Despite a shortened season and two rain outs, the Hamilton County Speedway enjoyed a successful season in 2011. With increased payouts came more race teams, which in turn brought more fans in the stands every Saturday night. With the final regular season night the car counts dropped to a season-low, but that should not take away from the numbers the track achieved throughout the course of the season.
Going in to last night's finale, there were still a couple point titles up for grabs. One that wasn't, however, was the hornet division. Adam Strunk held a commanding lead over Daniel Ayers as Ayers missed last week, thus earning the track championship upon taking the green flag. Strunk would start on the pole and lead in the early going, but a caution flag came out on lap two. When racing resumed newcomer Duane Ferguson dove to the inside of Daniel Ayers to claim the third spot after starting seventh. With two laps remaining Lyle Oberhelman swung to the outside of Strunk in turn one and made the pass for the lead. Oberhelman would hold on to pick up the win ahead of Adam Strunk. Daniel Ayers made a last lap pass back on Duane Ferguson for third and fourth, respectively, while Keaton Graffunder completed the top five. Nathan Miller and Dennis Graffunder completed the starting field while Chris Friesth was unable to make the call.
The IMCA hobby stock crown was up for grabs as Brad Ratcliff held a slim four point advantage over Kevin Fee. Fee would get the better start and take command while Cory Roe made his way to second ahead of Ratcliff. Bobby Dilley worked his way around Ty Griffith for fourth just four laps in as he closed in on the top three. Ratcliff took his machine to the top side and made his way by Roe for second on lap eight, but Fee had already checked out. A late caution set up a green/white/checkered restart to make things a little more interesting. Randy Embrey took full advantage as he advanced a couple positions on the inside down the back stretch to fourth. When the checkered flag waved it was Kevin Fee reaching it first for his third win of the season. Brad Ratcliff finished second and secured the points championship. Randy Embrey finished third, Bobby Dilley was fourth, and David Rieks finished fifth. Corey Roe crossed the line in third, but apparently was disqualified in post-race tech.
Next up would be the stock car division. Mark Elliott has dominate this class all year and didn't even have to show up to earn his track championship, but he did and started from the pole position in the eleven car field. Elliott rocketed to the lead with defending track champion Mark Haglund behind him. An early caution on lap three slowed the pace as Jason Wagoner jumped the cushion entering turn one and tattooed the outside wall, ending his night. Following the restart Steve Jackson ducked inside of Jim Mitchell for fourth while Mark Haglund pulled even with Elliott for the lead. Haglund held the top spot for a moment, but pushed high exiting turn four allowing Elliott to regain the lead. On lap six Reid Keller squeezed inside of Haglund for second, but he was unable to track down the leader as Mark Elliott picked up his tenth win of the season and the track championship. Reid Keller finished second, Steve Jackson was third, Adam Silvey fourth, and Scott Bloemke rounded out the top ten.
IMCA sportmods made their way to the track next with sixteen cars taking the green flag. Point leader Joel Rust enjoyed a twelve-point lead over Brandon Leeman, meaning a lot of things had to happen for the title to change hands. Rust would hold down the lead with Rocky Caudle following in second when the yellow came out for the first time on lap two. Four more cautions would plague the event as the track rubbered down on the low side and became a one-lane track. Joel Rust would go on to pick up the win and the track championship as the tender age of seventeen. Rocky Caudle finished second, Brandon Leeman was third, Jeremy Embrey fourth, and Kyle Brown rebounded from an early spin to finish fifth.
Another close points race was in the IMCA modified class. Richie Gustin held a four-point lead over Mark Elliott as the two started on the front row. Gustin was able to beat Elliott to turn one and secure the preferred low groove as Elliott settled in behind. Jon Snyder and Adam Larson raced side by side for the third spot as Larson tried to work in another lane of racing. Elliott would challenge Gustin around the midpoint of the race and got alongside the leader in turn two. Track conditions in turns three and four didn't allow Elliott to capitalize, however, and Gustin began to steadily pull away in the closing laps to pick up his third win of the season and his first track championship. Mark Elliott settled for second, Jon Snyder was third, Adam Larson fourth, and David Brown rounded out the top five.
Once again the IMCA late models closed the curtain on the evening, and by taking the green flag Todd Cooney would be crowned the track champion. Cooney went out with a bang as he led flag to flag in picking up his fourth win of the season. Jeff Aikey finished second, Darrel DeFrance was third, Al Johnson fourth, and Chad Cooney edged out Jason Hahne in the final couple laps to get fifth.
As mentioned in the opening paragraphs, the Hamilton County fair board's main focus on the year was to attract more cars. I'd say overall they achieved that goal as the average car count for the year, including the Thursday night fair race, was 101.93. Obviously the most noticeable increase was seen in the IMCA modified division as the nightly average was just under twenty. Hopefully the Hamilton County fair board can continue their efforts into the off season and attract even more cars for next year.
Just because the regular season is over already doesn't mean the schedule is complete. The United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) will invade the historic half-mile on August 20 as part of The Hunt for their national championship. A fall special in October also remains on the schedule as well, so if you haven't had a chance to check out the action at the Hamilton County Speedway you still have a few more chances in 2011. Be sure to check out the website for schedule information and to also see the final point standings.
I'd like to thank the Hamilton County fair board and Larry Flaws for their continued hospitality throughout the course of the year. It was refreshing to receive a handshake and thank you from Larry last night after the races. I'd like to thank him and his crew for their huge efforts this season to make it successful.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Beuseling Wins, Sobbing Adds Feather to Cap
Tuesday, July 26th marked the second installment of the 2011 Harris Clash. The evening would showcase the IMCA Deery Brothers late model series along with the Karl Chevrolet IMCA sportmods. Fifty-eight sportmods and thirty-eight late models filled the pit area in hopes of adding their name to the list of winners at the famed Knoxville Raceway.
In rare fashion, late model heats were run before the sportmod qualifiers. I would assume part of that might be due to the number of travelers, but that's just a guess on my part. In any case, I thought the heat races and b-mains provided plenty of racing action for those who dared to sit in the heat as drivers used the low, middle, and high grooves.
When all the qualifying events had been run, the late model feature rolled to the front stretch to line up for the thirty-five lap main event. Nate Beuseling and Todd Cooney redrew the front row with Beuseling taking the early lead. These two cars quickly broke away from the rest of the pack and the top ten positions were strung out single file using the low groove. At one point all but three cars were on the bottom, and unfortunately it stayed that way pretty much the entire duration of the distance. Beuseling would catch the backmarkers on lap fifteen, allowing Cooney to close in on the race leader. Beuseling attempted to go high in turn one to get around a lapped car, but opted instead to slingshot to the bottom upon exit of turn two to maintain the lead. That may have been his best move of the night as he was able to put some distance between he and Cooney once the first lapped car was passed. Further back in the pack Ray Guss Jr was the first to shy away from the bottom side as he used the next lane up to scoot by Darrel DeFrance for seventh at the halfway point. Guss Jr's pass prompted a couple more guys to venture up a lane and also make their way by "The Ironman" DeFrance, but that would be the extent of the passing in this green-to-checkered event as Nate Beuseling picked up his first career Deery Brothers late model series victory. Todd Cooney finished second, Mike Garland was third, Jay Johnson fourth, and Matt Strassheim rounded out the top five.
With the late models exiting the track, the IMCA sportmods made their way to the front stretch to line up for their twenty-lap finale. Beau Kaplan and Jesse Sobbing comprised the front row, and upon seeing this I turned to a friend of mine and offered a friendly wager on Sobbing. We didn't go through with it, perhaps a good choice on my friend's part. When the green flag waved Kaplan held a slim advantage in turn one, but Sobbing worked his way around the outside of turn two and rocketed down the back stretch to nearly an eight car length advantage immediately. Jim Gillenwater would hold down the second position at the completion of the first lap with Austin Kaplan and Beau Kaplan riding in third and fourth, respectively. Austin would work the outside of Beau to complete the pass for third while Sobbing demolished the field to open up a huge lead. Austin Kaplan went to the inside of Gillenwater to take over the second position, but by that time Sobbing was barely visible to his nearest competitor. Carter VanDenBerg, who redrew the twelfth starting spot, was on the charge as he passed his cousin Cayden Carter for fifth on lap nine before motoring by Beau Kaplan for fourth a few laps later. A trio of racers were battling it out for sixth in the closing laps as Tyler Droste, Doug Smith, and Cayden Carter worked their way around the big half-mile oval. Even lapped traffic couldn't slow down Jesse Sobbing as he picked up yet another win on the 2011 campaign and etched his name into the track's history books. Austin Kaplan finished second, Jim Gillenwater was third, Carter VanDenBerg fourth, and Beau Kaplan completed the top five.
I'd like to give a big thank you to Bob Harris for organizing this fine event every year and for the hospitality he has given me. It is definitely appreciated and I enjoy my time at Knoxville each and every trip I make. While the late models didn't provide much excitement, I thought the sportmod feature provided more passing then anticipated given the circumstances.
For a complete run down of the night's results, be sure to check out one of the following websites: IMCA, Knoxville Raceway, Harris Clash. As I am the last of the Positivelyracing.com bloggers to submit my viewpoints, be sure to check out Jeff Broeg's "Backstretch" entry along with Dick and Joyce Eisele's "4D Fan Report" for their perspectives.
In rare fashion, late model heats were run before the sportmod qualifiers. I would assume part of that might be due to the number of travelers, but that's just a guess on my part. In any case, I thought the heat races and b-mains provided plenty of racing action for those who dared to sit in the heat as drivers used the low, middle, and high grooves.
When all the qualifying events had been run, the late model feature rolled to the front stretch to line up for the thirty-five lap main event. Nate Beuseling and Todd Cooney redrew the front row with Beuseling taking the early lead. These two cars quickly broke away from the rest of the pack and the top ten positions were strung out single file using the low groove. At one point all but three cars were on the bottom, and unfortunately it stayed that way pretty much the entire duration of the distance. Beuseling would catch the backmarkers on lap fifteen, allowing Cooney to close in on the race leader. Beuseling attempted to go high in turn one to get around a lapped car, but opted instead to slingshot to the bottom upon exit of turn two to maintain the lead. That may have been his best move of the night as he was able to put some distance between he and Cooney once the first lapped car was passed. Further back in the pack Ray Guss Jr was the first to shy away from the bottom side as he used the next lane up to scoot by Darrel DeFrance for seventh at the halfway point. Guss Jr's pass prompted a couple more guys to venture up a lane and also make their way by "The Ironman" DeFrance, but that would be the extent of the passing in this green-to-checkered event as Nate Beuseling picked up his first career Deery Brothers late model series victory. Todd Cooney finished second, Mike Garland was third, Jay Johnson fourth, and Matt Strassheim rounded out the top five.
With the late models exiting the track, the IMCA sportmods made their way to the front stretch to line up for their twenty-lap finale. Beau Kaplan and Jesse Sobbing comprised the front row, and upon seeing this I turned to a friend of mine and offered a friendly wager on Sobbing. We didn't go through with it, perhaps a good choice on my friend's part. When the green flag waved Kaplan held a slim advantage in turn one, but Sobbing worked his way around the outside of turn two and rocketed down the back stretch to nearly an eight car length advantage immediately. Jim Gillenwater would hold down the second position at the completion of the first lap with Austin Kaplan and Beau Kaplan riding in third and fourth, respectively. Austin would work the outside of Beau to complete the pass for third while Sobbing demolished the field to open up a huge lead. Austin Kaplan went to the inside of Gillenwater to take over the second position, but by that time Sobbing was barely visible to his nearest competitor. Carter VanDenBerg, who redrew the twelfth starting spot, was on the charge as he passed his cousin Cayden Carter for fifth on lap nine before motoring by Beau Kaplan for fourth a few laps later. A trio of racers were battling it out for sixth in the closing laps as Tyler Droste, Doug Smith, and Cayden Carter worked their way around the big half-mile oval. Even lapped traffic couldn't slow down Jesse Sobbing as he picked up yet another win on the 2011 campaign and etched his name into the track's history books. Austin Kaplan finished second, Jim Gillenwater was third, Carter VanDenBerg fourth, and Beau Kaplan completed the top five.
I'd like to give a big thank you to Bob Harris for organizing this fine event every year and for the hospitality he has given me. It is definitely appreciated and I enjoy my time at Knoxville each and every trip I make. While the late models didn't provide much excitement, I thought the sportmod feature provided more passing then anticipated given the circumstances.
For a complete run down of the night's results, be sure to check out one of the following websites: IMCA, Knoxville Raceway, Harris Clash. As I am the last of the Positivelyracing.com bloggers to submit my viewpoints, be sure to check out Jeff Broeg's "Backstretch" entry along with Dick and Joyce Eisele's "4D Fan Report" for their perspectives.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
First Time Winners Grace Victory Lane at Webster City
The annual "Saturday night at the fair" proved to be one a couple drivers won't soon forget. A rather hot and sticky afternoon with no breeze continued into the evening hours, but that didn't stop the race teams from putting on a great show for the fans.
During intermission the Hamilton County fair board handed out prizes and awards to people before handing the microphone over to Todd Foster of the Hamilton County Speedway Racing Association. Foster announced the five new members into the HCSRA Hall of Fame.
Upon conclusion of those ceremonies, the hornets would take to the track for their feature event. Nine cars were on hand, but two of them were unable to take the green flag. Adam Strunk would get a great start and take command, but Chris Friesth would keep pace. Lyle Oberhelman worked his way to third and swapped the second position with Friesth a couple times. Strunk would go on to take the checkered flag for the seventh time on the year. Oberhelman finished second, Friesth third, Rich Ayers fourth, and Nathan Miller completed the top five. I do believe with Dan Ayers not showing up Saturday night, that Adam Strunk is the 2011 track champion.
Next up would be the IMCA hobby stocks. Ty Griffith grabbed the lead when the green flag dropped while Roger Haupt Jr settled in to second. Bobby Dilley soon took his machine to the cushion and motored by Haupt Jr for second. A newcomer to the track, Myles Michehl, proved to be a strong contender as he worked his way around David Rieks for fourth after starting eleventh. A caution flag waved on lap four, and on the restart a trio of drivers would make their way past Haupt Jr in the next few laps. Dilley moved up to second, Michehl third, and points leader Brad Ratcliff to fourth. Dilley tried to challenge Griffith as the rookie leader stayed glued to the bottom side, but Dilley was unable to use the cushion to build up enough momentum as Ty Griffith picked up his first ever feature win. Bobby Dilley finished second, Myles Michehl was third, Brad Ratcliff fourth, and Kevin Fee rounded out the top five. Ratcliff will take a slim four point advantage over Kevin Fee going in to next week's season championship night.
Eleven stock cars were on hand Saturday night and fans were greeted to a new winner. Mark Haglund would leap to the front of the field after starting inside row three. Scott Bloemke and Jason Wagoner followed behind while Reid Keller ducked low of Adam Silvey to take over the fourth position. Keller would slow as a corner of his hood popped up, but he would benefit from the caution coming out for Mark Elliott. Elliott slowed and came to a rest in turn three, and when he limped his machine around to the work area the right front suspension was noticeably defective. That damage would end his night along with his streak of five consecutive wins at the track. Scott Bloemke found the high side to his liking as he battled ahead of Haglund at the line at the halfway point in the race. Haglund continued to catfish on the bottom while Bloemke and Wagoner used the cushion. Haglund would regain the lead while Ryan Leeman followed in his tire tracks to second. Mark Haglund would go on to pick up his first career win in the stock car class. Scott Bloemke finished second, Ryan Leeman third, Jason Wagoner fourth, and Malcolm Teachout finished fifth.
A full field of twenty-four IMCA sportmods were up next and pole-sitter Paul Price took command early. Nick Roberts settled into second while a quick yellow on lap three slowed the pace. Roberts maneuvered his machine to the top side and made the pass on Price following the restart as Bob Sutherland got by Brandon Toftee for third prior to another caution. Jeremy Embrey used the restart to his advantage as he got by Duane VanDeest for fifth before later scooting under Sutherland for fourth. Toftee would push up and opened the door for Embrey to slide into the third spot. Roberts was riding the high line the whole way around the half-mile oval, but he pushed too high in turn three and smacked the outside wall to end his night a couple laps early. With two laps remaining, Price again was out front with Embrey tucked in behind. Sutherland would sneak under Toftee for third at the white flag while Embrey was mounting a challenge on the top side for the lead. As the leaders exited turn two it appeared Price was on his way to victory, but Embrey powered his machine off the cushion and pulled even at the line. Paul Price was able to hold off Jeremy Embrey to notch his first career win. Embrey settled for second, Sutherland was third, Duane VanDeest finished fourth, and Brandon Toftee rounded out the top five. Joel Rust will take an 11-point lead over Brandon Leeman into next Saturday's season finale.
Pole-sitter David Brown grabbed the lead in the IMCA modified feature while Adam Larson raced his way to second. With Brown running the low groove, Larson quickly took to the high side and made the pass for the lead. The caution flag came out, however, and Brown went back to the front. Seeing the run Larson got, Brown changed his line and rode the cushion when the green came back out. JD Auringer, Scott Olson, and Mark Elliott each made their way around Bill Crimmins in consecutive laps to advance up positions before Elliott pulled a slide job on Olson for fourth. The caution came out when Jon Snyder tapped the rear end of Luke Wanninger and sent him into a spin. Following the restart Auringer ducked to the inside of Larson to secure the second position while Richie Gustin powered his machine up on the cushion to drive by Olson for fifth. Another caution came out on lap fourteen, and the restart saw the leaders take a somewhat lower line on the top as the cushion was pushed way up near the wall. With a lane in between the wall and the leaders, Mark Elliott opted to use that space and make the pass on Larson for third. A lap later he tried the same line on Auringer but upon exit of turn four the two made contact and Auringer went around to bring out the caution. Elliott continued using his line after the restart and made the pass on Brown for the lead before pulling away late to pick up his second win of the season. David Brown came home second, Adam Larson was third, Richie Gustin fourth, and Luke Wanninger rebounded nicely for a fifth place finish. Gustin leads Elliott by four points entering next week's finale.
IMCA late models were once again the closing feature of the night. Pole-sitter Clint Wendel would lead the opening lap, but Scott Badker found the inside line and made the pass for the lead. An early yellow slowed the pace, and Ben Nading and Al Johnson took advantage of the restart as they powered by Wendel on the top side. Johnson then ducked to the inside of Nading to take over the second position while the battle for fifth went three-wide momentarily among Darrel DeFrance, Jeff Aikey, and Jason Hahne. Three caution periods kept the field close throughout the remainder of the race, with the first one being really helpful for Todd Cooney. Restarting seventh, he rocketed his machine to the outside line and worked his way up to third after passing Ryan Griffith. Following the second yellow he again worked his magic on the top and passed Johnson for second before taking over the lead with five laps remaining. Cooney would continue on to pick up his third win of the season. Darrel DeFrance made a late charge to finish second, Al Johnson was third, Scott Badker finished fourth, and Jeff Aikey rounded out the top five. Cooney holds a 19-point advantage over Darrel DeFrance going into the final night of the season and appears to be all but a lock for the championship.
After Thursday night's heavy track thanks in large part to rain earlier in the day, Saturday night's track was completely the opposite as it provided a dryslick and wide surface. Unfortunately I noticed a few inconsistencies with some of the calls made throughout the night. One driver spun out another and got sent to the tail while another did the same and got by with it. Drivers showed their displeasure to officials and the officials stuck up for the other driver. The season is winding down obviously and the temperatures are rising along with some tempers. But the end of the season sometimes dictates whether or not drivers will make the journey back the following season. Following last night I have to wonder how many guys may make the trip to Webster City in 2012. Hopefully I'm wrong as the track has made huge strides to make things better this year.
As always you can check out the Hamilton County Speedway website for a complete rundown of results and updated point standings. My next race will be Tuesday night as the second installment of the Harris Clash visits the Knoxville Raceway. The IMCA Deery Brothers late models along with the Karl Chevrolet IMCA sportmods will invade the famed half-mile in hopes of etching their names into the record books.
During intermission the Hamilton County fair board handed out prizes and awards to people before handing the microphone over to Todd Foster of the Hamilton County Speedway Racing Association. Foster announced the five new members into the HCSRA Hall of Fame.
Upon conclusion of those ceremonies, the hornets would take to the track for their feature event. Nine cars were on hand, but two of them were unable to take the green flag. Adam Strunk would get a great start and take command, but Chris Friesth would keep pace. Lyle Oberhelman worked his way to third and swapped the second position with Friesth a couple times. Strunk would go on to take the checkered flag for the seventh time on the year. Oberhelman finished second, Friesth third, Rich Ayers fourth, and Nathan Miller completed the top five. I do believe with Dan Ayers not showing up Saturday night, that Adam Strunk is the 2011 track champion.
Next up would be the IMCA hobby stocks. Ty Griffith grabbed the lead when the green flag dropped while Roger Haupt Jr settled in to second. Bobby Dilley soon took his machine to the cushion and motored by Haupt Jr for second. A newcomer to the track, Myles Michehl, proved to be a strong contender as he worked his way around David Rieks for fourth after starting eleventh. A caution flag waved on lap four, and on the restart a trio of drivers would make their way past Haupt Jr in the next few laps. Dilley moved up to second, Michehl third, and points leader Brad Ratcliff to fourth. Dilley tried to challenge Griffith as the rookie leader stayed glued to the bottom side, but Dilley was unable to use the cushion to build up enough momentum as Ty Griffith picked up his first ever feature win. Bobby Dilley finished second, Myles Michehl was third, Brad Ratcliff fourth, and Kevin Fee rounded out the top five. Ratcliff will take a slim four point advantage over Kevin Fee going in to next week's season championship night.
Eleven stock cars were on hand Saturday night and fans were greeted to a new winner. Mark Haglund would leap to the front of the field after starting inside row three. Scott Bloemke and Jason Wagoner followed behind while Reid Keller ducked low of Adam Silvey to take over the fourth position. Keller would slow as a corner of his hood popped up, but he would benefit from the caution coming out for Mark Elliott. Elliott slowed and came to a rest in turn three, and when he limped his machine around to the work area the right front suspension was noticeably defective. That damage would end his night along with his streak of five consecutive wins at the track. Scott Bloemke found the high side to his liking as he battled ahead of Haglund at the line at the halfway point in the race. Haglund continued to catfish on the bottom while Bloemke and Wagoner used the cushion. Haglund would regain the lead while Ryan Leeman followed in his tire tracks to second. Mark Haglund would go on to pick up his first career win in the stock car class. Scott Bloemke finished second, Ryan Leeman third, Jason Wagoner fourth, and Malcolm Teachout finished fifth.
A full field of twenty-four IMCA sportmods were up next and pole-sitter Paul Price took command early. Nick Roberts settled into second while a quick yellow on lap three slowed the pace. Roberts maneuvered his machine to the top side and made the pass on Price following the restart as Bob Sutherland got by Brandon Toftee for third prior to another caution. Jeremy Embrey used the restart to his advantage as he got by Duane VanDeest for fifth before later scooting under Sutherland for fourth. Toftee would push up and opened the door for Embrey to slide into the third spot. Roberts was riding the high line the whole way around the half-mile oval, but he pushed too high in turn three and smacked the outside wall to end his night a couple laps early. With two laps remaining, Price again was out front with Embrey tucked in behind. Sutherland would sneak under Toftee for third at the white flag while Embrey was mounting a challenge on the top side for the lead. As the leaders exited turn two it appeared Price was on his way to victory, but Embrey powered his machine off the cushion and pulled even at the line. Paul Price was able to hold off Jeremy Embrey to notch his first career win. Embrey settled for second, Sutherland was third, Duane VanDeest finished fourth, and Brandon Toftee rounded out the top five. Joel Rust will take an 11-point lead over Brandon Leeman into next Saturday's season finale.
Pole-sitter David Brown grabbed the lead in the IMCA modified feature while Adam Larson raced his way to second. With Brown running the low groove, Larson quickly took to the high side and made the pass for the lead. The caution flag came out, however, and Brown went back to the front. Seeing the run Larson got, Brown changed his line and rode the cushion when the green came back out. JD Auringer, Scott Olson, and Mark Elliott each made their way around Bill Crimmins in consecutive laps to advance up positions before Elliott pulled a slide job on Olson for fourth. The caution came out when Jon Snyder tapped the rear end of Luke Wanninger and sent him into a spin. Following the restart Auringer ducked to the inside of Larson to secure the second position while Richie Gustin powered his machine up on the cushion to drive by Olson for fifth. Another caution came out on lap fourteen, and the restart saw the leaders take a somewhat lower line on the top as the cushion was pushed way up near the wall. With a lane in between the wall and the leaders, Mark Elliott opted to use that space and make the pass on Larson for third. A lap later he tried the same line on Auringer but upon exit of turn four the two made contact and Auringer went around to bring out the caution. Elliott continued using his line after the restart and made the pass on Brown for the lead before pulling away late to pick up his second win of the season. David Brown came home second, Adam Larson was third, Richie Gustin fourth, and Luke Wanninger rebounded nicely for a fifth place finish. Gustin leads Elliott by four points entering next week's finale.
IMCA late models were once again the closing feature of the night. Pole-sitter Clint Wendel would lead the opening lap, but Scott Badker found the inside line and made the pass for the lead. An early yellow slowed the pace, and Ben Nading and Al Johnson took advantage of the restart as they powered by Wendel on the top side. Johnson then ducked to the inside of Nading to take over the second position while the battle for fifth went three-wide momentarily among Darrel DeFrance, Jeff Aikey, and Jason Hahne. Three caution periods kept the field close throughout the remainder of the race, with the first one being really helpful for Todd Cooney. Restarting seventh, he rocketed his machine to the outside line and worked his way up to third after passing Ryan Griffith. Following the second yellow he again worked his magic on the top and passed Johnson for second before taking over the lead with five laps remaining. Cooney would continue on to pick up his third win of the season. Darrel DeFrance made a late charge to finish second, Al Johnson was third, Scott Badker finished fourth, and Jeff Aikey rounded out the top five. Cooney holds a 19-point advantage over Darrel DeFrance going into the final night of the season and appears to be all but a lock for the championship.
After Thursday night's heavy track thanks in large part to rain earlier in the day, Saturday night's track was completely the opposite as it provided a dryslick and wide surface. Unfortunately I noticed a few inconsistencies with some of the calls made throughout the night. One driver spun out another and got sent to the tail while another did the same and got by with it. Drivers showed their displeasure to officials and the officials stuck up for the other driver. The season is winding down obviously and the temperatures are rising along with some tempers. But the end of the season sometimes dictates whether or not drivers will make the journey back the following season. Following last night I have to wonder how many guys may make the trip to Webster City in 2012. Hopefully I'm wrong as the track has made huge strides to make things better this year.
As always you can check out the Hamilton County Speedway website for a complete rundown of results and updated point standings. My next race will be Tuesday night as the second installment of the Harris Clash visits the Knoxville Raceway. The IMCA Deery Brothers late models along with the Karl Chevrolet IMCA sportmods will invade the famed half-mile in hopes of etching their names into the record books.
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