th annual Duel in the Desert. The Duel boasts the biggest winner's check every year for IMCA modifieds, and this year's winner will take home $7,777.77.
Several Iowa stock car and modified drivers made the trip west. Stock car drivers included Trent Murphy, Kevin Opheim, and Jake Masters. The list of modified drivers included Jeremy Mills, Chris Abelson, Vern Jackson, Jay Noteboom, Reese Coffee, Troy Cordes, and Phil Penney. I may have missed a few, and if that's the case, I apologize.
The IMCA stock cars would run their 20-lap feature first with North Dakota driver Robby Roselli grabbing the early lead. Kevin Opheim made his presence felt a few laps in as he overtook the lead. Opheim appeared to be on his way to victory until the final set of corners. Opheim slid up the track and fellow Iowa driver Trent Murphy, the Boone Speedway track champion, was there to take advantage and steal the jackpot away. Robby Roselli would finish third.
Over 200 modifieds were on hand for the weekend's racing action, but the field was narrowed down to the best twenty-eight drivers. Sioux City's Chris Abelson and Colorado hotshoe Ricky Alvarado paced the field to the green flag of the forty-lap finale. Abelson would lead the first couple of laps before sliding up the track, handing the lead over to Alvarado. Alvarado, who had already picked up a Wild West Shootout victory earlier in the night, opened up a good lead while Johnny "The Jet" Saathoff followed him by Abelson.
The first caution flag would wave on lap twenty-one when Kellen Chadwick came to a stop. On the restart, Bob Moore slid up the track and lost several spots. The only other caution would bunch the field back up with thirteen laps remaining. Alvarado slid up in turn four, opening the door for Saathoff to scoot by underneath. Phillips also got by on the low side to snag the second spot, but "Jet" powered out to a commanding lead that was never challenged as he went on to pick up the big payday. Terry Phillips, Ricky Alvarado, Dominic Ursetta, and Scott Drake rounded out the top five.
Although watching on the internet isn't quite the same as being there live in person, I'd like to say thanks to the people who put on the webcast. They had a few bugs here and there, but for the most part the coverage was excellent. As they mentioned on the webcast, it takes a lot of work to get things lined up in order to provide that type of service to people that aren't able to be there.
While watching the events, I had an amazing thought run through my head. After looking back through my records, I discovered that this weekend was the first non-racing weekend since the end of March!! Two races were on my schedule for that weekend, but weather forced both tracks to cancel.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to hit any more races yet this year or not. I know there are a few left on my own personal schedule, but only time will tell. The only race left on the Positivelyracing.com calendar is the Turkey Classic held at the Springfield Raceway in Springfield, Missouri on November 28th. So if you're willing to sit out in chilly weather on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, don't be surprised if you see me there!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Several Iowa stock car and modified drivers made the trip west. Stock car drivers included Trent Murphy, Kevin Opheim, and Jake Masters. The list of modified drivers included Jeremy Mills, Chris Abelson, Vern Jackson, Jay Noteboom, Reese Coffee, Troy Cordes, and Phil Penney. I may have missed a few, and if that's the case, I apologize.
The IMCA stock cars would run their 20-lap feature first with North Dakota driver Robby Roselli grabbing the early lead. Kevin Opheim made his presence felt a few laps in as he overtook the lead. Opheim appeared to be on his way to victory until the final set of corners. Opheim slid up the track and fellow Iowa driver Trent Murphy, the Boone Speedway track champion, was there to take advantage and steal the jackpot away. Robby Roselli would finish third.
Over 200 modifieds were on hand for the weekend's racing action, but the field was narrowed down to the best twenty-eight drivers. Sioux City's Chris Abelson and Colorado hotshoe Ricky Alvarado paced the field to the green flag of the forty-lap finale. Abelson would lead the first couple of laps before sliding up the track, handing the lead over to Alvarado. Alvarado, who had already picked up a Wild West Shootout victory earlier in the night, opened up a good lead while Johnny "The Jet" Saathoff followed him by Abelson.
The first caution flag would wave on lap twenty-one when Kellen Chadwick came to a stop. On the restart, Bob Moore slid up the track and lost several spots. The only other caution would bunch the field back up with thirteen laps remaining. Alvarado slid up in turn four, opening the door for Saathoff to scoot by underneath. Phillips also got by on the low side to snag the second spot, but "Jet" powered out to a commanding lead that was never challenged as he went on to pick up the big payday. Terry Phillips, Ricky Alvarado, Dominic Ursetta, and Scott Drake rounded out the top five.
Although watching on the internet isn't quite the same as being there live in person, I'd like to say thanks to the people who put on the webcast. They had a few bugs here and there, but for the most part the coverage was excellent. As they mentioned on the webcast, it takes a lot of work to get things lined up in order to provide that type of service to people that aren't able to be there.
While watching the events, I had an amazing thought run through my head. After looking back through my records, I discovered that this weekend was the first non-racing weekend since the end of March!! Two races were on my schedule for that weekend, but weather forced both tracks to cancel.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to hit any more races yet this year or not. I know there are a few left on my own personal schedule, but only time will tell. The only race left on the Positivelyracing.com calendar is the Turkey Classic held at the Springfield Raceway in Springfield, Missouri on November 28th. So if you're willing to sit out in chilly weather on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, don't be surprised if you see me there!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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