The thermometer said 98 degrees on the vehicle as we pulled into the Southern Iowa Speedway yesterday.
We always expect it to be warm on the 4th of July in Iowa, but this was down right oppressive! What little breeze we were able to catch in the grandstand, was more a hot blast, but it was still welcomed over none!
Three classes paid $1,000 to the winners, one $700 and even $200 to the Sport Compact class. For this much money on the line, we were hoping for a stellar field of cars all around. The longer we sat in the stands last night, the more we were convinced that the heat had a tremendous impact on the lower than expected car count. We knew we wouldn't have wanted to be inside a hot car, helmet and race suit bound, in the heat. It made us appreciate all the more, the drivers that opted to entertain us.
The IMCA Sport Compacts started the features off with their 8-lap event. This one was pretty much over from the drop of the green. Merv Chandler drew the pole position and motored off to another of his numerous wins. Bill Whalen, Jr. trailed him for second place, and Larry Hopkins, newcomer Mike Nehring and Duawyne Herb rounded out the top five.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks were running for a $700 payday for the winner. Craig Brown took advantage of his pole redraw position, establishing the lead at the drop of the green. Dustin Griffiths put the heat on the leader soon and was giving a shot at making the pass. But then, fifth row starter, Shannon Anderson wanted to "play" too as he caught Griffiths, and took over second. Anderson worked the low side, gaining ground at each passing lap as he tried to catch leader, Brown. He finally made it work and by lap thirteen of the sixteen-lap race, had the lead. Anderson would maintain that lead to the checkers, taking home another of his numerous victories at the Southern Iowa Speedway this season. Brown held on to second, Griffiths was third, and Mike Hughes and Kevin Fee finished fourth and fifth.
The Northern SportMods ran an 18-lap feature with $1,000 for the winner. The race didn't start off too well, when on lap two, the red flew when Jack Housley flipped his ride over down in turn four. He was not hurt, thankfully. When action resumed, Carter VandenBerg and Curtis VanDerWal went at it for the top positions; VanDerWal eventually getting the point. Point leader at the track, Jesse Sobbing had meanwhile made it up from his ninth starting spot, to take third--hot on the tail of VanDenBerg. At the halfway mark, Sobbing was now dogging leader VanDerWal. It wasn't long until Sobbing made it work and took over the lead. Sobbing would then motor home with a comfortable lead, and take the victory. VanDerWal finished in second, VandenBerg was third, and Jim Gillenwater and Bill Gibson rounded out the top five.
The main event for the evening, the IMCA Stock Car Shoot Out feature, came to the track next. The 24-car starting field readied for 25 grueling laps in the still stifling heat. Zack VanderBeek, the lucky recipient of the redraw pill #1, shot to the lead, and another guy who is no stranger to the track, Brad Pinkerton, was soon tagging him for a familiar battle scene. It was soon to be a stretched out lead for VanderBeek, Pinkerton a good distance behind him running a very comfortable second, and then--the rest of the pack. The only real racing on the track at that point was "way back there". Jay Schmidt and Matt Greiner grappled a bit, before Schmidt established the third spot. The top two finishers at the checkers had been determined long ago--VanderBeek taking the checkers, and Pinkerton far behind him for second. Third went to Jay Schmidt, a distant third. Matt Greiner took fourth place and Jeff Anderson was fifth. The over all point leader for the three-race series went to Jeff Anderson.
As we were leaving the track after sticking around for the firework, I noticed a phone message as well as a text message, from different people. That informed us that in a post-race inspection, the 33Z of Zack VanderBeek had been disqualified, handing the win and the $1,000 check over to Brad Pinkerton. The information we received was that the DQ was for an illegal frame. Sometimes, things don't turn out to be as they seem I guess.
The night's racing wasn't over quite yet though, as the IMCA Modifieds still had an 18-lapper on the agenda. Cayden Carter shot to the lead from his outside front row starting spot and Jacob Murray was soon up challenging him for the lead from starting in row four. Murray never looked back after that, and drove off from the field, and claiming the win---his fifth of the year. Murray has a handle on the Osky track and has seemed to been able to tame the Monster Half-Mile. Cayden Carter kept second, Richie Gustin, the hot shoe out of Gilman ran third. In the fourth place was visiting driver out of Oberlin, Kansas, David Murray.
Murray, a four-time IMCA National Champion, a former IMCA Super Nationals winner, and who just recently got his 500th...yes 500th...career IMCA Modified win, plus numerous other awards, had been at the Hawkeye Dirt Tour race in Algona the previous night, and stuck around to try his hand at the Southern Iowa Speedway. Regular at the track, Scott Dickey came home in fifth.
We chalked up another race on a hot, hot summer night in Iowa...not the most comfortable of racing scenes, but still enjoyable. Next Wednesday, we will be back again when it's Oskaloosa night. Show your ID and you can see the racing action for just $5. Let's hope for cooler weather. Happy racing!
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