The Southern Iowa Speedway was the scene of another Wednesday night of racing, as it has been for decades. The SportMods were running for a $750 pay off with a draw/redraw format, plus it was also fan appreciation night with $5 admission. In the modified ranks, there had been only two different drivers visit victory lane in 2014, and that continued on Wednesday night. The Stock Cars got after it as they usually do, with a three-way battle most of the race, the Hobby Stock feature was determined in the closing moments and it was a Whalen back in the winner's circle in the Sport Compacts. There was also some heavy competition during intermission, when a few drivers climbed into a Sideway's Karting Center ride on the front stretch. But wait! What was that falling from the sky during intermission....and where had it come from? The night had been beautiful. Yup....Mother Nature just can't leave things alone...but the racing program was not a wash.
The IMCA Hobby Stock feature was in staging, ready to go, when the raindrops got heavier. We had seen the clouds to the east, and everyone just reasoned that they would continue in that direction, per the norm. In fact, only after scanning in on the radar, did the tiny spot become visible. Yup....right over Osky...maybe just over the track, and it had moved from the east, toward the west! Unbelievable! The night wasn't done though, as that pesky cell moved on and the track was packed in after about a thirty-five minute delay.
The Hobby Stocks returned to staging, and readied for their 15-lap feature. Veteran racer, Brad Stephens, who we remember from his good run in the Stock Car class a ways back, has been back behind the wheel of a Hobby Stock this year, and has not lost his touch. Stephens held down the top spot for the first handful of laps, but Mike Hughes was coming fast. Hughes, who had started back in ninth, caught and passed Stephens for the lead, and then pulled away. There was a good battle brewing in a cluster of cars a distance behind him. Stephens was hanging tough in second, trying to fend off Craig Brown, Jamie Songer, Danny Thrasher, Justin Hook and Dustin Griffiths! Brown had just made the pass into second around Stephens, when at lap thirteen, the yellow flew for Jamie Songer who was off power. This set up one of those green-white-checkered finishes. As the race restarted, Craig Brown challenged Hughes, but Hughes hung tough, leading at lap fourteen. Hughes appeared to have it in the bag. That all changed when Hughes went high in corner four as the checkers were being unfurled.....victim of a flat tire, and Brown flew below him and to the victory. Stephens finished as the runner up, Nick Ulin came from eighth to take third, Kevin Fee took fourth from his eleventh starting spot, and Jared Stephens (son of Brad) finished in fifth.
The Modifieds went 15-laps next. Scott Dickey held down the point spot through lap three, but the familiar #99 of Jesse Sobbing, the driver out of Glennwood, Iowa who makes the 3 1/2 hour haul nearly every week, had the lead by lap four. Another driver from the western part of the state, had joined Sobbing in the long haul over to the Monster Half-Mile, Travis Hatcher from Honey Creek, Iowa. He was piloting Sobbing's second car, (but scored as the 13H, his usual number) and had moved to third spot when a yellow came out at lap nine, for a spinning Andrew Schroeder---who had to tag the field. When the race restarted, it didn't take long for Hatcher to get to second around Dickey, and the race was now being led by two identical looking cars. The final laps, Sobbing held the lead, winning the race by a comfortable margin over his back up car piloted by Hatcher. Andrew Schroeder did an amazing job coming back through the field after tagging, and took third, challenging Hatcher at the line. Scott Dickey was fourth and Casey Greubel rounded out the top five. Sobbing took his second win of the regular season...back to back, and had also won the Frostbuster. This kept the record going between the only feature winners at Osky this year, as Todd Shute has been the only other winning Modified driver. Shute, who was expected to get his car back together after suffering damage over the weekend, evidently did not have things work out, as he was a no show.
The Sport Compacts had only four competitors on the evening. Matt Moore hung tough as the leader through lap four, when Bill Whalen, Jr. but his black #00W to the front. The remaining six laps to the finish found Whalen pull away from the three cars, as he took his third win at Osky this year. Trent Orwig finished second over Matt Moore in third and last week's winner, John Whalen, in fourth.
The feature for the IMCA Stock Cars had just completed two laps, when uncharacteristically, the 52 car of Nathan Wood had to go to the trailer. Wood found himself taking a hard hitting ride into the wall at the top of turns three and four....the result of a blown tire. Reports are that the front end of his car suffered a lot of damage, and the hard hit left him pretty sore, but okay. As the race restarted, local racer Donnie Pearson continued to hold down the lead, but he had some tough runners sitting close behind....Corey Stout, Donovan Nunnikhoven, and the Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty. Murty was soon to take over the lead and was in command and well out in front, when a caution flew for Pearson at lap eleven. This bunched up the field for the restart, and there were heavy hitters waiting in the wings behind Murty. The orange Kelderman team cars, the 10cc of Cayden Carter and the 33Z of Zack VanderBeek were on the move at the drop of the green. Carter was the first to pressure Murty in a side-by-side battle, snatching up the lead by lap thirteen of the 18-lapper. VanderBeek took over second with a lap to go, as "Team Orange" went one-two for the night.....Carter winning, VanderBeek in second. Murty finished in third, Stout was fourth and Nunnikhoven was fifth. This was recent high school graduate Carter's first win in the fendered cars since winning the Frostbuster.
The headlining SportMods capped off the night's racing with their $750 to win 30-lap main. The unique format also had the cars halting at lap fifteen, taking a 10 minute pit stop on the frontstretch where anything could be done to the car except touching the front tires. It was a draw/redraw night as well, and the lucky recipient of the #1 pill was Carter VanDenBerg on the pole and Brett Lowry sitting alongside.
As the green flag dropped, VanDenBerg drove to the lead, but immediately had company in the 1V of Curtis Van Der Wal, who had started in row three. Van Der Wal was FAST...taking the point spot at lap four, and after a bit of battling with VanDenBerg, drove off. The eyes of the crowd were on a "family feud" going on for second, between VanDenBerg and his young cousin Brayton Carter as the race approached the halfway mark. The two raced side-by-side with Carter taking over the runner up spot by the time the race was halted at lap fifteen for the mandatory pit stop.
When racing got back underway after the drivers had made some wanted changes to their machines, Van Der Wal once again drove off from the field. VanDenBerg snatched second back from his younger cousin, Carter as they ran second and third when a yellow flew for debris with ten laps remaining. The final few laps, saw a close contest brewing between Carter, Brett Lowry, and Jason McDaniel for third place---Lowry finally winning that and taking third. Van Der Wal took the easy win, but it was a real close finish for second, as Lowry closed in on VanDenBerg at the line. From where we were sitting, it appeared Lowry got second, but the official scoring was VanDenBerg nipped him at the finish line and took second, Lowry in third. Brayton Carter was fourth and Jason McDaniel finished fifth.
Longtime fixture and race fan at the Southern Iowa Speedway, Jeff Groenenboom, sadly passed away from the medical incident he suffered last week at the race track. Prior to the evening's racing, the medical and safety personnel, track workers, and drivers all came to the front stretch for a moment of silence, honoring Jeff. Also, it was a wonderful gesture by winner of the Modified feature, Jesse Sobbing, who came to the grandstand after his win, and personally presented Jeff's family with his winning trophy.
Next up at the Southern Iowa Speedway will be next Wednesday night, June 4th, when the Hobby Stocks will be featured with a draw/redraw special. Make the trip to Osky for some great mid-week racing. Hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30. Check www.oskyspeedway.com for more details on upcoming events....one you won't want to miss on THURSDAY, June 12, when the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models come to town.
Thanks for reading and happy racing!
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