After last week's racing action got cut prematurely by weather, the Hamilton County Speedway again hosted a great night of racing at the "historic half-mile" with a terrific crowd on hand for $5 admission fan appreciation night. With three makeup features yet to be run, action got started a little earlier to accommodate for time.
First up on the slate would be the stock car makeup feature. Ten cars made the call with Reid Keller getting the jump on the field and leading the first lap. Mark Elliott, who started in eighth, quickly sliced his way to second on the first lap with Jason Wagoner following in his tire tracks. The three separated from the rest of the pack and Elliott was able to power his machine around the top side of Keller to take over the lead. Keller would receive heavy pressure from Wagoner for the second position throughout the rest of the race, but taking the win would be Elliott. Keller held on for second with Wagoner in third, Scott Bloemke was fourth, and Jim Mitchell rounded out the top five.
The IMCA modified makeup feature was next up on the track with a twenty-car field. Pole sitter Mike Jergens held the top spot in the early going, but many eyes were focused on the middle of the pack as Richie Gustin worked his way to the front. After starting twelfth, Gustin quickly maneuvered his machine to fifth at the completion of lap four. With Jergens out front by himself, Gustin continued to click off positions as he passed Duane Peterson, Levi Nielsen, and Jacob Murray to settle in to second on lap seven. In four laps Gustin used the inside groove to scoot by Jergens and take control at the front of the field. A caution flag waved shortly after Gustin took the lead, allowing the pack to bunch back up. A few laps later Justin Sackett climbed into the top five after passing Ron Lauritzen on the inside. With Gustin out front by himself, Sackett chased down Jergens for second and took advantage when Jergens bobbled in turn four. Richie Gustin went on to win his second feature at the Hamilton County Speedway. Justin Sackett finished second after starting nineteenth, Mike Jergens was third, Ron Lauritzen fourth, and Jon Snyder rounded out the top five.
Nineteen of the twenty-one IMCA late models that were checked in last week made the return trip for the makeup feature. Craig Jacobs rocketed to the lead from the pole with Ryan Griffith keeping pace right behind him. Following an early yellow, Darrel DeFrance made a great move on the restart to click off a few positions as he went from seventh to third within two laps of green flag racing. Jeff Aikey, who had started at the rear of the field, was on the charge deep in the field as he moved up to the sixth position by lap five. The caution flag waved once again on lap twelve when Griffith's motor went up in smoke on the front stretch. Despite the caution, Jacobs was still able to keep the field at bay as he went on to take the checkered flag. DeFrance settled for second, Kyle Wahlert finished third, Al Johnson was fourth, and Jason Hahne completed the top five.
The regular program then got kicked off with heat races and a b-main for the IMCA sportmods. Track announcer Ryan Bergeson mentioned that 122 race teams were in attendance in front of a packed grandstand that was estimated at around 1,300 people.
The hornet feature took to the track for their feature with nine of the eleven cars making the call. Pole sitter Nick Hogan was credited with leading the first lap while Jarid Kuchenreuther was at his door panel at the line. Kuchenreuther used that outside line to wrestle the lead away on the next lap, but Adam Strunk was closing in behind with Mike McFarland just behind him. Strunk used the inside line to take the lead and then held off McFarland to take the win. McFarland was second, Kuchenreuther was third, Daniel Ayers was fourth, and Devin Collins rounded out the top five.
Twenty-two IMCA hobby stocks were next up and pole sitter Blake Miller took control up front. Craig Graham quickly changed that as he ducked to the inside to take the lead away. Point leader Kevin Fee, who started in twelfth, quickly charged to third on lap three prior to the first of five cautions coming out a lap later. That wouldn't distract Fee, as he got by Miller on the inside to click off another spot before setting his sights on Graham. Fee had got around Graham for the lead, but the caution came out and negated the pass. A lap six pass by Fee did stand, however, and the Knoxville driver took control out front. Another caution flag waved when Blake Miller spun as a result of drivers attempting to go four-wide exiting turn two. Robert See was penalized for questionable driving and tagged the tail of the field. Two more cautions would come out, but the name at the front of the field remained the same as Kevin Fee extended his points lead with the win. Brad Ratcliff would finish second, Robert See rebounded nicely to get third, Craig Graham was fourth, and Cory Roe completed the top five.
Attention then turned towards the IMCA sportmods with twenty-four starters on the track. Pole sitter Cayden Carter wasted no time in taking command of the field. Carter would begin to pull away, but a caution on lap five erased his growing lead. Jeremy Embrey used the restart to his advantage as he began to click off positions, climbing into the second position after making passes on Carter VanDenBerg and Matt Lettow. Another caution on lap nine slowed the action once again, but Cayden Carter would again pull away from the field on his way to victory lane. Jeremy Embrey wound finish second, Carter VanDenBerg was third, Matt Lettow finished fourth, and Brandon Toftee rounded out the top five.
Ten of the twelve stock cars that were checked in made the call for their second feature of the night. Dennis Plain would lead the first lap, but the rest of the field were three and four-wide behind him. Mark Elliott again showed his prowess on the half-mile speedplant as he got by Jim Mitchell for second early on. Elliott would capitalize when Plain got too high in turn four, handing the reigns over to Elliott. Jason Wagoner and Travis Prochaska would both get by Mitchell using the bottom groove, but neither had anything for the leader as Mark Elliott continued his domination in the stock car ranks and picked up his fourth win in as many races. Jason Wagoner finished second, Travis Prochaska third, Jim Mitchell fourth, and Dennis Plain finished fifth.
It would then be time for the twenty-four car starting field of IMCA modifieds. Pole sitter Jeremy Mills rocketed to the lead with opening night winner JD Auringer chasing him down in second. Richie Gustin was on the move quickly again in this feature as he climbed into the top five on lap six. A lap later he used the bumpy cushion to pass Clint Wendel and David Brown to secure the third position. Mills would pull away from Auringer until the caution came out with three laps to go. However the top three cars would remain unchanged as Jeremy Mills picked up the win ahead of JD Auringer, Richie Gustin, Adam Larson, and Todd Shute.
Five caution flags would plague the seventeen-car IMCA late model feature. Ben Nading used the pole to his advantage as he blasted into the lead. Jason Hahne made a great move on the first set of corners to pass five cars in advancing to the second position. Todd Cooney and Ryan Giles quickly made their way to third and fourth, respectively, after starting in row five together. Following a lap five restart, Cooney used the top groove to wrestle the second position away from Hahne. Then a period of three caution flags within two laps slowed the pace, but Cooney jumped on the throttle on the restart on lap nine to power by Nading for the lead. Cooney would begin to put distance between him and Nading as he held a straight away advantage when he crossed the line for the win. Ben Nading would finish second, Ryan Giles was third, Craig Jacobs finished fourth, and Darrel DeFrance completed the top five.
Despite the track being on the rough side in the corners, drivers were able to use multiple lanes throughout the night to keep the huge crowd entertained. Mills used the extreme low groove to dominate the IMCA modified feature in leading all twenty laps while Todd Cooney used the high side to capture his win. For a complete rundown of results and updated point standings, be sure to check out the Hamilton County Speedway website. I'd like to thank the Hamilton County Speedway fairboard for their hospitality and Ryan Bergeson for the Positivelyracing plug.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Mather Finds First USMTS Win at Allison
Thursday night the stars and cars of the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) invaded the half-mile track at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa. It was supposed to be stop number two of five on the Memorial Day weekend swing, but mother nature did not cooperate on Wednesday and officials were forced to postpone the event at the Southern Iowa Speedway until July. When I arrived at the track in Allison around 5:00, I was very surprised when I saw the water truck applying more water to the track!
A great number of cars were on hand Thursday night as 107 teams packed the pit area. That number included 29 USMTS modifieds, 36 USRA Ironman stock cars, and an astounding 42 USRA Ironman b-mods. After getting things started a bit behind schedule, the action picked up for heat race action and then on into the b-mains to set all three feature fields.
The first feature to hit the track was the USRA Arnold Motor Supply Ironman series for stock cars. Twenty-seven cars took the green flag with pole sitter Tory Reicks grabbing the early lead. The pace soon slowed on lap two when Randy Killen spun in turn four. Soon after that restart, Mike VanGenderen also spun in turn four to bring out the caution. Kevin Donlan enjoyed the ensuing restart as he advanced two positions to climb to the second spot. Defending series champion Nathan Wood also proved he would be a contender as he used the bottom groove to slip by Matt Griener for third prior to a caution. Donlan again took advantage of the restart as he ducked low on Reicks to take over the race lead on lap five. Several position changes would occur throughout the race, especially among the top four, seemingly every lap. Following the fifth and final caution of the race, Dan Christopher took control at the front of the field. Nathan Wood climbed into the second position before sliding to the inside in turn four and securing the lead. Christopher's good run came up short as he lost the handle in turn four, giving up several positions. When the checkered flag waved it would be Nathan Wood in victory lane followed by Tory Reicks, Kevin Donlan, Mike VanGenderen rebounded nicely for a fourth place finish, and Dan Trimble completed the top five.
Up next would be the USRA Ironman series for the b-mods. Twenty-four starters took the green flag and again it would be pole sitter Brian Schrage getting a great start to secure the top spot. The first caution of the race came on lap five, and as the field was going down the backstretch for the ensuing restart the second place machine of Cayden Carter ducked into the infield to end his night early. As the laps clicked off Jimmy Broszeit found his groove as he climbed the leaderboard, making the low side work in passing Bob Sutherland for the second position. Broszeit used the same line to sneak under Schrage for the lead. Defending USRA b-mod national champion Brandon Hare was also on a mission, making passes on both Sutherland and Schrage to move into the second position late in the race. Jimmy Broszeit led the field to the checkered flag and the win ahead of Brandon Hare, Brian Schrage, Bob Sutherland, and Tyler Droste. However, following post race inspection both Broszeit and Schrage were disqualified and giving the win to Brandon Hare. Sutherland was bumped up to second, Droste third, Mike Shelton fourth, and Matt Lettow completed the top five.
It was then time for the ground pounding action of the USMTS feature. Unfortunately the pace came to a stop shortly after it started as Keith Foss went for a ride in turn three on the first lap. Fortunately he would walk away unhurt. When the green remained out it was Eric Dailey rocketing to the lead from his outside front row starting spot. Dailey would enjoy almost a straight away advantage until smoke started showing. Dailey was given the black flag for excessive smoke and exited to the infield. Ryan Gustin would inherit the lead, but that was short lived as Colt Mather used the inside groove to make the pass and get out front.
With fifteen laps in the book, another restart saw Rodney Sanders make the outside line work in his favor as he advanced two spots and into the third position. Up front Mather and Gustin raced wheel to wheel, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the race. While that battle was going on VanderBeek had tracked down Sanders once again as those two engaged in a battle for third. In both cases the bottom side was the quick way as Mather remained out front and VanderBeek got the advantage for third. Gustin would not give up on the top side as he regained the lead prior to the caution flag waving. During the caution I noticed Kelly Shryock, who was running in the top five, had broken his left front tie rod. He would attempt to race with it, but would retire to the infield a few laps later. Mather kept the pressure on Gustin and took advantage of the quicker bottom groove to put himself back atop the leaderboard with a few laps remaining. Gustin would try everything he could, but was unable to keep pace as Colt Mather picked up his first-ever USMTS feature win. Gustin would settle for second, Zack VanderBeek finished third, Rodney Sanders was fourth, and Al Hejna held off Jon Tesch for fifth and sixth, respectively. It was a solid run for Hejna as it was his first night behind the wheel of his new Big Cock Chassis by Corey Dripps.
While the show did run a bit late, I think the only thing officials could have done different was start earlier. In hearing conversations after the races, officials did not expect that many cars to be on hand. As most would say though, "that's a good problem to have." While the track did have a major rut in turns one and two, I thought overall the track stayed in decent shape considering the conditions officials were dealt. For full results, be sure to check out the following websites: Highway 3 Raceway, USMTS, and USRA.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
A great number of cars were on hand Thursday night as 107 teams packed the pit area. That number included 29 USMTS modifieds, 36 USRA Ironman stock cars, and an astounding 42 USRA Ironman b-mods. After getting things started a bit behind schedule, the action picked up for heat race action and then on into the b-mains to set all three feature fields.
The first feature to hit the track was the USRA Arnold Motor Supply Ironman series for stock cars. Twenty-seven cars took the green flag with pole sitter Tory Reicks grabbing the early lead. The pace soon slowed on lap two when Randy Killen spun in turn four. Soon after that restart, Mike VanGenderen also spun in turn four to bring out the caution. Kevin Donlan enjoyed the ensuing restart as he advanced two positions to climb to the second spot. Defending series champion Nathan Wood also proved he would be a contender as he used the bottom groove to slip by Matt Griener for third prior to a caution. Donlan again took advantage of the restart as he ducked low on Reicks to take over the race lead on lap five. Several position changes would occur throughout the race, especially among the top four, seemingly every lap. Following the fifth and final caution of the race, Dan Christopher took control at the front of the field. Nathan Wood climbed into the second position before sliding to the inside in turn four and securing the lead. Christopher's good run came up short as he lost the handle in turn four, giving up several positions. When the checkered flag waved it would be Nathan Wood in victory lane followed by Tory Reicks, Kevin Donlan, Mike VanGenderen rebounded nicely for a fourth place finish, and Dan Trimble completed the top five.
Up next would be the USRA Ironman series for the b-mods. Twenty-four starters took the green flag and again it would be pole sitter Brian Schrage getting a great start to secure the top spot. The first caution of the race came on lap five, and as the field was going down the backstretch for the ensuing restart the second place machine of Cayden Carter ducked into the infield to end his night early. As the laps clicked off Jimmy Broszeit found his groove as he climbed the leaderboard, making the low side work in passing Bob Sutherland for the second position. Broszeit used the same line to sneak under Schrage for the lead. Defending USRA b-mod national champion Brandon Hare was also on a mission, making passes on both Sutherland and Schrage to move into the second position late in the race. Jimmy Broszeit led the field to the checkered flag and the win ahead of Brandon Hare, Brian Schrage, Bob Sutherland, and Tyler Droste. However, following post race inspection both Broszeit and Schrage were disqualified and giving the win to Brandon Hare. Sutherland was bumped up to second, Droste third, Mike Shelton fourth, and Matt Lettow completed the top five.
It was then time for the ground pounding action of the USMTS feature. Unfortunately the pace came to a stop shortly after it started as Keith Foss went for a ride in turn three on the first lap. Fortunately he would walk away unhurt. When the green remained out it was Eric Dailey rocketing to the lead from his outside front row starting spot. Dailey would enjoy almost a straight away advantage until smoke started showing. Dailey was given the black flag for excessive smoke and exited to the infield. Ryan Gustin would inherit the lead, but that was short lived as Colt Mather used the inside groove to make the pass and get out front.
With fifteen laps in the book, another restart saw Rodney Sanders make the outside line work in his favor as he advanced two spots and into the third position. Up front Mather and Gustin raced wheel to wheel, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the race. While that battle was going on VanderBeek had tracked down Sanders once again as those two engaged in a battle for third. In both cases the bottom side was the quick way as Mather remained out front and VanderBeek got the advantage for third. Gustin would not give up on the top side as he regained the lead prior to the caution flag waving. During the caution I noticed Kelly Shryock, who was running in the top five, had broken his left front tie rod. He would attempt to race with it, but would retire to the infield a few laps later. Mather kept the pressure on Gustin and took advantage of the quicker bottom groove to put himself back atop the leaderboard with a few laps remaining. Gustin would try everything he could, but was unable to keep pace as Colt Mather picked up his first-ever USMTS feature win. Gustin would settle for second, Zack VanderBeek finished third, Rodney Sanders was fourth, and Al Hejna held off Jon Tesch for fifth and sixth, respectively. It was a solid run for Hejna as it was his first night behind the wheel of his new Big Cock Chassis by Corey Dripps.
While the show did run a bit late, I think the only thing officials could have done different was start earlier. In hearing conversations after the races, officials did not expect that many cars to be on hand. As most would say though, "that's a good problem to have." While the track did have a major rut in turns one and two, I thought overall the track stayed in decent shape considering the conditions officials were dealt. For full results, be sure to check out the following websites: Highway 3 Raceway, USMTS, and USRA.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Embrey, See Beat the Rain at Hamilton County Speedway
After seeing the forecast earlier in the week, I was very surprised to hear that the Hamilton County Speedway was still racing Saturday night. I got word that the pit area was the problem area, and when I showed up around 5:00 it was definitely a muddy mess. Several vehicles were on the track trying to pack it in while a couple tractors were in the infield trying to smooth over the surface.
After getting a late start due to the conditions, the program got underway. Following all the heat races track officials took the box scraper out to turns one and two and made a couple passes to blade off the top side to knock the cushion down and perhaps make a smoother surface.
The hornet feature would be first on the track following the track work. Adam Strunk would take control in the early going, but he would be challenged by Lyle Oberhelman. The two appeared to make contact a few times down the backstretch, but Strunk maintained the lead. In the closing laps it appeared Oberhelman lost a little power, allowing Mike McFarland to get by and close in on Strunk. But it was not to be as Adam Strunk took home the checkers and the win. Mike McFarland finished second, Lyle Oberhelman was third, Daniel Ayers finished fourth, and Jarid Kuchenreuther rounded out the top five.
The field of sixteen IMCA hobby stocks then made their way to the track with pole-sitter Al Dixon getting the jump and race lead. Dixon would push up high in turn four on the fourth circuit, opening the door for Brad Ratcliff to slip by under him for the lead. Robert See was on a mission behind the front runners as he passed Matt Ring and Roger Haupt Jr to crack the top three. He later worked to the inside of Dixon to grab the runner up position before a caution came out. A few more cautions would wave, and the final one was costly for Ratcliff as he exited the track on the backstretch prior to the restart and giving up the race lead. Robert See inherited the lead and was never challenged following the restart as he picked up the win. Matt Ring would finish second, Al Dixon was third, Kevin Fee crossed the line fourth, and Cory Roe rebounded from a trip to the work area to finish fifth.
A big field of IMCA sportmods had to dwindle the field down via a b-main. Outside front row starter Jeremy Embrey rocketed to the lead with rookie Shawn Albers following in second. Embrey opened up a straight away lead around the halfway point, but a caution erased his lead. On the restart Embrey again took off and left the field on his way to victory lane. Shawn Albers had a great run to finish second, Brandon Toftee was third, Travis Woodbeck finished fourth, and Jim Lampe rounded out the top five. I believe the announcer said thirty sportmods were on hand last night.
Unfortunately these three races were the only features to get run last night. Officials decided to postpone the remaining of the program until next week due to the threatening weather that was heading towards Webster City. The stock car, IMCA modified, and IMCA late model feature will be in addition to a complete show next Saturday during fan appreciation night, in which the grandstand admission will only be $5 for adults. Sounds like a heck of a bargain to me!! For more information, be sure to check out the Hamilton County Speedway website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
After getting a late start due to the conditions, the program got underway. Following all the heat races track officials took the box scraper out to turns one and two and made a couple passes to blade off the top side to knock the cushion down and perhaps make a smoother surface.
The hornet feature would be first on the track following the track work. Adam Strunk would take control in the early going, but he would be challenged by Lyle Oberhelman. The two appeared to make contact a few times down the backstretch, but Strunk maintained the lead. In the closing laps it appeared Oberhelman lost a little power, allowing Mike McFarland to get by and close in on Strunk. But it was not to be as Adam Strunk took home the checkers and the win. Mike McFarland finished second, Lyle Oberhelman was third, Daniel Ayers finished fourth, and Jarid Kuchenreuther rounded out the top five.
The field of sixteen IMCA hobby stocks then made their way to the track with pole-sitter Al Dixon getting the jump and race lead. Dixon would push up high in turn four on the fourth circuit, opening the door for Brad Ratcliff to slip by under him for the lead. Robert See was on a mission behind the front runners as he passed Matt Ring and Roger Haupt Jr to crack the top three. He later worked to the inside of Dixon to grab the runner up position before a caution came out. A few more cautions would wave, and the final one was costly for Ratcliff as he exited the track on the backstretch prior to the restart and giving up the race lead. Robert See inherited the lead and was never challenged following the restart as he picked up the win. Matt Ring would finish second, Al Dixon was third, Kevin Fee crossed the line fourth, and Cory Roe rebounded from a trip to the work area to finish fifth.
A big field of IMCA sportmods had to dwindle the field down via a b-main. Outside front row starter Jeremy Embrey rocketed to the lead with rookie Shawn Albers following in second. Embrey opened up a straight away lead around the halfway point, but a caution erased his lead. On the restart Embrey again took off and left the field on his way to victory lane. Shawn Albers had a great run to finish second, Brandon Toftee was third, Travis Woodbeck finished fourth, and Jim Lampe rounded out the top five. I believe the announcer said thirty sportmods were on hand last night.
Unfortunately these three races were the only features to get run last night. Officials decided to postpone the remaining of the program until next week due to the threatening weather that was heading towards Webster City. The stock car, IMCA modified, and IMCA late model feature will be in addition to a complete show next Saturday during fan appreciation night, in which the grandstand admission will only be $5 for adults. Sounds like a heck of a bargain to me!! For more information, be sure to check out the Hamilton County Speedway website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Boeckman and Abelson Repeat at BVR
First off I have to apologize for this being so late. I simply didn't have time to write this blog as I had other stuff going on. That being said, Wednesday was seemingly a perfect day with the warm temperatures and sunny skies. As I trekked to the west, however, the sun disappeared and it was a bit cool as I got out of my vehicle upon arrival at the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta. Chances of rain seemed to be on the horizon with lightning off to the east, but the show went on and was completed.
The BVR bomber class was first to hit the track for their feature. Eight cars took the green flag with Austin Reicks taking the top spot at the drop of the green flag. Jake Bieret and Keith Demey worked under Josh Maholer for the second and third positions, respectively, before Demey went up in smoke. When racing resumed, it would be Austin Reicks crossing the finish line ahead of Jake Bieret, Lucas Vote, Josh Maholer, and Colby Davis. However, those results would not hold up after post-race tech disqualified Reicks, Bieret, and Maholer. Go that gave the win to Lucas Vote. Colby Davis was then credited with second, Mike Draper was third, Kevin Blume was scored fourth, and Keith Demey rounded out the top five.
The IMCA sport compacts were up next with five cars on hand. Cory Flanigan rocketed to the lead and never looked back as he cruised to the easy win. He was followed by Mark Lindgren, Joe Bunkofske, Mike Brabec, and Danny Rose.
Twenty-three IMCA hobby stocks checked in for action Wednesday night with all but two of them making the call for the feature. Pole-sitter Shannon Anderson grabbed the early control on lap one, but perhaps the best single lap in my recent memory was had by Devin Smith. After starting eighth on the grid, Smith sliced his way to the second spot on the first lap. Andy Boeckman, opening night winner, was also on the charge as he advanced up to the fourth spot after starting twelfth. A caution flag came out at the halfway point with the top four drivers being Anderson, Smith, Boeckman, and Michael Murphy. With the double-file restarts, Anderson opted for the top side. Boeckman used the top side to power by Smith on the outside before he ducked to the inside of Anderson to take over the race lead. Smith followed Boeckman on the low side to also get by Anderson and then continued his momentum to sneak under Boeckman to regain the lead. Murphy made the pass on Anderson before Anderson retired to the pits with a flat left rear tire. Boeckman would get the lead back from Smith with a few laps to go and go on to pick up his second win in as many weeks. Smith settled for second, Murphy was third, Bill Woehler was fourth, and Craig Brotherton rounded out the top five.
After that exciting race, it was now time for the fifteen car field of IMCA sportmods. Outside front row starter Brett Meyer pounced at the waving of the green flag to assume command. Doug Smith followed in Meyer's tire tracks in second, while opening night winner Jesse Sobbing was quickly moving forward to the fourth position on lap three. Following a pass on Tim Rupp, Sobbing began to slowly reel in Meyer and Smith at the front of the field. Sobbing used the cushion to motor by Smith for the second spot with three laps to go and set his sights on Meyer. Sobbing would get to his rear bumper, but was unable to find a way by the defending IMCA Supernationals winner. Brett Meyer would pick up the win followed by Jesse Sobbing, Doug Smith, Zach Norgaard, and Chris Grothe. Matt Pittman crossed the line in fourth, but was later disqualified in post-race tech.
Only nine IMCA stock cars were on hand Wednesday night. David Smith jumped to the early lead with Brian Blessington following him to second. An early caution slowed the pace momentarily, but following the restart the field would get strung out mostly single file. Donovan Smith was able to duck to the inside of Blessington for the runner up spot, but that was the only notable position change throughout the remainder of the race. David Smith took home the win ahead of Donovan Smith, Brian Blessington, Trent Murphy, and Stefan Sybesma.
Only seven IMCA modifieds checked in for the night, and it would be Brian Schmitt taking control in the early segment of the feature. Schmitt's great run would end prematurely as the motor went south on lap three to end his night. Chris Abelson inherited the lead and never looked back as he picked up his second win in as many nights at the speedway. Dustin Smith finished second, Jim Thies was third, Jason Briese finished fourth, and Mark Gaskill completed the top five.
A hobby stock king of the hill and the Sybesma Graphics stock car challenge was also run following the feature events. In the finale of the king of the hill, Devin Smith beat Shannon Anderson to claim that title while David Smith doubled up with another $500 win in the stock car challenge.
I don't understand the reasoning of the lower car counts in the upper divisions at this track. I can understand guys not wanting to run in the middle of the week. I can understand drivers complaining about the dust from opening night, or the chance of rain this past Wednesday. But the track was in tip-top shape and the crew at BVR run an efficient program. I hope the car count picks up in the coming weeks as well as the fans, as it was noted the middle part of the grandstand was a bit on the bare side. Hopefully following graduations and such attendance will pick up.
For more information pertaining the Buena Vista Raceway, check out their website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The BVR bomber class was first to hit the track for their feature. Eight cars took the green flag with Austin Reicks taking the top spot at the drop of the green flag. Jake Bieret and Keith Demey worked under Josh Maholer for the second and third positions, respectively, before Demey went up in smoke. When racing resumed, it would be Austin Reicks crossing the finish line ahead of Jake Bieret, Lucas Vote, Josh Maholer, and Colby Davis. However, those results would not hold up after post-race tech disqualified Reicks, Bieret, and Maholer. Go that gave the win to Lucas Vote. Colby Davis was then credited with second, Mike Draper was third, Kevin Blume was scored fourth, and Keith Demey rounded out the top five.
The IMCA sport compacts were up next with five cars on hand. Cory Flanigan rocketed to the lead and never looked back as he cruised to the easy win. He was followed by Mark Lindgren, Joe Bunkofske, Mike Brabec, and Danny Rose.
Twenty-three IMCA hobby stocks checked in for action Wednesday night with all but two of them making the call for the feature. Pole-sitter Shannon Anderson grabbed the early control on lap one, but perhaps the best single lap in my recent memory was had by Devin Smith. After starting eighth on the grid, Smith sliced his way to the second spot on the first lap. Andy Boeckman, opening night winner, was also on the charge as he advanced up to the fourth spot after starting twelfth. A caution flag came out at the halfway point with the top four drivers being Anderson, Smith, Boeckman, and Michael Murphy. With the double-file restarts, Anderson opted for the top side. Boeckman used the top side to power by Smith on the outside before he ducked to the inside of Anderson to take over the race lead. Smith followed Boeckman on the low side to also get by Anderson and then continued his momentum to sneak under Boeckman to regain the lead. Murphy made the pass on Anderson before Anderson retired to the pits with a flat left rear tire. Boeckman would get the lead back from Smith with a few laps to go and go on to pick up his second win in as many weeks. Smith settled for second, Murphy was third, Bill Woehler was fourth, and Craig Brotherton rounded out the top five.
After that exciting race, it was now time for the fifteen car field of IMCA sportmods. Outside front row starter Brett Meyer pounced at the waving of the green flag to assume command. Doug Smith followed in Meyer's tire tracks in second, while opening night winner Jesse Sobbing was quickly moving forward to the fourth position on lap three. Following a pass on Tim Rupp, Sobbing began to slowly reel in Meyer and Smith at the front of the field. Sobbing used the cushion to motor by Smith for the second spot with three laps to go and set his sights on Meyer. Sobbing would get to his rear bumper, but was unable to find a way by the defending IMCA Supernationals winner. Brett Meyer would pick up the win followed by Jesse Sobbing, Doug Smith, Zach Norgaard, and Chris Grothe. Matt Pittman crossed the line in fourth, but was later disqualified in post-race tech.
Only nine IMCA stock cars were on hand Wednesday night. David Smith jumped to the early lead with Brian Blessington following him to second. An early caution slowed the pace momentarily, but following the restart the field would get strung out mostly single file. Donovan Smith was able to duck to the inside of Blessington for the runner up spot, but that was the only notable position change throughout the remainder of the race. David Smith took home the win ahead of Donovan Smith, Brian Blessington, Trent Murphy, and Stefan Sybesma.
Only seven IMCA modifieds checked in for the night, and it would be Brian Schmitt taking control in the early segment of the feature. Schmitt's great run would end prematurely as the motor went south on lap three to end his night. Chris Abelson inherited the lead and never looked back as he picked up his second win in as many nights at the speedway. Dustin Smith finished second, Jim Thies was third, Jason Briese finished fourth, and Mark Gaskill completed the top five.
A hobby stock king of the hill and the Sybesma Graphics stock car challenge was also run following the feature events. In the finale of the king of the hill, Devin Smith beat Shannon Anderson to claim that title while David Smith doubled up with another $500 win in the stock car challenge.
I don't understand the reasoning of the lower car counts in the upper divisions at this track. I can understand guys not wanting to run in the middle of the week. I can understand drivers complaining about the dust from opening night, or the chance of rain this past Wednesday. But the track was in tip-top shape and the crew at BVR run an efficient program. I hope the car count picks up in the coming weeks as well as the fans, as it was noted the middle part of the grandstand was a bit on the bare side. Hopefully following graduations and such attendance will pick up.
For more information pertaining the Buena Vista Raceway, check out their website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Vern Jackson Scores First Hawkeye Dirt Tour Win
The JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour invaded the Benton County Speedway on Tuesday night with ninety-plus degree temperatures and a southerly breeze. Forty-four modifieds were on hand to try their luck at the small 1/4-mile bullring that is known as the "home of the IMCA modified". Five heat races and three b-main events were run to dwindle the starting field down to twenty-four cars, including one HDT and one track provisional.
The IMCA sport compact feature was first up with twelve cars taking the green flag. Bill Whalen Jr used the pole to jump out front in the early going, but Brad Chandler would stay glued to his rear bumper. Chandler, driving a borrowed machine from Bryce Bailey, ducked to the inside of Whalen Jr and took over the race lead at the halfway point in the race. Chandler would pull away late in picking up the win. Whalen Jr finished second and Nathan Chandler was third.
The modified b-mains were run, and at the completion of those three events the IMCA sportmods took to the track for their fifteen-lap main event. Outside front row starter Carter VanDenBerg got the jump on pole-sitter Danny Dvorak to lead the first lap, but Dvorak raced to the inside and took the top spot away on lap two prior to a caution flag. Following another caution, Austin Kaplan took advantage on the restart and made a great pass on both Joel Rust and Jake Strayer to advance two spots up to the third position. Kaplan continued running the top groove pretty much by himself as he passed VanDenBerg for second before setting his sights on Dvorak up front. Kaplan would pass Dvorak on the white flag lap and appeared to be on his way to scoring the win, but he left the door open for Dvorak on the bottom and Dvorak capitalized. Dvorak would get enough forward momentum to pull off the win on the final corner while Kaplan settled for second. Carter VanDenBerg finished third, Joel Rust was fourth, and Jake Strayer finished fifth.
The time had come for the thirty-lap JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour feature for the IMCA modifieds. Larry Herring used the pole position to lead the first lap prior to a yellow flag slowing the action down right away. Restarting in the fourth position on the double-file restart, Vern Jackson used the inside line to sneak past Jeff Waterman and Mitch Morris for the runner-up position. Jackson later would grab the lead away as Herring faded back to fifth. Morris then picked up the challenge on Jackson as he used the cushion to snare the lead away. Ryan Dolan used the bottom groove to work past Jackson for second as the halfway point was shown, but Jackson immediately took it back the following lap.
A caution with twelve laps remaining bunched the field tightly. Kellen Chadwick took full advantage of the restart, taking his Rage Chassis #83 to the top side and passing a couple cars to move into the top five. While Chadwick was making strides on the top, Jackson found a bite on the bottom side and again took command out front when he passed Morris for the lead. Jackson opened up a little breathing room late in the race as he picked up the big payday and win. Mitch Morris finished second, Ryan Dolan was third, Kellen Chadwick was scored fourth, and Mark Elliott rounded out the top five. Richie Gustin finished sixth after starting nineteenth. Inaugural and defending tour champion Mike Jergens qualified for the main event, but failed to make the call with assumingly mechanical failure.
Overall I'd have to say it was a good night of racing. The sportmod feature was thrilling to the final corner and provided plenty of two and three-wide racing throughout the field. The modifieds were extremely competitive throughout the early parts of the feature, but the bottom groove quickly became the place to be as the laps wound down. The track appeared smooth from the stands, which is always a plus at this point of the season.
For more information regarding the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, check out their website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The IMCA sport compact feature was first up with twelve cars taking the green flag. Bill Whalen Jr used the pole to jump out front in the early going, but Brad Chandler would stay glued to his rear bumper. Chandler, driving a borrowed machine from Bryce Bailey, ducked to the inside of Whalen Jr and took over the race lead at the halfway point in the race. Chandler would pull away late in picking up the win. Whalen Jr finished second and Nathan Chandler was third.
The modified b-mains were run, and at the completion of those three events the IMCA sportmods took to the track for their fifteen-lap main event. Outside front row starter Carter VanDenBerg got the jump on pole-sitter Danny Dvorak to lead the first lap, but Dvorak raced to the inside and took the top spot away on lap two prior to a caution flag. Following another caution, Austin Kaplan took advantage on the restart and made a great pass on both Joel Rust and Jake Strayer to advance two spots up to the third position. Kaplan continued running the top groove pretty much by himself as he passed VanDenBerg for second before setting his sights on Dvorak up front. Kaplan would pass Dvorak on the white flag lap and appeared to be on his way to scoring the win, but he left the door open for Dvorak on the bottom and Dvorak capitalized. Dvorak would get enough forward momentum to pull off the win on the final corner while Kaplan settled for second. Carter VanDenBerg finished third, Joel Rust was fourth, and Jake Strayer finished fifth.
The time had come for the thirty-lap JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour feature for the IMCA modifieds. Larry Herring used the pole position to lead the first lap prior to a yellow flag slowing the action down right away. Restarting in the fourth position on the double-file restart, Vern Jackson used the inside line to sneak past Jeff Waterman and Mitch Morris for the runner-up position. Jackson later would grab the lead away as Herring faded back to fifth. Morris then picked up the challenge on Jackson as he used the cushion to snare the lead away. Ryan Dolan used the bottom groove to work past Jackson for second as the halfway point was shown, but Jackson immediately took it back the following lap.
A caution with twelve laps remaining bunched the field tightly. Kellen Chadwick took full advantage of the restart, taking his Rage Chassis #83 to the top side and passing a couple cars to move into the top five. While Chadwick was making strides on the top, Jackson found a bite on the bottom side and again took command out front when he passed Morris for the lead. Jackson opened up a little breathing room late in the race as he picked up the big payday and win. Mitch Morris finished second, Ryan Dolan was third, Kellen Chadwick was scored fourth, and Mark Elliott rounded out the top five. Richie Gustin finished sixth after starting nineteenth. Inaugural and defending tour champion Mike Jergens qualified for the main event, but failed to make the call with assumingly mechanical failure.
Overall I'd have to say it was a good night of racing. The sportmod feature was thrilling to the final corner and provided plenty of two and three-wide racing throughout the field. The modifieds were extremely competitive throughout the early parts of the feature, but the bottom groove quickly became the place to be as the laps wound down. The track appeared smooth from the stands, which is always a plus at this point of the season.
For more information regarding the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, check out their website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Giles Earns First Career Late Model Win
A beautiful Saturday afternoon led one to believe it was going to be a great night for racing. After opening night the week before, I was excited to see if the same amount of cars would return to the "historic half-mile" in Webster City. The car count would look almost identical with 102 race teams checked in for action. The track would have more water on it, and it made for some good side by side action throughout the night.
First up would be the hornet feature, with seven cars ready to do battle. Jarid Kuchenreuther would snag the lead at the start, but he would push up and allow Lyle Oberhelman and Daniel Ayers to motor on by. Ayers would slow and exit the track, allowing Oberhelman to take the win. Kuchenreuther would finish second, Adam Strunk third, Mike McFarland fourth, and Dennis Graffunder completed the top five.
1. 07x Lyle Oberhelman
2. 83 Jarid Kuchenreuther
3. 85s Adam Strunk
4. 07 Mike McFarland
5. D0 Dennis Graffunder
6. 0K Keaton Graffunder
7. 4D Daniel Ayers
Next up would be the fifteen car field of IMCA hobby stocks. A couple of early yellow flags delayed the first lap from getting completed, including an incident involving Nate Bonine and Bobby Dilley. Bonine would be transferred to the hospital to be checked over as he was complaining of hip pain as well as limping on his left leg. When action finally got going it was Robert See out front showing the way, but Brad Ratcliff made the move on the inside to scoot past on lap three. At that point I noticed last week's feature winner Kevin Fee had already made his way up to fourth after starting ninth. Following another restart, Heath Tulp ducked to the inside of See to take over the second position and set his sights on the leader. Fee would also continue his strong run as he made passes on Cory Roe and Robert See to advance to the third spot. In the closing laps contact would be made between Tulp and Ratcliff that resulted in Ratcliff spinning in turn four. No caution was thrown, and Tulp went on to take the win. Kevin Fee finished second, Robert See third, Cory Roe fourth, and Brad Ratcliff rounded out the top five.
1. 50 Heath Tulp
2. 52 Kevin Fee
3. 91 Robert See
4. 8R Cory Roe
5. 1R Brad Ratcliff
6. 00 Adam Hagan
7. 24R Roger Haupt Jr
8. 96 Mark Hidlebaugh
9. 78 Rieks
10. 22 Jeremy Turner
DNF
56 Ty Griffith
38 Ryan Darling
1 Blake Miller
51 Nate Bonine
73D Bobby Dilley
DNS
3 Al Dixon
58 Matt Ring
Twenty-five IMCA sportmods took the green flag for their feature event, but the red flag quickly came out on the first lap when Mitch Frakes and Carl Albee tangled and Albee's car going for a wild ride. Both drivers would be ok. When that got cleaned up, the yellow quickly replaced the green again on the first lap when six cars collided in turn one. Finally the third attempt was the charm and Brandon Toftee took control at the point. Defending track champion Beau Kaplan ducked to the inside of Travis Woodbeck for the runner-up position while they were side by side for the next six spots behind him. At the halfway point Kaplan made his move and worked to the inside of Toftee to grab the lead away prior to a caution involving Woodbeck and Jim Lampe. Toftee's machine did not take off right away on the restart as he slid back to the fourth spot, allowing Dane Larson and Joel Rust to advance spots. Rust looked to the inside of Larson and seized the second spot before closing in on Kaplan. Kaplan's car would slow and he would exit the track, handing the reigns over to Rust. Joel Rust went on to pick up the win ahead of Dane Larson, Brandon Toftee, Kyle Brown, and Brandon Leeman. Brown was involved in the six-car incident on the first lap and had restarted 18th.
1. 26J Joel Rust
2. 83 Dane Larson
3. 85T Brandon Toftee
4. 21 David Brown
5. 64 Brandon Leeman
6. 99 Rocky Caudle
7. 49 Nate Whitehurst
8. 2c Levi Carlberg
9. 40 George Gilliland
10. 80 Duane VanDeest
11. 22 Jim Lampe
12. 48 ??
13. 53 Travis Woodbeck
14. 02A Cody Albers
15. 39 Larry Embrey
16. 22A Shawn Albers
Ten stock cars were up next, and a big fiasco occurred on the first lap in their feature as well. Six cars would be involved. When the green flag came out, it was no surprise seeing Mark Elliott at the front of the field. Elliott would dominate the race as he took the win by half a lap. Travis Prochaska three-wheeled his way to a second place finish ahead of Ryan Leeman, Jim Mitchell, and Dennis Plain.
1. 4 Mark Elliott
2. 21T Travis Prochaska
3. R31 Ryan Leeman
4. M5 Jim Mitchell
5. 57 Dennis Plain
6. 80 Scott Bloemke (in backup M5 car)
7. 19 Reid Keller
DNF
59L Vince Loewen
31M Mark Haglund
20 Jason Wagoner
Another stellar field of IMCA modifieds were on hand with twenty-four checked in. Jeremy Mills broke in hot laps and was unable to make repairs. Duane Peterson took control in the early part of the race while Mark Elliott and Adam Larson got by Ed Thomas in consecutive laps for second and third place, respectively. Following an early restart, Larson would sneak under Elliott for second while Richie Gustin got by Thomas for fourth. Lap five saw another caution flag, and Gustin took advantage by diving to the inside of Elliott and snagging the third position away. Gustin continued his march to the front by passing Peterson on the inside. Prior to another caution, Gustin got position on the inside of Larson and took control at the point. JD Auringer, last week's feature winner, made the pass on Peterson for third, but both of their good runs came to an end when Peterson made contact with Auringer's left rear entering turn one. During the caution Josh Foster, who was sitting in third after starting 14th, suffered a flat tire and went to work area. When racing resumed Gustin and Larson pulled away. In the closing laps Larson made a run, but was unable to find a line to make the pass as Richie Gustin pocketed the $1,000 payday. Larson settled for second, J.J. Wise finished third, Tyler Prochaska was fourth, and Scott Williams finished fifth.
1. 19G Richie Gustin
2. 2L Adam Larson
3. 68 J.J. Wise
4. 22T Tyler Prochaska
5. 64 Scott Williams
6. 5 Todd Shute
7. 69x Jon Snyder
8. 10K Ronn Lauritzen
9. 12 Mark Elliott
10. 8x Scott Olson
11. 48J Jacob Murray
12. 25T Duane Peterson
13. 77 Josh Foster
14. 3w Chris Webb
DNF
45 Levi Nielsen
75 Clint Wendel
00 JD Auringer
37 Mike Jergens
14J Jake Neal - Omaha, NE
21 David Brown
14 Derek Oberle
47 Greg Elliott
DNS
10M Jeremy Mills
The finale of the evening would be the seventeen-car field of IMCA late models. Once again the caution would fly before the completion of the first lap when Jason Hahne got sideways and collected Craig Jacobs and Todd Cooney. Charlie McKenna would rocket to the lead from his outside front row starting spot. McKenna built up a comfortable lead over the field before the caution waved again on lap five. Ryan Giles picked up the chase on McKenna and began to reel in the leader. A few laps later Giles made the pass on the inside to take the lead before putting some distance between he and McKenna. McKenna would lose another spot as Hahne also used the low line to get by. The yellow flag was displayed again with four laps remaining, during which McKenna went to the pits with mechanical issues. In the closing laps Kyle Wahlert passed Hahne on the outside on the restart, which started the snowball effect for Hahne as he would finish sixth. Ryan Giles would pick up his first career IMCA late model win (I believe) followed by Kyle Wahlert, Jeff Aikey, Todd Cooney rebounded for fourth, and Darrel DeFrance.
1. 9 Ryan Giles
2. 14 Kyle Wahlert
3. 77 Jeff Aikey
4. 30 Todd Cooney
5. 99D Darrel DeFrance
6. 76 Jason Hahne
7. 31 Chad Cooney
8. 8 Al Johnson
9. 29 Nick Pederson
10. 15c Curt Schroeder
All in all I thought the racing was pretty exciting. There were two distinct grooves in turns one and two. It appeared to me as though the banking flattened off in turn four as a few drivers tagged the wall on the exit. Hopefully something can be done to provide another line of racing so the action will be that much better later on. For a complete rundown of last night's results, go to the track website. Thanks to track announcer Ryan Bergeson for the several PositivelyRacing plugs throughout the night!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
First up would be the hornet feature, with seven cars ready to do battle. Jarid Kuchenreuther would snag the lead at the start, but he would push up and allow Lyle Oberhelman and Daniel Ayers to motor on by. Ayers would slow and exit the track, allowing Oberhelman to take the win. Kuchenreuther would finish second, Adam Strunk third, Mike McFarland fourth, and Dennis Graffunder completed the top five.
1. 07x Lyle Oberhelman
2. 83 Jarid Kuchenreuther
3. 85s Adam Strunk
4. 07 Mike McFarland
5. D0 Dennis Graffunder
6. 0K Keaton Graffunder
7. 4D Daniel Ayers
Next up would be the fifteen car field of IMCA hobby stocks. A couple of early yellow flags delayed the first lap from getting completed, including an incident involving Nate Bonine and Bobby Dilley. Bonine would be transferred to the hospital to be checked over as he was complaining of hip pain as well as limping on his left leg. When action finally got going it was Robert See out front showing the way, but Brad Ratcliff made the move on the inside to scoot past on lap three. At that point I noticed last week's feature winner Kevin Fee had already made his way up to fourth after starting ninth. Following another restart, Heath Tulp ducked to the inside of See to take over the second position and set his sights on the leader. Fee would also continue his strong run as he made passes on Cory Roe and Robert See to advance to the third spot. In the closing laps contact would be made between Tulp and Ratcliff that resulted in Ratcliff spinning in turn four. No caution was thrown, and Tulp went on to take the win. Kevin Fee finished second, Robert See third, Cory Roe fourth, and Brad Ratcliff rounded out the top five.
1. 50 Heath Tulp
2. 52 Kevin Fee
3. 91 Robert See
4. 8R Cory Roe
5. 1R Brad Ratcliff
6. 00 Adam Hagan
7. 24R Roger Haupt Jr
8. 96 Mark Hidlebaugh
9. 78 Rieks
10. 22 Jeremy Turner
DNF
56 Ty Griffith
38 Ryan Darling
1 Blake Miller
51 Nate Bonine
73D Bobby Dilley
DNS
3 Al Dixon
58 Matt Ring
Twenty-five IMCA sportmods took the green flag for their feature event, but the red flag quickly came out on the first lap when Mitch Frakes and Carl Albee tangled and Albee's car going for a wild ride. Both drivers would be ok. When that got cleaned up, the yellow quickly replaced the green again on the first lap when six cars collided in turn one. Finally the third attempt was the charm and Brandon Toftee took control at the point. Defending track champion Beau Kaplan ducked to the inside of Travis Woodbeck for the runner-up position while they were side by side for the next six spots behind him. At the halfway point Kaplan made his move and worked to the inside of Toftee to grab the lead away prior to a caution involving Woodbeck and Jim Lampe. Toftee's machine did not take off right away on the restart as he slid back to the fourth spot, allowing Dane Larson and Joel Rust to advance spots. Rust looked to the inside of Larson and seized the second spot before closing in on Kaplan. Kaplan's car would slow and he would exit the track, handing the reigns over to Rust. Joel Rust went on to pick up the win ahead of Dane Larson, Brandon Toftee, Kyle Brown, and Brandon Leeman. Brown was involved in the six-car incident on the first lap and had restarted 18th.
1. 26J Joel Rust
2. 83 Dane Larson
3. 85T Brandon Toftee
4. 21 David Brown
5. 64 Brandon Leeman
6. 99 Rocky Caudle
7. 49 Nate Whitehurst
8. 2c Levi Carlberg
9. 40 George Gilliland
10. 80 Duane VanDeest
11. 22 Jim Lampe
12. 48 ??
13. 53 Travis Woodbeck
14. 02A Cody Albers
15. 39 Larry Embrey
16. 22A Shawn Albers
Ten stock cars were up next, and a big fiasco occurred on the first lap in their feature as well. Six cars would be involved. When the green flag came out, it was no surprise seeing Mark Elliott at the front of the field. Elliott would dominate the race as he took the win by half a lap. Travis Prochaska three-wheeled his way to a second place finish ahead of Ryan Leeman, Jim Mitchell, and Dennis Plain.
1. 4 Mark Elliott
2. 21T Travis Prochaska
3. R31 Ryan Leeman
4. M5 Jim Mitchell
5. 57 Dennis Plain
6. 80 Scott Bloemke (in backup M5 car)
7. 19 Reid Keller
DNF
59L Vince Loewen
31M Mark Haglund
20 Jason Wagoner
Another stellar field of IMCA modifieds were on hand with twenty-four checked in. Jeremy Mills broke in hot laps and was unable to make repairs. Duane Peterson took control in the early part of the race while Mark Elliott and Adam Larson got by Ed Thomas in consecutive laps for second and third place, respectively. Following an early restart, Larson would sneak under Elliott for second while Richie Gustin got by Thomas for fourth. Lap five saw another caution flag, and Gustin took advantage by diving to the inside of Elliott and snagging the third position away. Gustin continued his march to the front by passing Peterson on the inside. Prior to another caution, Gustin got position on the inside of Larson and took control at the point. JD Auringer, last week's feature winner, made the pass on Peterson for third, but both of their good runs came to an end when Peterson made contact with Auringer's left rear entering turn one. During the caution Josh Foster, who was sitting in third after starting 14th, suffered a flat tire and went to work area. When racing resumed Gustin and Larson pulled away. In the closing laps Larson made a run, but was unable to find a line to make the pass as Richie Gustin pocketed the $1,000 payday. Larson settled for second, J.J. Wise finished third, Tyler Prochaska was fourth, and Scott Williams finished fifth.
1. 19G Richie Gustin
2. 2L Adam Larson
3. 68 J.J. Wise
4. 22T Tyler Prochaska
5. 64 Scott Williams
6. 5 Todd Shute
7. 69x Jon Snyder
8. 10K Ronn Lauritzen
9. 12 Mark Elliott
10. 8x Scott Olson
11. 48J Jacob Murray
12. 25T Duane Peterson
13. 77 Josh Foster
14. 3w Chris Webb
DNF
45 Levi Nielsen
75 Clint Wendel
00 JD Auringer
37 Mike Jergens
14J Jake Neal - Omaha, NE
21 David Brown
14 Derek Oberle
47 Greg Elliott
DNS
10M Jeremy Mills
The finale of the evening would be the seventeen-car field of IMCA late models. Once again the caution would fly before the completion of the first lap when Jason Hahne got sideways and collected Craig Jacobs and Todd Cooney. Charlie McKenna would rocket to the lead from his outside front row starting spot. McKenna built up a comfortable lead over the field before the caution waved again on lap five. Ryan Giles picked up the chase on McKenna and began to reel in the leader. A few laps later Giles made the pass on the inside to take the lead before putting some distance between he and McKenna. McKenna would lose another spot as Hahne also used the low line to get by. The yellow flag was displayed again with four laps remaining, during which McKenna went to the pits with mechanical issues. In the closing laps Kyle Wahlert passed Hahne on the outside on the restart, which started the snowball effect for Hahne as he would finish sixth. Ryan Giles would pick up his first career IMCA late model win (I believe) followed by Kyle Wahlert, Jeff Aikey, Todd Cooney rebounded for fourth, and Darrel DeFrance.
1. 9 Ryan Giles
2. 14 Kyle Wahlert
3. 77 Jeff Aikey
4. 30 Todd Cooney
5. 99D Darrel DeFrance
6. 76 Jason Hahne
7. 31 Chad Cooney
8. 8 Al Johnson
9. 29 Nick Pederson
10. 15c Curt Schroeder
All in all I thought the racing was pretty exciting. There were two distinct grooves in turns one and two. It appeared to me as though the banking flattened off in turn four as a few drivers tagged the wall on the exit. Hopefully something can be done to provide another line of racing so the action will be that much better later on. For a complete rundown of last night's results, go to the track website. Thanks to track announcer Ryan Bergeson for the several PositivelyRacing plugs throughout the night!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Exciting Finish Tops First Visit to CJ
When the clock read 2:40 on Friday afternoon, it became apparent to me that things were really slow at work. Twenty minutes later I found myself at the sink washing my hands in preparation for our fifteen minute break, when my supervisors asked me where I was racing that night. I simply said "well that depends.. are we able to leave right now?" Their reply was simply yes, and as I stared at the clock I decided I was taking advantage of the early-out and make a trip to a track I've never been to before. I got home and turned the computer on, trying to decide which track was closer. It became obvious I still wouldn't have time to make it out to Onawa, so I got in my car and headed to Columbus Junction, Iowa.
For those who may not know, Columbus Junction is located roughly eight to ten miles east of Highway 218 along Highway 92 down in southeast Iowa. After nearly two and a half hours of driving, I pull into the Louisa County Fairgrounds. I had looked at the track website to determine which classes would be running, but I had no clue as to what the normal car count is typically. It was a big surprise when I heard the announcer say only 49 cars in five classes were on hand.
After running the heat races through at a fast pace and having a gunny sack race for the Lil Racer Fan Club members, the IMCA stock cars lined up in staging for the first feature of the night. A solid group of fifteen cars were on hand with Lane Kauffman and Travis Finke sitting on the front row. Finke would grab the top spot while there was three-wide racing midpack. Last week's feature winner Nathan Wood was moving forward and had advanced to the fifth position in the first three laps, but the caution flag waved and he was realigned in sixth. On the restart Wood would once again put the hammer down as he made passes on Tad Payne and Kirk Kinsley utilizing both the top and bottom grooves. Wood later passed Billy Faler on the top side and dashed to the inside of Finke for the lead, but the caution wiped away both passes. Two restarts would follow in which two different cars were caught jumping, resulting in both starting at the tail of the field. When the green flag came back out, Wood wasted no time in getting back out front. His time there was short-lived, however, as he coasted to a stop in turn four with a fuel pump issue. As the laps were winding down, Kinsley began to close the gap on Finke as he looked to the inside. On the final lap it appeared Finke pushed a bit on the exit of turn four, allowing Kinsley to pull even as they drag raced to the flagstand. Finke would hold on by a mere bumper to take the win with Kinsley settling for second. Tad Payne finished third, Cole Simmons was fourth, and Billy Faler rounded out the top five.
1. 2s Travis Finke
2. 21M Kirk Kinsley
3. 44P Tad Payne
4. 68 Cole Simmons
5. 02 Billy Faler
6. R34 David Hemstead
7. 9 Lane Kauffman
8. 34 John Hemstead
9. 5 Jeremy Thompkins
10. K4 ??
DNF
4 Darrin Ealy
52 Nathan Wood
57 Blaine Dopler
76 Jason Hartman
8 Brian Holmes
Next up would be the hobby stock feature. According to information I received from fellow Positively Racing blogger Ryan Clark, the plan is to run the hobby stocks every other week at CJ Speedway. Last night was the first night for them, and only two cars showed up. Dusin Griffiths and Mike Hughes, who appeared to be behind the wheel of Kris Walker's machine, were set for a five-lap shootout. Hughes got the lead at the drop of the green flag while Griffiths lost a tire on the second lap. Hughes would take the win.
1. 18H Mike Hughes
2. 10G Dustin Griffiths
The open modifieds were next with eight cars on hand. Front row starters Mark Winkel and Tim Sands made contact down the front stretch with Winkel getting sideways, but was able to maintain control and straighten it out. That opened the door for Alex Buffington to take command. Steve Stewart, last week's winner, quickly caught Buffington and used the inside line to take the lead. However, a caution negated the pass and bunched the field back up. One lap following the restart Stewart would take the lead again and begin to pull away as the field spread out behind. They were so spread out that Buffington spun in turn four and was still able to maintain his second position. Steve Stewart would take the win ahead of Buffington, Tim Sands, Mark Winkel, and Doug Pratt.
1. 17 Steve Stewart
2. 30 Alex Buffington
3. 5 Tim Sands
4. 7w Mark Winkel
5. 4D Doug Pratt
DNF
38 Dave Imming
8x Cody Layman
J40 Clayton Jensen
A good field of fourteen mod-lites were up next for their feature. They had a hard time getting started, and after the third failed attempt to get one completed lap in I opted to head for home with the IMCA sport compacts yet to be run as well.
While the track appeared to be in pretty good shape, I'm still amazed at the low car count. Hopefully things will get better for the folks at CJ Speedway. Be sure to check out their website for upcoming races and other information.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
For those who may not know, Columbus Junction is located roughly eight to ten miles east of Highway 218 along Highway 92 down in southeast Iowa. After nearly two and a half hours of driving, I pull into the Louisa County Fairgrounds. I had looked at the track website to determine which classes would be running, but I had no clue as to what the normal car count is typically. It was a big surprise when I heard the announcer say only 49 cars in five classes were on hand.
After running the heat races through at a fast pace and having a gunny sack race for the Lil Racer Fan Club members, the IMCA stock cars lined up in staging for the first feature of the night. A solid group of fifteen cars were on hand with Lane Kauffman and Travis Finke sitting on the front row. Finke would grab the top spot while there was three-wide racing midpack. Last week's feature winner Nathan Wood was moving forward and had advanced to the fifth position in the first three laps, but the caution flag waved and he was realigned in sixth. On the restart Wood would once again put the hammer down as he made passes on Tad Payne and Kirk Kinsley utilizing both the top and bottom grooves. Wood later passed Billy Faler on the top side and dashed to the inside of Finke for the lead, but the caution wiped away both passes. Two restarts would follow in which two different cars were caught jumping, resulting in both starting at the tail of the field. When the green flag came back out, Wood wasted no time in getting back out front. His time there was short-lived, however, as he coasted to a stop in turn four with a fuel pump issue. As the laps were winding down, Kinsley began to close the gap on Finke as he looked to the inside. On the final lap it appeared Finke pushed a bit on the exit of turn four, allowing Kinsley to pull even as they drag raced to the flagstand. Finke would hold on by a mere bumper to take the win with Kinsley settling for second. Tad Payne finished third, Cole Simmons was fourth, and Billy Faler rounded out the top five.
1. 2s Travis Finke
2. 21M Kirk Kinsley
3. 44P Tad Payne
4. 68 Cole Simmons
5. 02 Billy Faler
6. R34 David Hemstead
7. 9 Lane Kauffman
8. 34 John Hemstead
9. 5 Jeremy Thompkins
10. K4 ??
DNF
4 Darrin Ealy
52 Nathan Wood
57 Blaine Dopler
76 Jason Hartman
8 Brian Holmes
Next up would be the hobby stock feature. According to information I received from fellow Positively Racing blogger Ryan Clark, the plan is to run the hobby stocks every other week at CJ Speedway. Last night was the first night for them, and only two cars showed up. Dusin Griffiths and Mike Hughes, who appeared to be behind the wheel of Kris Walker's machine, were set for a five-lap shootout. Hughes got the lead at the drop of the green flag while Griffiths lost a tire on the second lap. Hughes would take the win.
1. 18H Mike Hughes
2. 10G Dustin Griffiths
The open modifieds were next with eight cars on hand. Front row starters Mark Winkel and Tim Sands made contact down the front stretch with Winkel getting sideways, but was able to maintain control and straighten it out. That opened the door for Alex Buffington to take command. Steve Stewart, last week's winner, quickly caught Buffington and used the inside line to take the lead. However, a caution negated the pass and bunched the field back up. One lap following the restart Stewart would take the lead again and begin to pull away as the field spread out behind. They were so spread out that Buffington spun in turn four and was still able to maintain his second position. Steve Stewart would take the win ahead of Buffington, Tim Sands, Mark Winkel, and Doug Pratt.
1. 17 Steve Stewart
2. 30 Alex Buffington
3. 5 Tim Sands
4. 7w Mark Winkel
5. 4D Doug Pratt
DNF
38 Dave Imming
8x Cody Layman
J40 Clayton Jensen
A good field of fourteen mod-lites were up next for their feature. They had a hard time getting started, and after the third failed attempt to get one completed lap in I opted to head for home with the IMCA sport compacts yet to be run as well.
While the track appeared to be in pretty good shape, I'm still amazed at the low car count. Hopefully things will get better for the folks at CJ Speedway. Be sure to check out their website for upcoming races and other information.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Buena Vista Raceway Opens Its Doors on 2011 Campaign
A cool, brisk night was in store Wednesday night as the 2011 race season kicked off at the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa. With gusty winds strong enough to blow caps off heads, it was only a matter of time before the dust was flying towards the grandstands.
Eight BVR bombers took to the track first for feature action. Lucas Vote jumped out to the early lead, but he would relinquish it when Mike Draper passed him on the inside on lap three. Keith Demey would also scoot by Vote to snare the second position, but it would be Mike Draper taking the first feature win of the season at BVR.
1. 23D Mike Draper
2. 3D Keith Demey
3. 23 Lucas Vote
4. 16 Colby Davis
5. 59K Kevin Keim
6. 01B Kevin Blume
7. 90 Brandon Thomas
8. M7 Josh Maholer
Five IMCA sport compacts followed with their feature with Merv Chandler setting the pace early. Chandler got a great start as he had started fifth, but quickly took the lead down the backstretch on the first lap. Chandler would be joined by defending track champion Cory Flanigan as the two distanced themselves from the pack. Things came to a sudden stop when Danny Rose got high in turn four and wound up rolling several times before coming to a stop outside of the cement barricades. Rose would be ok. When action resumed Flanigan would keep pace with Chandler, but the veteran driver making the long trip all the way from Vinton made the trip worthwhile as Merv Chandler took home the win.
1. 2 Merv Chandler
2. 75 Cory Flanigan
3. 52L Mark Lindgren
4. 5 Mike Brabec
5. 80D Danny Rose
It was now time for the IMCA hobby stock feature to hit the track. Nineteen of the twenty-two cars checked in made the call with Shannon Anderson grabbing the lead from his inside row two starting position. Devin Smith started eleventh on the starting grid, but he quickly found his way up to the third position in the first two laps and prior to the first caution on lap four. At this point, track announcer Jerry Vansickel pointed out the new restart rule for the track. Rather then a Delaware double-file restart with the leader out front by himself, the track adopted the "NASCAR" style restart with both the leader and the second place driver side by side. The leader gets the option of which lane he wants.
When the green flag came back out, Andy Boeckman and Devin Smith both made the pass on the second place machine of Bill Woehler. Within two laps Boeckman overtook Anderson as the new leader. Turn three then became the focal point of the race as Anderson appeared to get a bit loose. Smith, running directly behind Anderson, had no place to go and turned Anderson around. The caution came out, and race officials determined that both competitors would be going to the tail. However, when the cars came back around Anderson would retaliate by forcing Smith towards the outside wall down the frontstretch before both drivers came to a stop in turn one. As a result of his actions, Anderson was told to go pitside while Smith remained at the back of the field.
Once that skirmish was over the green came back out, although it was short-lived as Mathias Lux rolled down the fronstretch before reaching the flagstand. Lux would be ok. While the red flag was displayed, Anderson was still fuming over the previous events and proceeded to walk on the track and express his displeasure with Smith. With a little less excitement the rest of the way, Andy Boeckman proved he was the one to beat on opening night as he picked up the win after starting tenth. He was followed across the line by Michael Murphy, Bill Woehler, Cody Nielsen, and Devin Smith.
1. 62B Andy Boeckman
2. 25M Michael Murphy
3. 2B Bill Woehler
4. 29N Cody Nielsen
5. 81 Devin Smith
6. 32 Kyle Robinson
7. 66 Matt Mahoney
8. 87 John Briggs
9. 49 Jim Johnson
10. 20N Justin Nehring
11. 95B Tiffany Bittner
12. 37 Gaylen Freese
13. 3w Steve Wilcox
14. 45B Craig Brotherton
15. 33M Mathias Lux
16. T8 Brandon Nielsen
17. 78 Shannon Anderson
18. 91A Matt Anderson
19. 19B Jess Bieret
20. 45 Drew Barglof
21. 30 Tim Pickel
22. 10x Jordan Sanderson
Fourteen IMCA sportmods were next onto the track with pole-sitter Zach Norgaard setting the early pace. Jesse Sobbing set sail on the top side and made the pass on Norgaard for the lead on the fourth circuit. Following a restart, Doug Smith split Tony Pogeler and Norgaard to take over the second position. Norgaard would get shuffled back to fifth as Pogeler and Tim Rupp both raced by. Prior to the final yellow flag of the race Tim Rupp made his move on the inside of Sobbing to snare the lead away. The yellow flag was displayed when Doug Smith spun and was collected by Brett Meyer and Tim Wilcox. Sobbing was quick on the restart as he sprinted to the lead that he would not relinquish as he went on to take the checkered flag. Tim Rupp finished second, Zach Norgaard was third, Tony Pogeler fourth, and Chris Grothe rounded out the top five.
1. 99 Jesse Sobbing
2. 33 Tim Rupp
3. 14z Zach Norgaard
4. 9 Tony Pogeler
5. 90 Chris Grothe
6. 57 Doug Bartels
7. 74 Cory Hoagland
8. 33R Ryan Roder
9. 12 Doug Smith
10. 1M Brett Meyer
11. 7w Tim Wilcox
12. 98x Dan Hanselman
13. 13 Casey Jones
14. Geoff Olson
15. 17 Ronnie Fogelman
Trent Murphy took command early on in the ten-car field of IMCA stock cars. Donavon Smith would quickly move into the second position and pick up the chase, but was unable to generate a strategy to work his way by Murphy. Murphy would lead flag to flag to pick up the win. Smith would finish second, Brian Blessington was third, Kenny Hansen was fourth, and Stefan Sybesma rounded out the top five.
1. 25 Trent Murphy
2. 35 Donavon Smith
3. 92B Brian Blessington
4. 17 Kenny Hansen
5. 5B Stefan Sybesma
6. 8 David Smith
7. 02 Adam Klocke
8. 16 Josh Suhr
9. 04J Jay Brannan
10. 43 Aaron Cain
The final race of the night would be the thirteen-car field of IMCA modifieds. Mike Jergens used his outside front row starting spot to secure the top spot when the green flag waved. Rookie Dustin Smith settled in behind Jergens until Chris Abelson was able to get by on the inside to take over the runner-up spot on lap three. Following an early yellow, Jay Noteboom made passes on consecutive laps to advance to the third position by lap six. Another caution came out, and on the restart Abelson got a great start and cut down on Jergens to take the lead. While Abelson distanced himself Dustin Smith and Noteboom engaged in a battle for the third spot as Smith was the only car running a higher line. Smith would make it stick and then slowly proceeded to track down Jergens and make the pass on him to take the second position away. Chris Abelson would go on to take the win ahead of Dustin Smith, Greg Peck, Mike Jergens, and Jay Noteboom.
1. 1x Chris Abelson
2. 85 Dustin Smith
3. 29G Greg Peck
4. 37 Mike Jergens
5. 7N Jay Noteboom
6. 92 Josh Most
7. 23 Jim Thies
8. 61 Brian Schmitt
9. 3 Jason Briese
10. 00c Chris Mills
11. 52 Mark Gaskill
12. 14 Matt Bonine
13. Justin Sackett
Racing action concluded right at 10:30. Despite the amount of dust blowing towards the grandstands, it appeared the track stayed smooth all night long while track officials applied extra water a couple of times. The track did lock down for the most part, but it's still early in the season and I'm confident the track will widen out. Be sure to check out the Buena Vista Raceway website for upcoming races!
*Results listed above were taken from Speednetdirect.com
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Eight BVR bombers took to the track first for feature action. Lucas Vote jumped out to the early lead, but he would relinquish it when Mike Draper passed him on the inside on lap three. Keith Demey would also scoot by Vote to snare the second position, but it would be Mike Draper taking the first feature win of the season at BVR.
1. 23D Mike Draper
2. 3D Keith Demey
3. 23 Lucas Vote
4. 16 Colby Davis
5. 59K Kevin Keim
6. 01B Kevin Blume
7. 90 Brandon Thomas
8. M7 Josh Maholer
Five IMCA sport compacts followed with their feature with Merv Chandler setting the pace early. Chandler got a great start as he had started fifth, but quickly took the lead down the backstretch on the first lap. Chandler would be joined by defending track champion Cory Flanigan as the two distanced themselves from the pack. Things came to a sudden stop when Danny Rose got high in turn four and wound up rolling several times before coming to a stop outside of the cement barricades. Rose would be ok. When action resumed Flanigan would keep pace with Chandler, but the veteran driver making the long trip all the way from Vinton made the trip worthwhile as Merv Chandler took home the win.
1. 2 Merv Chandler
2. 75 Cory Flanigan
3. 52L Mark Lindgren
4. 5 Mike Brabec
5. 80D Danny Rose
It was now time for the IMCA hobby stock feature to hit the track. Nineteen of the twenty-two cars checked in made the call with Shannon Anderson grabbing the lead from his inside row two starting position. Devin Smith started eleventh on the starting grid, but he quickly found his way up to the third position in the first two laps and prior to the first caution on lap four. At this point, track announcer Jerry Vansickel pointed out the new restart rule for the track. Rather then a Delaware double-file restart with the leader out front by himself, the track adopted the "NASCAR" style restart with both the leader and the second place driver side by side. The leader gets the option of which lane he wants.
When the green flag came back out, Andy Boeckman and Devin Smith both made the pass on the second place machine of Bill Woehler. Within two laps Boeckman overtook Anderson as the new leader. Turn three then became the focal point of the race as Anderson appeared to get a bit loose. Smith, running directly behind Anderson, had no place to go and turned Anderson around. The caution came out, and race officials determined that both competitors would be going to the tail. However, when the cars came back around Anderson would retaliate by forcing Smith towards the outside wall down the frontstretch before both drivers came to a stop in turn one. As a result of his actions, Anderson was told to go pitside while Smith remained at the back of the field.
Once that skirmish was over the green came back out, although it was short-lived as Mathias Lux rolled down the fronstretch before reaching the flagstand. Lux would be ok. While the red flag was displayed, Anderson was still fuming over the previous events and proceeded to walk on the track and express his displeasure with Smith. With a little less excitement the rest of the way, Andy Boeckman proved he was the one to beat on opening night as he picked up the win after starting tenth. He was followed across the line by Michael Murphy, Bill Woehler, Cody Nielsen, and Devin Smith.
1. 62B Andy Boeckman
2. 25M Michael Murphy
3. 2B Bill Woehler
4. 29N Cody Nielsen
5. 81 Devin Smith
6. 32 Kyle Robinson
7. 66 Matt Mahoney
8. 87 John Briggs
9. 49 Jim Johnson
10. 20N Justin Nehring
11. 95B Tiffany Bittner
12. 37 Gaylen Freese
13. 3w Steve Wilcox
14. 45B Craig Brotherton
15. 33M Mathias Lux
16. T8 Brandon Nielsen
17. 78 Shannon Anderson
18. 91A Matt Anderson
19. 19B Jess Bieret
20. 45 Drew Barglof
21. 30 Tim Pickel
22. 10x Jordan Sanderson
Fourteen IMCA sportmods were next onto the track with pole-sitter Zach Norgaard setting the early pace. Jesse Sobbing set sail on the top side and made the pass on Norgaard for the lead on the fourth circuit. Following a restart, Doug Smith split Tony Pogeler and Norgaard to take over the second position. Norgaard would get shuffled back to fifth as Pogeler and Tim Rupp both raced by. Prior to the final yellow flag of the race Tim Rupp made his move on the inside of Sobbing to snare the lead away. The yellow flag was displayed when Doug Smith spun and was collected by Brett Meyer and Tim Wilcox. Sobbing was quick on the restart as he sprinted to the lead that he would not relinquish as he went on to take the checkered flag. Tim Rupp finished second, Zach Norgaard was third, Tony Pogeler fourth, and Chris Grothe rounded out the top five.
1. 99 Jesse Sobbing
2. 33 Tim Rupp
3. 14z Zach Norgaard
4. 9 Tony Pogeler
5. 90 Chris Grothe
6. 57 Doug Bartels
7. 74 Cory Hoagland
8. 33R Ryan Roder
9. 12 Doug Smith
10. 1M Brett Meyer
11. 7w Tim Wilcox
12. 98x Dan Hanselman
13. 13 Casey Jones
14. Geoff Olson
15. 17 Ronnie Fogelman
Trent Murphy took command early on in the ten-car field of IMCA stock cars. Donavon Smith would quickly move into the second position and pick up the chase, but was unable to generate a strategy to work his way by Murphy. Murphy would lead flag to flag to pick up the win. Smith would finish second, Brian Blessington was third, Kenny Hansen was fourth, and Stefan Sybesma rounded out the top five.
1. 25 Trent Murphy
2. 35 Donavon Smith
3. 92B Brian Blessington
4. 17 Kenny Hansen
5. 5B Stefan Sybesma
6. 8 David Smith
7. 02 Adam Klocke
8. 16 Josh Suhr
9. 04J Jay Brannan
10. 43 Aaron Cain
The final race of the night would be the thirteen-car field of IMCA modifieds. Mike Jergens used his outside front row starting spot to secure the top spot when the green flag waved. Rookie Dustin Smith settled in behind Jergens until Chris Abelson was able to get by on the inside to take over the runner-up spot on lap three. Following an early yellow, Jay Noteboom made passes on consecutive laps to advance to the third position by lap six. Another caution came out, and on the restart Abelson got a great start and cut down on Jergens to take the lead. While Abelson distanced himself Dustin Smith and Noteboom engaged in a battle for the third spot as Smith was the only car running a higher line. Smith would make it stick and then slowly proceeded to track down Jergens and make the pass on him to take the second position away. Chris Abelson would go on to take the win ahead of Dustin Smith, Greg Peck, Mike Jergens, and Jay Noteboom.
1. 1x Chris Abelson
2. 85 Dustin Smith
3. 29G Greg Peck
4. 37 Mike Jergens
5. 7N Jay Noteboom
6. 92 Josh Most
7. 23 Jim Thies
8. 61 Brian Schmitt
9. 3 Jason Briese
10. 00c Chris Mills
11. 52 Mark Gaskill
12. 14 Matt Bonine
13. Justin Sackett
Racing action concluded right at 10:30. Despite the amount of dust blowing towards the grandstands, it appeared the track stayed smooth all night long while track officials applied extra water a couple of times. The track did lock down for the most part, but it's still early in the season and I'm confident the track will widen out. Be sure to check out the Buena Vista Raceway website for upcoming races!
*Results listed above were taken from Speednetdirect.com
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Big Changes Kick Off at Hamilton County Speedway
It's only inevitable: change. With change comes uncertainty and nervousness. Perhaps those are just a few of the words used to describe people's thoughts as the season opener approached at the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City. With the departure of Al Urhammer, the fairboard stepped up and took the reigns of the historic race track for the 2011 season. Their goal was to attract more cars, and in the process bump the payouts in a few classes. The biggest eye-opener obviously was that they would pay out $1,000 to the IMCA modified winner every week if a certain amount of cars showed up. Many fans were excited about that announcement in hopes of attracting a larger car count.
The night started off a little behind schedule as cars were still making their way down the hill as the scheduled time for hot laps came and went. With the driver's meeting out of the way, the heat races were off and running around 7:20. The heats would be completed and the water truck applied water to the top half of the track to try to control the dust. Yes, I said dust.
The hornet feature was first up with eight of the ten cars making the call. Adam Strunk used the pole position to jump out front early with Lyle Oberhelman tucked in just behind. The field would spread out behind them as Oberhelman chased down Strunk with two laps to go before a caution flag waved. On the restart Oberhelman dove to the inside and took the lead away. Strunk returned the favor a lap later, but that was only the start of a wild finish. Mike McFarland, Friday night's feature winner in Fort Dodge, got a great run off turn two on the final lap and drove by both front runners to take the lead and the win. A #22 car (Collins was last name, didn't catch first name) would also sneak by to take second. Adam Strunk finished third, Daniel Ayers was fourth, and Lyle Oberhelman rounded out the top five.
Next up would be the 14-car field of IMCA hobby stocks. Pole-sitter Kevin Fee raced to the early lead. Heath Tulp was the only car trying to make something work on the cushion, but without help Tulp slowly went backwards until he dropped in line. The caution flag came out on lap five when Brad Ratcliff lost a wheel in turn four. Ratcliff had been running second at the time of the incident. Two more caution periods kept the pace slow, but on the ensuing restart Heath Tulp took advantage and passed Blake Miller and Cory Roe to advance to the second position. Two more cautions waved with the final one coming after the white flag, so the race ended under caution with Kevin Fee making the long trip from Knoxville worth it as he visited victory lane. Heath Tulp was second, Robert Dilley finished third, and Cory Roe was fourth. All of this is comlpetely unofficial as they revert back to the previously scored lap, in which I didn't have anything written down yet.
A full field of twenty-four IMCA sportmods took to the track next for their finale of the evening. Kyle Brown took command from the pole. Shortly after the restart Beau Kaplan had problems and slowed momentarily, dropping him back four spots to the eighth position. Meanwhile up front Jared Timmerman and Joel Rust maneuvered around Jeremy Embrey for second and third, respectively. Following another yellow flag, Embrey would lose the handle exiting turn two, resulting in a six-car pileup. Rust would sneak by Timmerman for second and chase down Brown for the lead, but he was unable to make the pass down the stretch as Kyle Brown took home the win. Rust settled for second after starting 11th, Timmerman was third, Rocky Caudle finished fourth, and Bryan Weyer completed the top five.
It was then time for the stock cars as fourteen of the fifteen competitors took the green flag. Two cautions were displayed before a lap was completed, including outside front row starter Reid Keller spinning and making contact with the outside wall entering turn one. When the green was displayed again, it would be Mark Elliott taking advantage of his new starting spot outside the front row and grabbing the lead. Tory Reicks would follow in Elliott's tire tracks while Jason Wagoner moved into the third position after getting by defending track champion Mark Haglund. Mitch Hovden would later make the pass on Haglund as well, advancing to the fourth spot. Reicks would close in on Elliott's rear bumper at the halfway point, but he was unable to find a groove to make any serious challenge. Mark Elliott would take the win ahead of Tory Reicks, Jason Wagoner, and Mark Haglund got back around Mitch Hovden for fourth and fifth, respectively.
1. 4 Mark Elliott
2. 27T Tory Reicks
3. 20 Jason Wagoner
4. 15 Mitch Hovden
5. 67 Kyle Falck
6. 21T Travis Prochaska
7. 57 Dennis Plain
8. 19 Reid Keller
9. R31 Ryan Leeman
10. M5 Jim Mitchell
DNF
80 Scott Bloemke
121G Arlen Hoy
59L Vince Loewen
DNS
97 Adam Silvey
It was now time for perhaps most people were anticipating the most. Twenty-five IMCA modifieds hit the track for their twenty lap feature event. Pole-sitter David Brown took the early lead with Adam Larson running second. JD Auringer, proudly supporting the Karsyn's Krusaders logo, would duck under Larson for the runner up position on lap two. Auringer didn't stay there long, as he used the same move to get by Brown to take over the race lead. Auringer immediately opened up a sizeable margin and would lead by half a lap before the caution waved on lap fifteen. The top four spots would remain the same the rest of the race as JD Auringer picked up the $1,100 payday. David Brown would finish second, Adam Larson was third, Jay Noteboom was fourth, and Justin Sackett rounded out the top five.
1. 00 JD Auringer
2. 21 David Brown
3. 2L Adam Larson
4. 7N Jay Noteboom
5. 17 Justin Sackett
6. 10K Ron Lauritzen
7. 64 Scott Williams
8. 19G Richie Gustin
9. 58 Curt Badker
10. 12 Mark Elliott
11. 45 Levi Nielsen
Other "notable" names included Todd Shute, Jacob Murray, Jon Snyder, Scott Olson, Kurt Krauskopf, Darin Duffy, Jerry King.
The finale of the evening would be the eighteen-car field of IMCA late models. Darrel DeFrance would take the lead at the start with Jeff Aikey getting around Kyle Wahlert for the runner up spot. Charlie McKenna made his way to fourth while DeFrance maintained a comfortable lead up front. A caution on lap five bunched the field up, setting up a double-file restart. DeFrance and Aikey separated themselves from the pack, and McKenna was able to get under Wahlert for the third position. Aikey would close the gap and get right up to DeFrance's back bumper in the closing laps, but came up a little short as Darrel DeFrance took home the opening night checkers. Jeff Aikey finished second, Charlie McKenna was third, Todd Cooney fourth, and Jason Hahne nipped Kyle Wahlert for fifth.
1. 99D Darrel DeFrance
2. 77 Jeff Aikey
3. 22 Charlie McKenna
4. 30 Todd Cooney
5. 76 Jason Hahne
6. 14 Kyle Wahlert
7. 66 Todd Johnson
8. X Ryan Griffith
9. 29 Nick Pederson
10. 98 Travis Smock
11. 4D Rick Dralle
12. 2 Carey Umbarger
DNF
8 Al Johnson
60 Dean Wagner II
5 Dave Hubbard
45 Mike Pederson
15c Schroeder
31 Chad Cooney
The final checkered flag waved at 11:43. The show ran a bit lengthy thanks in large part to the late start and the amount of yellow flags in a few races. The track stayed smooth from my perspective all night. Yes there was a lot of dust, especially in the exit of turn four. But considering every other track has had at least one night when it's been rough, I would rather be fighting a dust issue then trying to iron a track in.
Other then the late start and the dust, I would have to say it was a successful night. 106 total cars were in the field. The crowd was decent for a chilly night in late April. Hopefully the weather will be more favorable next week and the cars and fans will return to the "historic half-mile". For more complete results, check out the Hamilton County Speedway website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
The night started off a little behind schedule as cars were still making their way down the hill as the scheduled time for hot laps came and went. With the driver's meeting out of the way, the heat races were off and running around 7:20. The heats would be completed and the water truck applied water to the top half of the track to try to control the dust. Yes, I said dust.
The hornet feature was first up with eight of the ten cars making the call. Adam Strunk used the pole position to jump out front early with Lyle Oberhelman tucked in just behind. The field would spread out behind them as Oberhelman chased down Strunk with two laps to go before a caution flag waved. On the restart Oberhelman dove to the inside and took the lead away. Strunk returned the favor a lap later, but that was only the start of a wild finish. Mike McFarland, Friday night's feature winner in Fort Dodge, got a great run off turn two on the final lap and drove by both front runners to take the lead and the win. A #22 car (Collins was last name, didn't catch first name) would also sneak by to take second. Adam Strunk finished third, Daniel Ayers was fourth, and Lyle Oberhelman rounded out the top five.
Next up would be the 14-car field of IMCA hobby stocks. Pole-sitter Kevin Fee raced to the early lead. Heath Tulp was the only car trying to make something work on the cushion, but without help Tulp slowly went backwards until he dropped in line. The caution flag came out on lap five when Brad Ratcliff lost a wheel in turn four. Ratcliff had been running second at the time of the incident. Two more caution periods kept the pace slow, but on the ensuing restart Heath Tulp took advantage and passed Blake Miller and Cory Roe to advance to the second position. Two more cautions waved with the final one coming after the white flag, so the race ended under caution with Kevin Fee making the long trip from Knoxville worth it as he visited victory lane. Heath Tulp was second, Robert Dilley finished third, and Cory Roe was fourth. All of this is comlpetely unofficial as they revert back to the previously scored lap, in which I didn't have anything written down yet.
A full field of twenty-four IMCA sportmods took to the track next for their finale of the evening. Kyle Brown took command from the pole. Shortly after the restart Beau Kaplan had problems and slowed momentarily, dropping him back four spots to the eighth position. Meanwhile up front Jared Timmerman and Joel Rust maneuvered around Jeremy Embrey for second and third, respectively. Following another yellow flag, Embrey would lose the handle exiting turn two, resulting in a six-car pileup. Rust would sneak by Timmerman for second and chase down Brown for the lead, but he was unable to make the pass down the stretch as Kyle Brown took home the win. Rust settled for second after starting 11th, Timmerman was third, Rocky Caudle finished fourth, and Bryan Weyer completed the top five.
It was then time for the stock cars as fourteen of the fifteen competitors took the green flag. Two cautions were displayed before a lap was completed, including outside front row starter Reid Keller spinning and making contact with the outside wall entering turn one. When the green was displayed again, it would be Mark Elliott taking advantage of his new starting spot outside the front row and grabbing the lead. Tory Reicks would follow in Elliott's tire tracks while Jason Wagoner moved into the third position after getting by defending track champion Mark Haglund. Mitch Hovden would later make the pass on Haglund as well, advancing to the fourth spot. Reicks would close in on Elliott's rear bumper at the halfway point, but he was unable to find a groove to make any serious challenge. Mark Elliott would take the win ahead of Tory Reicks, Jason Wagoner, and Mark Haglund got back around Mitch Hovden for fourth and fifth, respectively.
1. 4 Mark Elliott
2. 27T Tory Reicks
3. 20 Jason Wagoner
4. 15 Mitch Hovden
5. 67 Kyle Falck
6. 21T Travis Prochaska
7. 57 Dennis Plain
8. 19 Reid Keller
9. R31 Ryan Leeman
10. M5 Jim Mitchell
DNF
80 Scott Bloemke
121G Arlen Hoy
59L Vince Loewen
DNS
97 Adam Silvey
It was now time for perhaps most people were anticipating the most. Twenty-five IMCA modifieds hit the track for their twenty lap feature event. Pole-sitter David Brown took the early lead with Adam Larson running second. JD Auringer, proudly supporting the Karsyn's Krusaders logo, would duck under Larson for the runner up position on lap two. Auringer didn't stay there long, as he used the same move to get by Brown to take over the race lead. Auringer immediately opened up a sizeable margin and would lead by half a lap before the caution waved on lap fifteen. The top four spots would remain the same the rest of the race as JD Auringer picked up the $1,100 payday. David Brown would finish second, Adam Larson was third, Jay Noteboom was fourth, and Justin Sackett rounded out the top five.
1. 00 JD Auringer
2. 21 David Brown
3. 2L Adam Larson
4. 7N Jay Noteboom
5. 17 Justin Sackett
6. 10K Ron Lauritzen
7. 64 Scott Williams
8. 19G Richie Gustin
9. 58 Curt Badker
10. 12 Mark Elliott
11. 45 Levi Nielsen
Other "notable" names included Todd Shute, Jacob Murray, Jon Snyder, Scott Olson, Kurt Krauskopf, Darin Duffy, Jerry King.
The finale of the evening would be the eighteen-car field of IMCA late models. Darrel DeFrance would take the lead at the start with Jeff Aikey getting around Kyle Wahlert for the runner up spot. Charlie McKenna made his way to fourth while DeFrance maintained a comfortable lead up front. A caution on lap five bunched the field up, setting up a double-file restart. DeFrance and Aikey separated themselves from the pack, and McKenna was able to get under Wahlert for the third position. Aikey would close the gap and get right up to DeFrance's back bumper in the closing laps, but came up a little short as Darrel DeFrance took home the opening night checkers. Jeff Aikey finished second, Charlie McKenna was third, Todd Cooney fourth, and Jason Hahne nipped Kyle Wahlert for fifth.
1. 99D Darrel DeFrance
2. 77 Jeff Aikey
3. 22 Charlie McKenna
4. 30 Todd Cooney
5. 76 Jason Hahne
6. 14 Kyle Wahlert
7. 66 Todd Johnson
8. X Ryan Griffith
9. 29 Nick Pederson
10. 98 Travis Smock
11. 4D Rick Dralle
12. 2 Carey Umbarger
DNF
8 Al Johnson
60 Dean Wagner II
5 Dave Hubbard
45 Mike Pederson
15c Schroeder
31 Chad Cooney
The final checkered flag waved at 11:43. The show ran a bit lengthy thanks in large part to the late start and the amount of yellow flags in a few races. The track stayed smooth from my perspective all night. Yes there was a lot of dust, especially in the exit of turn four. But considering every other track has had at least one night when it's been rough, I would rather be fighting a dust issue then trying to iron a track in.
Other then the late start and the dust, I would have to say it was a successful night. 106 total cars were in the field. The crowd was decent for a chilly night in late April. Hopefully the weather will be more favorable next week and the cars and fans will return to the "historic half-mile". For more complete results, check out the Hamilton County Speedway website.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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