The Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa held it's season opener on Wednesday night. Though it was a chilly night, thankfully the calm winds saved us in the stands from being too uncomfortable. Five IMCA classes ran, one for the first time ever as the sport compacts joined the modifieds, stock cars sportmods, and hobby stocks. Another first was also witnessed when Cayden Carter got his first ever A modified victory.
For the very first time at the Southern Iowa Speedway, a new class of cars was introduced---the IMCA Sport Compacts. The six-lap feature event for the little front wheel drives went to a wiley veteran of racing, Merv Chandler. Chandler led the entire race in taking the win, followed by John Whalen in the runner up spot, Bill Whalen, Jr. was third, fourth to Steve Meidke, fifth to Larry Hopkins (a name from the past in racing) and Corey Hawk was sixth.
The hobby stock feature was over from the drop of the green as Shannon Anderson pulled away from any competition. Anderson led the entire race on his way to another of his numerous wins. Kevin Fee finished in second with a good battle going on for positions behind him. John Watson came out of that battle in third place over Dustin Griffiths in fourth and Donovan Nunnikhoven was fifth.
It was an exciting sportmod feature next. Jason McDaniel was in command with just a few laps remaining, when a caution flag flew. McDaniel appeared to have mechanical issues at that point, and had to retire to the pits. This handed the lead over to Carter VanDenBerg, who had been dogging the leader. Meanwhile, twelfth place starter, Jesse Sobbing from Glenwood, Iowa had made his way methodically through the pack to now be breathing down the tailpipes of VanDenBerg. You just knew the finale was going to be a good one! Sobbing saw his chance on the restart, and made the pass around VanDenBerg and grabbed the win. Cars behind the leaders were shuffled a bit as well, with Jenae Gustin getting the advantage over Bill Gibson and Racer Hulin as they were scored third through fifth, in that order. Sobbing is no stranger to taking the checkered flag, as last season, he had 55 wins. Yes...55!!
The IMCA modifieds were up next. Front row starters were Scott Dickey and Cayden Carter. Carter, in his first year in an A modified, lived up to his nickname, "Gas Man", as he gassed it at the drop of the green, and he was gone! Scott Dickey was a distant runner up, and Corey Dripps, (driving Duane Petersen's car) was scored a distant third. Fourth went Shane Weller, jumping up from the stock car class this year, and Cody Haden rounded out the top five.
The final for the evening was ther 16-lap IMCA stock car feature. We have always loved to watch the stock cars run on the big half-mile as they always prove to make it an exciting one for the fans. Tonight was no different. "Heavy Duty" Don Killen, Des Moines, and Rich Vogt sat on the front row but there were heavy hitters behind them in row two---Damon Murty and Nathan Wood. Wood overtook Killen before a handful of laps were completed but the race was certainly not over by any means! Damon Murty, Todd Reitzler and "guest" driver for the night, Zach VanderBeek (in an orange ride with "Kelderman" beneath the door)came to join in the fun. They put on a show for the crowd that's for sure. Murty was able to make the pass into the lead and VanderBeek slipped into second, only to have Reitzler nose ahead of him. As they came to the checkers, Murty was able to hold on, and take the win. VanderBeek took the runner up spot as Reitzler took a little spin and fell back, Don Killen was scored in third, Matt Greiner made his way to fourth and Nathan Wood was fifth.
Racing was completed shortly after 10 p.m. Always good to have a mid-week show done at a good hour. It was announced last night, that a new incentive will be in place to encourage drivers to make the show ever week. In the modified, stock car, sportmod and hobby stock class, any driver finishing in positions 5-10 in their respective features, will be awarded a free pit pass the following week.
Next Wednesday night, there is free popcorn for the fans and added to the program will be the Iowa Sportsman Series. I understand this to be Enduro type racing. Hot laps are scheduled for 7 p.m. with racing at 7:30.
Below are more complete results. Happy racing!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Osky - 4-11-12
Unofficial results for opening night at the Southern Iowa Speedway
Modified:
Feature
1. 10C Cayden Carter - his first win in an A mod
2. 40 Scott Dickey
3. 25 Corey Dripps - in Duane Petersen's car
4. 20W Shane Weller
5. 12H Dakota Haden
6. 20 Luke Wanninger
DNF: 02 Andrew Schroeder
13 Matt Waugh
19G Richie Gustin
DNS: 22 Brandon Banks
77 Jim Lynch
SportMod:
Feature
1. 99 Jesse Sobbing
2. 7 Carter VanDenBerg
3. 19J Jenae Gustin
4. 38 Bill Gibson
5. 505 Racer Hulin
6. 1 Curtis VanDerWal
7. 32L Ty Luellen
8. 12 Eric Flander
9. 8T Tony Johnson
10. 72 Brett Lowry
11. 16 Mike Shelton
12. 10R Ryan Fullencamp
DNF: 3K John VanDenBerg
85 Jason McDaniel - out leading
01 Brayton Carter
27 Bryon Weyer
66R Richie Arnold
Stock Car
Feature
1. 99D Damon Murty
2. 33Z Zach VanderBeek - driving orange car with "Kelderman" on door
3. 81X Don Killen
4. 29 Matt Greiner
5. 38 Rich Vogt
6. 52 Nathan Wood
7. 94 Corey Stout
8. 22R Todd Reitzler
9. 1K Tom Killen
10. 19A Alan VanGorp
11. 88H Randy Hensley
12. 73C Carl Yaw
DNF: 60 (Sixty) Clay Deppe
49G LeRoy Groenendyk
15K Kyle Harwood
Hobby Stock
Feature
1. 78 Shannon Anderson
2. 52 Kevin Fee
3. 4W John Watson
4. 10G Dustin Griffiths
5. 2N Donovan Nunnikhoven
6. 19 Bill Bonnett
7. 7B Eric Stanton
8. 20 Andrew Husted
9. 32T Bobby Greene
10. 84 Danny Thrasher
11. 181 Zach Hahn ?
12. 52M Mark Fee
13. 57 Scott Shull
14. 6 Hamm ?
15. 31 Dale Porter
DNF: 25 Bobby VanBuskirk
17 Andy Peck ?
DNS: 42T Tyler Overton - rolled in heat
Modified:
Feature
1. 10C Cayden Carter - his first win in an A mod
2. 40 Scott Dickey
3. 25 Corey Dripps - in Duane Petersen's car
4. 20W Shane Weller
5. 12H Dakota Haden
6. 20 Luke Wanninger
DNF: 02 Andrew Schroeder
13 Matt Waugh
19G Richie Gustin
DNS: 22 Brandon Banks
77 Jim Lynch
SportMod:
Feature
1. 99 Jesse Sobbing
2. 7 Carter VanDenBerg
3. 19J Jenae Gustin
4. 38 Bill Gibson
5. 505 Racer Hulin
6. 1 Curtis VanDerWal
7. 32L Ty Luellen
8. 12 Eric Flander
9. 8T Tony Johnson
10. 72 Brett Lowry
11. 16 Mike Shelton
12. 10R Ryan Fullencamp
DNF: 3K John VanDenBerg
85 Jason McDaniel - out leading
01 Brayton Carter
27 Bryon Weyer
66R Richie Arnold
Stock Car
Feature
1. 99D Damon Murty
2. 33Z Zach VanderBeek - driving orange car with "Kelderman" on door
3. 81X Don Killen
4. 29 Matt Greiner
5. 38 Rich Vogt
6. 52 Nathan Wood
7. 94 Corey Stout
8. 22R Todd Reitzler
9. 1K Tom Killen
10. 19A Alan VanGorp
11. 88H Randy Hensley
12. 73C Carl Yaw
DNF: 60 (Sixty) Clay Deppe
49G LeRoy Groenendyk
15K Kyle Harwood
Hobby Stock
Feature
1. 78 Shannon Anderson
2. 52 Kevin Fee
3. 4W John Watson
4. 10G Dustin Griffiths
5. 2N Donovan Nunnikhoven
6. 19 Bill Bonnett
7. 7B Eric Stanton
8. 20 Andrew Husted
9. 32T Bobby Greene
10. 84 Danny Thrasher
11. 181 Zach Hahn ?
12. 52M Mark Fee
13. 57 Scott Shull
14. 6 Hamm ?
15. 31 Dale Porter
DNF: 25 Bobby VanBuskirk
17 Andy Peck ?
DNS: 42T Tyler Overton - rolled in heat
Monday, April 9, 2012
Elliott takes thrilling finish at Boone
Boone Speedway was the site on Saturday night of the fourth leg of the five-night, five-track schedule of the Frostbuster series for 2012. Lady luck shone on the track AGAIN as many parts of the state were wet. We drove in rain until hitting Ames, and then three miles from the track, sunshine! It was an all Iowa driver's winning list for the series this time, though drivers from several states as well as Canada, were on hand to test their skills.
They ran the IMCA SportMod 20-lap feature first. Fifty-two cars ran the heats, with three B's being required to whittle the starting field to twenty-four cars. Winners of those consy races were Joey Kates out of Kansas, Tracy Wassenberg from Wisconsin, and Rocky Caudle, Iowa.
Nick Roberts shot to the lead from his pole position starting spot, and he never relinquised it. Roberts pulled away from the field, taking the victory. Joel Rust ran second, with Austin Luellen in third. Fourth went to Bryan LaRiviere out of Wichita, Kansas, who was the 2011 IMCA national champion in the division, and following in fifth spot was Wisconsin driver, Tracy Wassenberg, a former Super National's champion.
The IMCA A modified's were brought to the track next to run their 25-lap event. They also had 52 cars attempting to qualify tonight; running three consy races to complete their field. Those wins went to Nick Deal, Jeremy Christians, Wisconsin racer, and Mitch Morris from Elridge, Iowa. Mark Elliott and Denny Rosenberg started from the front row but it was a three-car battle for much of the race. Jay Noteboom, Jimmy Gustin, and Mark Elliott fought hard for positions, thrilling the fans with the close racing action. Noteboom established the point spot early and when he still held it at the white flag lap, it was looking like a victoy for the Hinton, Iowa driver in his #7N ride. However, Webster City's Mark Elliott thought different! Elliott gunned it going into turn three and went low, passing Noteboom by turn four, and snatching the win! Jimmy Gustin (who was running some ride along video equipment protruding from his car in two positions, which should prove to be some interesting footage...not sure where to find it) finished a close third. The fourth place finisher was veteran NASCAR personality, Ken Schrader, Missouri native, who now calls Concord, North Carolina home, came from well back in the starting lineup. Scott Hogan, Vinton, Iowa rounded out the top five spots.
The Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA stock cars ran 20-laps for their feature. There were 45 of these tough competitors on hand, requiring three B mains as well.
Those winners were Robert Stofer, Damon Murty and Wisconsin driver Matt Junio. Donavon Smith showed his dominance early, grabbing the lead from Michael Jaennette at the drop of the green flag. From there on, it was pretty much clear sailing for Smith as he led the rest of the race, pulling away. Brandon Czarapata, Appleton, Wisconsin chased him to the finish line, though a ways between them. Micheal Jaennette, who has been having a good early season from our observations, took third place over Steve Meyer in fourth. Trent Murphy rounded out the top five.
It was John Watson taking home another of his many wins in the 15-lap hobby stock feature. Watson, who won the 2011 Frostbuster, as well as numerous weekly features, won by a comfortable margin over second place, Randy Embrey. Nevada, Iowa's Brandon Brinton finished third, and veteran racer Chris Jensen from Des Moines, was fourth. Beatrice, Nebraskan, Adam Armstrong finished fifth.
It was a windy, chilly night for racing with the race fans bundling up, but the racing was good and entertaining and we are just happy to be getting "back in the racing groove". Many of the weekly racing will be getting underway this coming week as does the Boone Speedway on Saturday night, April 14. You will be seeing the IMCA modifieds, IMCA stock cars, IMCA SportMods, and the IMCA hobby stocks, along with the Mod-Lites, all on a weekly basis. Hot laps are 6:45 and racing at 7:30. Happy racing!
Below are the unofficial results from Saturday's racing.
Modified:
Heat 1 - 08 Johnny Whitman, DePere, Wisconsin
Heat 2 - 18 Jake Durbin
Heat 3 - 12 Mark Elliott
Heat 4 - 9 Ken Schrader, Concord, NC
Heat 5 - 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC
Heat 6 - 7N Jay Noteboom
B main #1 - 2 advance
1. 55D Nick Deal
2. 58 Denny Pittman
3. 66 Bob Heffer - Swift Current, Sask. CANADA
4. 12C Kent Croskey
5. 59 John Barber, Swift Current, Sask. CANADA
6. 00 Masen Big Eagle, Menor, Sask. CANADA
7. 4 Tony Hilgenberg
8. 8M Jay Matthias - DePere, Wisconsin
9. 88L Mike Lewis
10. 4R Michael Reichart
11. 32 Lloyd Henderson
12. 3M Josh Muller, Minot, ND
B main #2 - 2 advance
1. 99X Jeremy Christians - Hericon, Wisconsin
2. 66x Jared Seifert - Luxumberg, Wisconsin
3. 21K Kyle Brown
4. 19G Richie Gustin
5. 10K Ronn Laurtizen
6. 37 Sean Jerovitz - Green Bay, Wisconsin
7. 36 Jeff Conner
8. 5 Matt Rachek, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
9. 27 Kelly Lyons
10. 87 Joel Bushore
DNS: 71 Derrick Big Eagle, Manor, Sask. CANADA
B main #3 - 2 advance
1. 70 Mitch Morris
2. 57V Mike VanGenderen
3. 28R Russ Dickerson
4. 2L Adam Larson
5. 8R Jesse Richter - Great Bend, KS
6. 3 Mike Albertson
7. 19R Todd Reed
8. 93 Cale Sponsler
9. X3 Shawn Reed - Casper, Wyoming
10. 4K Kyle Kudick - Mishicot, Wisconsin
DNS: 01 Joey Galloway - Manor, Sask. CANADA
Feature
1. 12 Mark Elliott
2. 7N Jay Noteboom
3. 19 Jimmy Gustin
4. 9 Ken Schrader
5. 33D Scott Hogan
6. 75 Denny Rosenberg
7. 73 Dan Ratajczak - Frog Station, Wisconsin
8. 66X Jared Seifert
9. 08 Johnny Whitman - DePere, Wisconsin
10. 5M Matt Mienecke
11. 69X Jon Snyder
12. K1 Kyle Krampe
13. 8 Kyle Strickler
14. 99X Jeremy Christians
15. 25 Ricky "Racer" Stephan, South Sioux City, Nebraska
16. 57V Mike VanGenderen
17. 8X Scott Olson
18. 70 Mitch Morris
19. 58 Denny Pittman
20. 71W Jeff Waterman - Quincy, Illinois
21. 25P Mike Petersille - Hosington, Kansas
22. 58X Marcus Yarie - Wausau, Wisconsin
23. 55D Nick Deal
24. 18 Jake Durbin
SportMod:
Heat 1 - 661 Tyler Hackett - Algoma, Wisconsin
Heat 2 - 23JR Nick Roberts
Heat 3 - 2 Bryan LaRiviere - Wichita, Kansas
Heat 4 - 00 Brett Moffitt
Heat 5 - 01 Troy Jerovetz - Green Bay, Wisconsin
B main #1 - 2 advance
1. 23K Ben Kates - Tonganoxie, Kansas
2. 5B Tom Burke
3. 1 Randy Roberts
4. 3s Adam Shelman
5. 41 Jeremy Embrey
6. 85T Brandon Toftee
7. 26 Jason Carney
8. 93 Mike Stark
9. 27L Lucas Onstat - Norwalk
10. 21L Brad Lautenbach - New Franklin, Wisconsin
11. 11X Jon Schultz - Wisconsin
DNS: 28 James Reichart
B main #2 - 2 advance
1. 30 Tracy Wassenberg - Shawano, Wisconsin
2. 9 Eric Mahlik - Green Bay, Wisconsin
3. 8c Rob Charapata - Oconto, Wisconsin
4. 64 Casey Gruebel - Lacona, Iowa
5. 94 JJ Anderson - Green Bay, Wisconsin
6. 34 Mickey Nusser - Phillips, Wisconsin
7. 36 Matt Pittman
8. 6 Darren Huntley
9. 75 Justin Medler - Minot, ND
10. 86 Corey Rose
11. 321 Andy Tiernan
B main #3 - 2 advance
1. 99 Rocky Caudel
2. 92P Mike Pruitt
3. 198 Sam Wieben - Dysart, Iowa
4. 66A Anthony Onstat - Norwalk
5. 14 Jay Hansen - Audubon
6. 22B Brian Eppert
7. 13T Taylor Musselman - Norwalk
8. 32L Ty Luellen
9. 57 Lynn Brockett
10. 19 David Schlicht
DNS: 24 Brian Miller
Feature
1. 23JR Nick Roberts
2. 26J Joel Rust
3. 9X Austin Lucas
4. 2 Bryan LaRiviere
5. 30 Tracy Wassenberg
6. 01 Troy Jerovetz - Green Bay, Wisconsin
7. 3L Clint Luellen
8. 20 Brad Theys - Luxemburg, Wisconsin
9. 81D Scott Davis
10. 92P Mike Pruitt
11. 9E Eric Elliott
12. 23 Jared Hansen - Audubon, Iowa
13. 66 Cody Henning
14. 3s Adam Shelman
15. 34J Jerry Hinton
16. 59 Tara Longnecker
17. 23K Ben Kates
18. 9 Eric Mahlik - Green Bay, Wisconsin
19. 661 Tyler Hackett - Algoma, Wisconsin
20. 00 Brett Moffitt
21. 99 Rocky Caudel
22. 505 Racer Hulin
23. 92 Tyler Droste
DNS: 5B Tom Burke
Stock Car
Heat 1 - 35 Donavon Smith
Heat 2 - 12+ Ryan Rose
Heat 3 - 25 Trent Murphy
Heat 4 - 3H Ty Hill
Heat 4 - 25M Michael Murphy
Heat 5 - 33C Brandon Czarapata - Appleton, Wisconsin
B main #1 - 2 advance
1. 50 Robert Stofer
2. 89B Dave Stricker
3. 83E Thomas Thompson
4. 5X Ross Marshall
5. 3 Tim French
6. 1X John Mahlberg - Wisconsin
7. 76 Norm Belew
8. 73 Rich Pederson, Sioux Falls, SD
9. 77T Trent Jeanes
B main #2 - 2 advance
1. 99D Damon Murty
2. 00 Luke Lemmens - Kewanee, Wisconsin
3. 19A Alan VanGorp
4. 23HR Rod Richards
5. 45 Larry Crocheck
6. 98 Derrick Rohe - Audubon
7. 1 Brad Clark - Grand Junction
DNS: 50K Kevin Balmer - Garwin
58 ?
B main #3 - 2 advance
1. 10 Matt Junio - Wisconsin
2. 81X Randy Killen
3. 11G Nyle Godwin
4. 22X Jamie Suchocki - Forestville, Wisconsin
5. 26K Butch Bass
6. 27 Gary Bass
7. 556 Terry Cornelison
8. 6 Adam Hilgenberg - Waukee
DNS: 55 Cory Bushnell
Feature
1. 35 Donavon Smith
2. 33C Brandon Czarapata
3. 93 Michael Jaennette
4. 94 Steve Meyer
5. 25 Trent Murphy
6. 25M Michael Murphy
7. 29 Matt Greiner
8. 99D Damon Murty
9. 19J Jay Schmidt
10. 103 JC Howell - Gun Barrel City, Texas
11. 22 Wayne Gifford
12. 15 Norm Chesmore
13. 9 Jerry Gifford
14. 12+ Ryan Rose
15. 3H Ty Hill
16. 27M Mike Munson
17. 89B Dave Stricker
18. 50 Robert Stofer
19. 5B Stefan Sybesma - Sanborn, Iowa
20. 00 Luke Lemmens - Kewanee, Wisconsin
21. 10 Matt Junio, Wisconsin
22. 56 Lonnie Hodges
23. 04 Don Vis
DNS: 81X Randy Killen
Hobby Stock
Heat 1 - 47W Shaun Wirtz
Heat 2 - 27 Jason Kohl - Missouri Valley, Iowa
Heat 3 - 40 Randy Embrey
Heat 4 - 27C Cory Adams
B main #1 - 5 advance
1. 13G Craig Graham - Webster City
2. 38R Aaron Rudolph
3. 20N Justin Hehring - Storm Lake
4. 96R Jamie Songer - Des Moines
5. 67 Ed Mahlstedt
6. 9 Andrew Arends
7. 26T Jeremy Tilley
8. 911 Darren Rothfus
9. 17J Josh Fredricksen - Des Moines
DNS: T71 Marcus Kyle
B main #2 - 5 advance
1. 5X Mike Johnson - Des Moines
2. 51D Dustin Filloon
3. T56 Tim Barber - Story City
4. 66 Andy Mahlstedt
5. 224 Gina Gruebel - Lacona, Iowa
6. 5 Dustin Lynch
7. 4D Jaimie Ayres - Webster City
8. F1 Blaine Frist - Boone
9. 500 Garrett Eilander - Newton
10. 14 Matt Wahlert
Feature
1. 4W John Watson
2. 40 Randy Embrey
3. 24B Brandon Brinton
4. 22 Chris Jensen
5. 6A Adam Armstrong - Beatrice, Nebraska
6. 12M Matt McDonald
7. 27C Corey Adams
8. 27 Jason Kohl - Missouri Valley
9. 13G Craig Graham
10. 55 Vince Buchholz - Waterloo
11. 10B Brandon Pruitt
12. 4C Curt Reed
13. 47W Shaun Wirtz
14. 5X Mike Johnson
15. 3A Austin Luellen
16. 03 Tony Harazin - Redwood Falls, Minnesota
17. 5A Tyler Pickett
18. 99 Carl Knight
19. 45B Craig Brotherson - Wall Lake
20. 38R Aaron Rudolph
21. 51D Dustin Filloon
22. 1 Blake Miller - Des Moines
23. 8B Robert Smith
24. 83S Scott Lograsso
They ran the IMCA SportMod 20-lap feature first. Fifty-two cars ran the heats, with three B's being required to whittle the starting field to twenty-four cars. Winners of those consy races were Joey Kates out of Kansas, Tracy Wassenberg from Wisconsin, and Rocky Caudle, Iowa.
Nick Roberts shot to the lead from his pole position starting spot, and he never relinquised it. Roberts pulled away from the field, taking the victory. Joel Rust ran second, with Austin Luellen in third. Fourth went to Bryan LaRiviere out of Wichita, Kansas, who was the 2011 IMCA national champion in the division, and following in fifth spot was Wisconsin driver, Tracy Wassenberg, a former Super National's champion.
The IMCA A modified's were brought to the track next to run their 25-lap event. They also had 52 cars attempting to qualify tonight; running three consy races to complete their field. Those wins went to Nick Deal, Jeremy Christians, Wisconsin racer, and Mitch Morris from Elridge, Iowa. Mark Elliott and Denny Rosenberg started from the front row but it was a three-car battle for much of the race. Jay Noteboom, Jimmy Gustin, and Mark Elliott fought hard for positions, thrilling the fans with the close racing action. Noteboom established the point spot early and when he still held it at the white flag lap, it was looking like a victoy for the Hinton, Iowa driver in his #7N ride. However, Webster City's Mark Elliott thought different! Elliott gunned it going into turn three and went low, passing Noteboom by turn four, and snatching the win! Jimmy Gustin (who was running some ride along video equipment protruding from his car in two positions, which should prove to be some interesting footage...not sure where to find it) finished a close third. The fourth place finisher was veteran NASCAR personality, Ken Schrader, Missouri native, who now calls Concord, North Carolina home, came from well back in the starting lineup. Scott Hogan, Vinton, Iowa rounded out the top five spots.
The Class too Tough to Tame, the IMCA stock cars ran 20-laps for their feature. There were 45 of these tough competitors on hand, requiring three B mains as well.
Those winners were Robert Stofer, Damon Murty and Wisconsin driver Matt Junio. Donavon Smith showed his dominance early, grabbing the lead from Michael Jaennette at the drop of the green flag. From there on, it was pretty much clear sailing for Smith as he led the rest of the race, pulling away. Brandon Czarapata, Appleton, Wisconsin chased him to the finish line, though a ways between them. Micheal Jaennette, who has been having a good early season from our observations, took third place over Steve Meyer in fourth. Trent Murphy rounded out the top five.
It was John Watson taking home another of his many wins in the 15-lap hobby stock feature. Watson, who won the 2011 Frostbuster, as well as numerous weekly features, won by a comfortable margin over second place, Randy Embrey. Nevada, Iowa's Brandon Brinton finished third, and veteran racer Chris Jensen from Des Moines, was fourth. Beatrice, Nebraskan, Adam Armstrong finished fifth.
It was a windy, chilly night for racing with the race fans bundling up, but the racing was good and entertaining and we are just happy to be getting "back in the racing groove". Many of the weekly racing will be getting underway this coming week as does the Boone Speedway on Saturday night, April 14. You will be seeing the IMCA modifieds, IMCA stock cars, IMCA SportMods, and the IMCA hobby stocks, along with the Mod-Lites, all on a weekly basis. Hot laps are 6:45 and racing at 7:30. Happy racing!
Below are the unofficial results from Saturday's racing.
Modified:
Heat 1 - 08 Johnny Whitman, DePere, Wisconsin
Heat 2 - 18 Jake Durbin
Heat 3 - 12 Mark Elliott
Heat 4 - 9 Ken Schrader, Concord, NC
Heat 5 - 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC
Heat 6 - 7N Jay Noteboom
B main #1 - 2 advance
1. 55D Nick Deal
2. 58 Denny Pittman
3. 66 Bob Heffer - Swift Current, Sask. CANADA
4. 12C Kent Croskey
5. 59 John Barber, Swift Current, Sask. CANADA
6. 00 Masen Big Eagle, Menor, Sask. CANADA
7. 4 Tony Hilgenberg
8. 8M Jay Matthias - DePere, Wisconsin
9. 88L Mike Lewis
10. 4R Michael Reichart
11. 32 Lloyd Henderson
12. 3M Josh Muller, Minot, ND
B main #2 - 2 advance
1. 99X Jeremy Christians - Hericon, Wisconsin
2. 66x Jared Seifert - Luxumberg, Wisconsin
3. 21K Kyle Brown
4. 19G Richie Gustin
5. 10K Ronn Laurtizen
6. 37 Sean Jerovitz - Green Bay, Wisconsin
7. 36 Jeff Conner
8. 5 Matt Rachek, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
9. 27 Kelly Lyons
10. 87 Joel Bushore
DNS: 71 Derrick Big Eagle, Manor, Sask. CANADA
B main #3 - 2 advance
1. 70 Mitch Morris
2. 57V Mike VanGenderen
3. 28R Russ Dickerson
4. 2L Adam Larson
5. 8R Jesse Richter - Great Bend, KS
6. 3 Mike Albertson
7. 19R Todd Reed
8. 93 Cale Sponsler
9. X3 Shawn Reed - Casper, Wyoming
10. 4K Kyle Kudick - Mishicot, Wisconsin
DNS: 01 Joey Galloway - Manor, Sask. CANADA
Feature
1. 12 Mark Elliott
2. 7N Jay Noteboom
3. 19 Jimmy Gustin
4. 9 Ken Schrader
5. 33D Scott Hogan
6. 75 Denny Rosenberg
7. 73 Dan Ratajczak - Frog Station, Wisconsin
8. 66X Jared Seifert
9. 08 Johnny Whitman - DePere, Wisconsin
10. 5M Matt Mienecke
11. 69X Jon Snyder
12. K1 Kyle Krampe
13. 8 Kyle Strickler
14. 99X Jeremy Christians
15. 25 Ricky "Racer" Stephan, South Sioux City, Nebraska
16. 57V Mike VanGenderen
17. 8X Scott Olson
18. 70 Mitch Morris
19. 58 Denny Pittman
20. 71W Jeff Waterman - Quincy, Illinois
21. 25P Mike Petersille - Hosington, Kansas
22. 58X Marcus Yarie - Wausau, Wisconsin
23. 55D Nick Deal
24. 18 Jake Durbin
SportMod:
Heat 1 - 661 Tyler Hackett - Algoma, Wisconsin
Heat 2 - 23JR Nick Roberts
Heat 3 - 2 Bryan LaRiviere - Wichita, Kansas
Heat 4 - 00 Brett Moffitt
Heat 5 - 01 Troy Jerovetz - Green Bay, Wisconsin
B main #1 - 2 advance
1. 23K Ben Kates - Tonganoxie, Kansas
2. 5B Tom Burke
3. 1 Randy Roberts
4. 3s Adam Shelman
5. 41 Jeremy Embrey
6. 85T Brandon Toftee
7. 26 Jason Carney
8. 93 Mike Stark
9. 27L Lucas Onstat - Norwalk
10. 21L Brad Lautenbach - New Franklin, Wisconsin
11. 11X Jon Schultz - Wisconsin
DNS: 28 James Reichart
B main #2 - 2 advance
1. 30 Tracy Wassenberg - Shawano, Wisconsin
2. 9 Eric Mahlik - Green Bay, Wisconsin
3. 8c Rob Charapata - Oconto, Wisconsin
4. 64 Casey Gruebel - Lacona, Iowa
5. 94 JJ Anderson - Green Bay, Wisconsin
6. 34 Mickey Nusser - Phillips, Wisconsin
7. 36 Matt Pittman
8. 6 Darren Huntley
9. 75 Justin Medler - Minot, ND
10. 86 Corey Rose
11. 321 Andy Tiernan
B main #3 - 2 advance
1. 99 Rocky Caudel
2. 92P Mike Pruitt
3. 198 Sam Wieben - Dysart, Iowa
4. 66A Anthony Onstat - Norwalk
5. 14 Jay Hansen - Audubon
6. 22B Brian Eppert
7. 13T Taylor Musselman - Norwalk
8. 32L Ty Luellen
9. 57 Lynn Brockett
10. 19 David Schlicht
DNS: 24 Brian Miller
Feature
1. 23JR Nick Roberts
2. 26J Joel Rust
3. 9X Austin Lucas
4. 2 Bryan LaRiviere
5. 30 Tracy Wassenberg
6. 01 Troy Jerovetz - Green Bay, Wisconsin
7. 3L Clint Luellen
8. 20 Brad Theys - Luxemburg, Wisconsin
9. 81D Scott Davis
10. 92P Mike Pruitt
11. 9E Eric Elliott
12. 23 Jared Hansen - Audubon, Iowa
13. 66 Cody Henning
14. 3s Adam Shelman
15. 34J Jerry Hinton
16. 59 Tara Longnecker
17. 23K Ben Kates
18. 9 Eric Mahlik - Green Bay, Wisconsin
19. 661 Tyler Hackett - Algoma, Wisconsin
20. 00 Brett Moffitt
21. 99 Rocky Caudel
22. 505 Racer Hulin
23. 92 Tyler Droste
DNS: 5B Tom Burke
Stock Car
Heat 1 - 35 Donavon Smith
Heat 2 - 12+ Ryan Rose
Heat 3 - 25 Trent Murphy
Heat 4 - 3H Ty Hill
Heat 4 - 25M Michael Murphy
Heat 5 - 33C Brandon Czarapata - Appleton, Wisconsin
B main #1 - 2 advance
1. 50 Robert Stofer
2. 89B Dave Stricker
3. 83E Thomas Thompson
4. 5X Ross Marshall
5. 3 Tim French
6. 1X John Mahlberg - Wisconsin
7. 76 Norm Belew
8. 73 Rich Pederson, Sioux Falls, SD
9. 77T Trent Jeanes
B main #2 - 2 advance
1. 99D Damon Murty
2. 00 Luke Lemmens - Kewanee, Wisconsin
3. 19A Alan VanGorp
4. 23HR Rod Richards
5. 45 Larry Crocheck
6. 98 Derrick Rohe - Audubon
7. 1 Brad Clark - Grand Junction
DNS: 50K Kevin Balmer - Garwin
58 ?
B main #3 - 2 advance
1. 10 Matt Junio - Wisconsin
2. 81X Randy Killen
3. 11G Nyle Godwin
4. 22X Jamie Suchocki - Forestville, Wisconsin
5. 26K Butch Bass
6. 27 Gary Bass
7. 556 Terry Cornelison
8. 6 Adam Hilgenberg - Waukee
DNS: 55 Cory Bushnell
Feature
1. 35 Donavon Smith
2. 33C Brandon Czarapata
3. 93 Michael Jaennette
4. 94 Steve Meyer
5. 25 Trent Murphy
6. 25M Michael Murphy
7. 29 Matt Greiner
8. 99D Damon Murty
9. 19J Jay Schmidt
10. 103 JC Howell - Gun Barrel City, Texas
11. 22 Wayne Gifford
12. 15 Norm Chesmore
13. 9 Jerry Gifford
14. 12+ Ryan Rose
15. 3H Ty Hill
16. 27M Mike Munson
17. 89B Dave Stricker
18. 50 Robert Stofer
19. 5B Stefan Sybesma - Sanborn, Iowa
20. 00 Luke Lemmens - Kewanee, Wisconsin
21. 10 Matt Junio, Wisconsin
22. 56 Lonnie Hodges
23. 04 Don Vis
DNS: 81X Randy Killen
Hobby Stock
Heat 1 - 47W Shaun Wirtz
Heat 2 - 27 Jason Kohl - Missouri Valley, Iowa
Heat 3 - 40 Randy Embrey
Heat 4 - 27C Cory Adams
B main #1 - 5 advance
1. 13G Craig Graham - Webster City
2. 38R Aaron Rudolph
3. 20N Justin Hehring - Storm Lake
4. 96R Jamie Songer - Des Moines
5. 67 Ed Mahlstedt
6. 9 Andrew Arends
7. 26T Jeremy Tilley
8. 911 Darren Rothfus
9. 17J Josh Fredricksen - Des Moines
DNS: T71 Marcus Kyle
B main #2 - 5 advance
1. 5X Mike Johnson - Des Moines
2. 51D Dustin Filloon
3. T56 Tim Barber - Story City
4. 66 Andy Mahlstedt
5. 224 Gina Gruebel - Lacona, Iowa
6. 5 Dustin Lynch
7. 4D Jaimie Ayres - Webster City
8. F1 Blaine Frist - Boone
9. 500 Garrett Eilander - Newton
10. 14 Matt Wahlert
Feature
1. 4W John Watson
2. 40 Randy Embrey
3. 24B Brandon Brinton
4. 22 Chris Jensen
5. 6A Adam Armstrong - Beatrice, Nebraska
6. 12M Matt McDonald
7. 27C Corey Adams
8. 27 Jason Kohl - Missouri Valley
9. 13G Craig Graham
10. 55 Vince Buchholz - Waterloo
11. 10B Brandon Pruitt
12. 4C Curt Reed
13. 47W Shaun Wirtz
14. 5X Mike Johnson
15. 3A Austin Luellen
16. 03 Tony Harazin - Redwood Falls, Minnesota
17. 5A Tyler Pickett
18. 99 Carl Knight
19. 45B Craig Brotherson - Wall Lake
20. 38R Aaron Rudolph
21. 51D Dustin Filloon
22. 1 Blake Miller - Des Moines
23. 8B Robert Smith
24. 83S Scott Lograsso
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Central Iowa scores at Marshalltown Frostbuster
The pits were packed and over flowing last night at Marshalltown with over 210 race cars. The fans came out in full force as well. A freak accident involving the flagman could have been much worse than it turned out and a last lap incident in the modified feature changed the complexion of the finish. Winners were all from central Iowa with Sully, Laurel, Gilman and Chelsea taking home the trophies.
The IMCA hobby stock feature was a good show upfront with leader Donovan Nunnikhoven from Sully, and Lake City's Devon Smith putting on the show for the fans. Smith would end up by giving it just a bit too much effort at the very end, slip back several positions, and hand second spot over to Scott Pippert. Nunnikhoven took the win, with Pippert,(who had started mid-pack in the starting lineup after qualifying through a B feature) chasing him to the checkered flag and the runner up spot. Third was Vince Bucholz, Devin Smith recovered to capture fourth, and Nebraska's Adam Armstrong took fifth.
After getting the IMCA Northern SportMods whittled down through three B mains, from 50 plus cars to 24, their 18-lap feature was up next. Laurel's Racer Hulin drew the lucky #1 starting pill with Wisconsin's Rob Charapata along side. Hulin had little trouble in fending off any challengers throughout the race, and took the trophy home. Nick Roberts finished second, third was former Super National's champion Tracy Wassenberg from Wisconsin, fourth went to Andy Tiernan and defending IMCA national champion from Wichita, Kansas, Bryan LaRiviere, after recovering from an early race incident, finished in fifth. As a note, Hulin had been racing at Des Moine's Frostbuster the night before and was caught up in an on-track incident leaving his ride with a bent frame. Announcer Jeremy Fox, told the crowd that Hulin's crew worked all night on the car, stripping it down and with two tractors and probably log chains, got the car back to racing fitness. That's Iowa racer's ingenuity!
The IMCA stock cars ran a 20-lap feature with Brandon Czarapata, Wisconsin driver, and Sean Johnson, Independence, Iowa, starting 1 and 2. However, the Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty, threw his hat into the ring early, taking flight on the topside and into the lead, with Johnson and Czarapata in hot pursuit. Those three would remain the same with Murty taking the victory over Johnson in second, and Czarapata in third. Fourth went to Brian Irvine, who flew through the pack, and Jay Schmidt rounded out the top five.
With 70 plus modifieds on hand tonight, it took three B mains to get the starting field down to 24 cars. Richie Gustin and South Sioux City, Nebraska's Ricky "Racer" Stephan sat on the front row. Stephan took command from the drop of the green with Gustin and Darin Duffy trying to chase him down. Stephan was looking to take the victory, but on the last lap, Stephan and Duffy got together in turn two, sending Stephan spinning, but with Duffy continuing on. This would set up a green-white-checkered finish, with Duffy and Stephan going to the tail on the restart. Richie Gustin was the happy recipient of the lead now, and he would keep it to the checkers flying. Veteran NASCAR driver, Kenny Schrader from Concord, NC, and Kyle "The Highside Tickler" from Mooresville, NC scored second and third respectively. Jay Noteboom took fourth and Mark Elliott was fifth.
Racing was completed shortly after the midnight hour, and now it will be on to Boone Speedway tonight, for night four of the Frostbuster series. Sunday at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, will complete the 5 race series. As a reminder, racing starts at 5 p.m. tonight in Boone, and Vinton has racing scheduled for 4 p.m.
A scary incident mentioned earlier happened during one of the modified heats, when flagman Albert "Pep" Wolfgram was hit by a deck lid. He was in obvious pain when he came out of the flagstand, and the EMTs rushed to his assistance. It was announced later that he had suffered a dislocated shoulder and a gash in the neck and was being treated at the hospital. I would say he was very, very lucky that it was nothing more serious. Jerry VanSickle jumped into the flagstand and continued with the flagging duties the remainder of the night, and Jeremy Fox, with assistance from Ryan Clark, took over the microphone. I also mentioned previously, that all of tonight's winners were from a central Iowa location and have now discovered they all came from under 40 miles of the Marshalltown Speedway. Good job, local guys!
The regular season at the Marshalltown Speedway gets underway next Friday night, April 13. The season is underway race fans, so get out and find a race in your area to attend. Happy racing!
The IMCA hobby stock feature was a good show upfront with leader Donovan Nunnikhoven from Sully, and Lake City's Devon Smith putting on the show for the fans. Smith would end up by giving it just a bit too much effort at the very end, slip back several positions, and hand second spot over to Scott Pippert. Nunnikhoven took the win, with Pippert,(who had started mid-pack in the starting lineup after qualifying through a B feature) chasing him to the checkered flag and the runner up spot. Third was Vince Bucholz, Devin Smith recovered to capture fourth, and Nebraska's Adam Armstrong took fifth.
After getting the IMCA Northern SportMods whittled down through three B mains, from 50 plus cars to 24, their 18-lap feature was up next. Laurel's Racer Hulin drew the lucky #1 starting pill with Wisconsin's Rob Charapata along side. Hulin had little trouble in fending off any challengers throughout the race, and took the trophy home. Nick Roberts finished second, third was former Super National's champion Tracy Wassenberg from Wisconsin, fourth went to Andy Tiernan and defending IMCA national champion from Wichita, Kansas, Bryan LaRiviere, after recovering from an early race incident, finished in fifth. As a note, Hulin had been racing at Des Moine's Frostbuster the night before and was caught up in an on-track incident leaving his ride with a bent frame. Announcer Jeremy Fox, told the crowd that Hulin's crew worked all night on the car, stripping it down and with two tractors and probably log chains, got the car back to racing fitness. That's Iowa racer's ingenuity!
The IMCA stock cars ran a 20-lap feature with Brandon Czarapata, Wisconsin driver, and Sean Johnson, Independence, Iowa, starting 1 and 2. However, the Chelsea Charger, Damon Murty, threw his hat into the ring early, taking flight on the topside and into the lead, with Johnson and Czarapata in hot pursuit. Those three would remain the same with Murty taking the victory over Johnson in second, and Czarapata in third. Fourth went to Brian Irvine, who flew through the pack, and Jay Schmidt rounded out the top five.
With 70 plus modifieds on hand tonight, it took three B mains to get the starting field down to 24 cars. Richie Gustin and South Sioux City, Nebraska's Ricky "Racer" Stephan sat on the front row. Stephan took command from the drop of the green with Gustin and Darin Duffy trying to chase him down. Stephan was looking to take the victory, but on the last lap, Stephan and Duffy got together in turn two, sending Stephan spinning, but with Duffy continuing on. This would set up a green-white-checkered finish, with Duffy and Stephan going to the tail on the restart. Richie Gustin was the happy recipient of the lead now, and he would keep it to the checkers flying. Veteran NASCAR driver, Kenny Schrader from Concord, NC, and Kyle "The Highside Tickler" from Mooresville, NC scored second and third respectively. Jay Noteboom took fourth and Mark Elliott was fifth.
Racing was completed shortly after the midnight hour, and now it will be on to Boone Speedway tonight, for night four of the Frostbuster series. Sunday at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, will complete the 5 race series. As a reminder, racing starts at 5 p.m. tonight in Boone, and Vinton has racing scheduled for 4 p.m.
A scary incident mentioned earlier happened during one of the modified heats, when flagman Albert "Pep" Wolfgram was hit by a deck lid. He was in obvious pain when he came out of the flagstand, and the EMTs rushed to his assistance. It was announced later that he had suffered a dislocated shoulder and a gash in the neck and was being treated at the hospital. I would say he was very, very lucky that it was nothing more serious. Jerry VanSickle jumped into the flagstand and continued with the flagging duties the remainder of the night, and Jeremy Fox, with assistance from Ryan Clark, took over the microphone. I also mentioned previously, that all of tonight's winners were from a central Iowa location and have now discovered they all came from under 40 miles of the Marshalltown Speedway. Good job, local guys!
The regular season at the Marshalltown Speedway gets underway next Friday night, April 13. The season is underway race fans, so get out and find a race in your area to attend. Happy racing!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Kickoff Frostbuster wins go to Gustin, LaRiviere, Heinz and Anderson
The Southern Iowa Speedway kicked off the five-night IMCA Frostbuster series for 2012 on Wednesday night. After a nine year absence of the IMCA sanction at the big half-mile track in Osky, it was great to see the pits full, a good and enthusiastic crowd on hand, and a smooth track for the drivers. There was more than just a few traveling drivers, many from Wisconsin and Canada, as well as Kansas, Illinois, Wyoming, Texas, North Carolina, California, and North Dakota; those being the ones I can recall. Wisconsin and Kansas took home two of the feature wins, with Iowa claiming two.
The features started with the 15-lap IMCA hobby stock feature. No stranger with taking a checkered flag, Shannon Anderson, son of veteran racer, Jeff Anderson, and who now shows Urbandale, Iowa as his home, out ran Eric Stanton and Bill Bonnett. Longtime driver, Bill Bonnett held the lead until just before halfway of the event, when Anderson sneaked past him to take over the helm. Eric Stanton made his way into second and closed in on Anderson, to no avail. Below is my unofficial results for the hobby stock feature:
1. 78 Shannon Anderson
2. 7B Eric Stanton
3. 19 Bill Bonnett
4. 84 Danny Thrasher
5. 33X Justin Hook
6. 2N Donovan Nunnikhoven
7. 69 Craig Brown
8. 24B Brandon Brinton
9. 31 Dale Porter
10. 4X Pete Hutzel (a former Gary Pfantz car)
11. 27C Cory Adams
12. 33 Jerry Kriegel
13. 20B Ben Bruck
DNF: 57 Shull
224 Gina Greubel (hit wall going into turn 4)
10G Dustin Griffiths
25 VanBuskirk ?
53D Downing
32T Bobby Greene
The IMCA Stock Car 18-lap feature came next. The visiting drivers were abundant in this race, taking home three of the top five positions. Veteran driver from Wisconsin, John Heinz, led the entire feature with fellow Wisconsin competitor, Justin Jacobson taking the runner up spot. Kyle Harwood shot past Texas driver JC Howell on the final circuit, as they finished third and fourth respectively. Iowan Jeff Mueller rounded out the top five. My unofficial finish is as follows:
1. 57 John Heinz - Wisconsin
2. 1330 Justin Jacobson - Wisconsin
3. 15K Kyle Harwood
4. 103 JC Howell - Gun Barrel, Tx (don't ya just love that name!)
5. 77M Jeff Mueller
6. 22R Todd Reitzler
7. 99D Damon Murty
8. 93 Michael Jaennette
9. 1K Tom Killen
10. 94 Corey Stout
11. 29 Matt Greiner
12. 81X Randy Killen
13. 38 Rich Vogt
14. 52X Nathan Wood
15. 27 Gary Bass
16. 10 Matt Junio - Wisconsin
17. 22 Jaimie Czechowski ? - Wisconsin
18. 49G Leroy Groenendyk (former B mod driver)
19. 3 Joe Zedana
20. 73C Carl Yaw
DNF: 14R Jim Redman
00 Lemmes ?
The IMCA Northern SportMod feature went to Wichita, Kansas driver--and defending IMCA National Champion--Bryan LaRiviere. LaRiviere dominated in the feature, leading from start to finish, and pulling away from his nearest challenger. Clint Luellen and brother Ty Luellen finished second and third, respectively. Racer Hulin in his bright #505 ride, finished in fourth while veteran racer John VanDenberg rounded out the top five spots. Below is my unofficial finish:
1. 2 Bryan LaRiviere - Kansas
2. 3L Clint Luellen
3. 32L Ty Luellen
4. 505 Racer Hulin
5. 3K John VanDenberg
6. 81D Scott Davis
7. 7+ Jared Timmerman
8. 27 Bryon Weyer
9. 23K Joey Kates - Kansas
10. 21L Brad Lautenbach - Wisconsin
11. 1 Curtis VanDerWal
12. 72 Brett Lowry
13, 19J Jenae Gustin
14. 38 Bill Gibson
15. 8C Rob Czarapata - Wisconsin
16. 30X Josh Modde
17. 64 Casey Greubel
18. 198 Sam Weubben/Wiven ?, Dysart, Iowa
19. 20 Brad Theys -Wisconsin
DNF: 10 Jack Housley
48 Blake Conant
00M Brett Moffitt
9X Austin Lucas
7 Carter VanDenberg
The finale of the evening was the IMCA modified 20-lap feature. By this time, the track was really not multi-grooved and the dust was rolling. After speaking with new manager of the track, Mike VanGenderen, he commented that he was between a rock and a hard spot on what to do. He had been checking radar all evening,(as had we) and knowing that rain was just to the south, opted to take the route of getting the show in without watering, instead of taking the time to water the track and then have it rain and not get the show in. The front row was young Andrew Schroeder on the pole with Gilman, Iowa's Richie Gustin to his outside. Behind them sat Kyle Strickler, "The Highside Tickler" out of Mooresville, NC and Mark Elliott. That would be the finishing order after 20 laps. However, we learned even before we got home, that Schroeder had been disqualified and the win then went to Richie Gustin. Lance Arneson from Wisconsin was scored in fourth and Ronn Laruitzen from Jesup, Iowa in his "Angry Bird" hotrod, rounded out the top five. Below are my unofficial results:
1. 19G Richie Gustin
2. 2 Kyle Strickler - NC
3. 12 Mark Elliott
4. 98 Lance Arneson - Wisconsin
5. 10K Ronn Lauritzen
6. 9 Ken Schrader - NC
7. 7N Jay Noteboom
8 7 Eric Dailey
9. 69X Jon Snyder
10. 58 Marcus Yarie - Wisconsin
11. 73 Dan Ratajczak - Frog Station, Wisconsin (gotta love that name too)
12. 8X Rich Smith
13. 13 Matt Waugh
14. 18 Jake Durbin
15. 62 Greg Cox
16. 21CZ Tim Czarnetski - Wisconsin
DNF: 99M Tim Murty
10 Tyson Turnbull - Canada
70 Jesse Dennis
O2 Kody Scholpp - Kansas
40 Scott Dickey
01 Joey Galloway - Canada
19V Eric VanIten - Wisconsin
02 Andrew Schroeder - dq'd for "stud girdles"
The show was completed shortly after 10:45 p.m. and with the 125 cars that competed, not bad at all. The program was run in a timely and efficient manner, and the comments we heard all around us, much appreciated by the fans in the stands.
The regular season for the Southern Iowa Speedway will start next Wednesday night, with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30.
Be sure and check out fellow PR's blogs under "Back Stretch" and "In Staging" for their views of the racing. Positively Racing was well represented at the Southern Iowa Speedway tonight.
There are four more early season Frostbusters on tap--tonight in Des Moines at the Iowa State Fair Speedway, Friday night at the Marshalltown Speedway, Saturday at Boone Speedway, and Benton Speedway in Vinton on Sunday. Hope to see you at some of those! Happy racing!
The features started with the 15-lap IMCA hobby stock feature. No stranger with taking a checkered flag, Shannon Anderson, son of veteran racer, Jeff Anderson, and who now shows Urbandale, Iowa as his home, out ran Eric Stanton and Bill Bonnett. Longtime driver, Bill Bonnett held the lead until just before halfway of the event, when Anderson sneaked past him to take over the helm. Eric Stanton made his way into second and closed in on Anderson, to no avail. Below is my unofficial results for the hobby stock feature:
1. 78 Shannon Anderson
2. 7B Eric Stanton
3. 19 Bill Bonnett
4. 84 Danny Thrasher
5. 33X Justin Hook
6. 2N Donovan Nunnikhoven
7. 69 Craig Brown
8. 24B Brandon Brinton
9. 31 Dale Porter
10. 4X Pete Hutzel (a former Gary Pfantz car)
11. 27C Cory Adams
12. 33 Jerry Kriegel
13. 20B Ben Bruck
DNF: 57 Shull
224 Gina Greubel (hit wall going into turn 4)
10G Dustin Griffiths
25 VanBuskirk ?
53D Downing
32T Bobby Greene
The IMCA Stock Car 18-lap feature came next. The visiting drivers were abundant in this race, taking home three of the top five positions. Veteran driver from Wisconsin, John Heinz, led the entire feature with fellow Wisconsin competitor, Justin Jacobson taking the runner up spot. Kyle Harwood shot past Texas driver JC Howell on the final circuit, as they finished third and fourth respectively. Iowan Jeff Mueller rounded out the top five. My unofficial finish is as follows:
1. 57 John Heinz - Wisconsin
2. 1330 Justin Jacobson - Wisconsin
3. 15K Kyle Harwood
4. 103 JC Howell - Gun Barrel, Tx (don't ya just love that name!)
5. 77M Jeff Mueller
6. 22R Todd Reitzler
7. 99D Damon Murty
8. 93 Michael Jaennette
9. 1K Tom Killen
10. 94 Corey Stout
11. 29 Matt Greiner
12. 81X Randy Killen
13. 38 Rich Vogt
14. 52X Nathan Wood
15. 27 Gary Bass
16. 10 Matt Junio - Wisconsin
17. 22 Jaimie Czechowski ? - Wisconsin
18. 49G Leroy Groenendyk (former B mod driver)
19. 3 Joe Zedana
20. 73C Carl Yaw
DNF: 14R Jim Redman
00 Lemmes ?
The IMCA Northern SportMod feature went to Wichita, Kansas driver--and defending IMCA National Champion--Bryan LaRiviere. LaRiviere dominated in the feature, leading from start to finish, and pulling away from his nearest challenger. Clint Luellen and brother Ty Luellen finished second and third, respectively. Racer Hulin in his bright #505 ride, finished in fourth while veteran racer John VanDenberg rounded out the top five spots. Below is my unofficial finish:
1. 2 Bryan LaRiviere - Kansas
2. 3L Clint Luellen
3. 32L Ty Luellen
4. 505 Racer Hulin
5. 3K John VanDenberg
6. 81D Scott Davis
7. 7+ Jared Timmerman
8. 27 Bryon Weyer
9. 23K Joey Kates - Kansas
10. 21L Brad Lautenbach - Wisconsin
11. 1 Curtis VanDerWal
12. 72 Brett Lowry
13, 19J Jenae Gustin
14. 38 Bill Gibson
15. 8C Rob Czarapata - Wisconsin
16. 30X Josh Modde
17. 64 Casey Greubel
18. 198 Sam Weubben/Wiven ?, Dysart, Iowa
19. 20 Brad Theys -Wisconsin
DNF: 10 Jack Housley
48 Blake Conant
00M Brett Moffitt
9X Austin Lucas
7 Carter VanDenberg
The finale of the evening was the IMCA modified 20-lap feature. By this time, the track was really not multi-grooved and the dust was rolling. After speaking with new manager of the track, Mike VanGenderen, he commented that he was between a rock and a hard spot on what to do. He had been checking radar all evening,(as had we) and knowing that rain was just to the south, opted to take the route of getting the show in without watering, instead of taking the time to water the track and then have it rain and not get the show in. The front row was young Andrew Schroeder on the pole with Gilman, Iowa's Richie Gustin to his outside. Behind them sat Kyle Strickler, "The Highside Tickler" out of Mooresville, NC and Mark Elliott. That would be the finishing order after 20 laps. However, we learned even before we got home, that Schroeder had been disqualified and the win then went to Richie Gustin. Lance Arneson from Wisconsin was scored in fourth and Ronn Laruitzen from Jesup, Iowa in his "Angry Bird" hotrod, rounded out the top five. Below are my unofficial results:
1. 19G Richie Gustin
2. 2 Kyle Strickler - NC
3. 12 Mark Elliott
4. 98 Lance Arneson - Wisconsin
5. 10K Ronn Lauritzen
6. 9 Ken Schrader - NC
7. 7N Jay Noteboom
8 7 Eric Dailey
9. 69X Jon Snyder
10. 58 Marcus Yarie - Wisconsin
11. 73 Dan Ratajczak - Frog Station, Wisconsin (gotta love that name too)
12. 8X Rich Smith
13. 13 Matt Waugh
14. 18 Jake Durbin
15. 62 Greg Cox
16. 21CZ Tim Czarnetski - Wisconsin
DNF: 99M Tim Murty
10 Tyson Turnbull - Canada
70 Jesse Dennis
O2 Kody Scholpp - Kansas
40 Scott Dickey
01 Joey Galloway - Canada
19V Eric VanIten - Wisconsin
02 Andrew Schroeder - dq'd for "stud girdles"
The show was completed shortly after 10:45 p.m. and with the 125 cars that competed, not bad at all. The program was run in a timely and efficient manner, and the comments we heard all around us, much appreciated by the fans in the stands.
The regular season for the Southern Iowa Speedway will start next Wednesday night, with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30.
Be sure and check out fellow PR's blogs under "Back Stretch" and "In Staging" for their views of the racing. Positively Racing was well represented at the Southern Iowa Speedway tonight.
There are four more early season Frostbusters on tap--tonight in Des Moines at the Iowa State Fair Speedway, Friday night at the Marshalltown Speedway, Saturday at Boone Speedway, and Benton Speedway in Vinton on Sunday. Hope to see you at some of those! Happy racing!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Beatrice Speedway Spring Nationals 2012
Our annual Spring trip to the Beatrice Speedway was certainly warmer than the norm. With temperatures in the 70's both days, it was a far cry from having to bundle up as is often the case, or even fend off snow flurries! This time, we enjoyed more comfortable weather, though the winds were more than calm! With the warm, sunny and windy weather, it made for the track conditions turning slick and shiny in no time--both nights. The good news was, it was smooth!
Friday night's show had the IMCA modifieds, IMCA stock cars,(back after several year's absence at the track)IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Hobby Stocks on the docket. Running in the heats were 39 stock cars, 56 sportmods, 36 hobby stocks, and 65 modifieds--196 total cars in the heats. That's just by my count, so there may have been more that did not make the call.
The IMCA hobby stock feature ran first on Friday and the finish resulted in a controversy that not many in the grandstand seemed to observe--from our perspective anyway. With just a lap in, a rolling car or two halted the action in turn one, requiring a lengthy time for clean up. The group that we were enjoying the racing with, observed that a certain car was realigned in what we didn't believe to be the proper place. However, there didn't seem to be any protesting in the stands and the race resumed with the car in that position. It seems that the problem arose due to the fact that there were several cars with the same number--though different letters--difficult circumstances for some scorers. The finish was thus scored with Adam Armstrong taking the eventual win. Scott Pippert, Elberon, Iowa and an area driver we often see, led much of the race but was overtaken by Armstrong, and had to settle for runner up. Third was Mike Hansen, fourth Shane Slezak and fifth went to Brian Stich.
The 20-lap Northern SportMod feature was up next and Tyler Frye dominated in taking another win. He was the defending Spring Nationals champion as well as the defending track champion. Tad Reutzel, northern Iowa driver from Burt, finished in second place, third was Minburn, Iowa driver, Clint Luellen, fourth went to former modified driver, Jeff Jones out of Council Bluffs, and rounding out the top five was Jeremy Leiting.
The IMCA stock cars also ran a 20-lap feature. We were pleased to see the stock cars back on the schedule again. It's still one of our favorite classes, and by the nice turnout, looked to be a popular re-introduction. This feature turned into a a good battle up front between three drivers; Elijah Zevenbergen, or "EZ", Damon Murty, the Chelsea Charger, and local favorite, Kyle Vanover. Perry Misner from Garden City, Kansas threw his hat into the ring at the end, mixing the running order up. Zevenbergen, from Ocheyedan, Iowa led it from start to finish however, taking the win ahead of Misner in second, Vanover in third, Murty was fourth, and fifth went to Jesse Taylor, who made the trip over from Ft. Morgan, Colorado.
The IMCA modifieds ran 30-laps for the night cap. Jay Noteboom, who started on the outside front row, had the lead early, passing former national champion Dylan Smith, and Dunkerton, Iowa's Troy Cordes. From there on, there was no looking back, as Noteboom motored home for the win. He won comfortably over another former national champion, David Murray, and third was yet another former national champion, Gordon Grabouski. Fourth went to Colorado driver Brett Smith, and fifth was Dylan Smith.
Saturday saw another warm and very breezy day. We expected much the same track conditions for the races that night, and that is what evolved--the track rubbering over early on. Tonight's racing included the IMCA Sport Compacts joining the four classes from the previous night.
The IMCA Sport Compacts ran a 12-lap feature with Aaron Betz, besting the field. Betz, who made the long haul down from Avoca, Minnesota, had a twenty-plus feature win season in 2011, and looks to be picking up where he left off. Tyler Whalen, from Riverside, Iowa took home the runner-up position, third was Ole Olson, fourth was Brock McDougall, and fifth was Scott Spellmeier.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks ran 15-laps for their feature event. Shaun Slezak, a popular area driver, took the win tonight. Slezak, in a borrowed car because his own was not ready, dominated the race. Mike Hansen, from Weeping Water, Nebraska (love that name), took second over Brendon Stigge from nearby Fairbury, Nebraska, fourth was Blain Petersen from Essex, Iowa and Adam Armstrong was fifth.
The Northern SportMods ran their 20-lap feature next. Mike Pruitt from Redfield, Iowa was the lucky re-draw #1 and started on the pole along side Jeremy Leiting. Pruitt led all but the first lap when he passed Leiting, and drove his Raven Chassis to the victory. Jesse Sobbing tried his best to sneak past Pruitt, but was unable to make it happen, ending up with the bridesmaid spot. Leiting held on to take third, fourth was Kyle Prauner, and Racer Hulin from Laurel, Iowa took home fifth spot.
Chelsea, Iowa's Damon Murty established his dominance early on in the stock car 20-lap feature, taking home the victory. Andrew Altenburg from Minnesota and Beatrice's Tyler Phelps applied some pressure to Murty, but he never relinquished the lead. Altenburg finished second, Phelps came from starting in the fifth row, to finish third, fourth was Casey Werkmeister and Jesse Taylor rounded out the top five.
Thirty laps awaited the modifieds that would cap off the night's racing. Who should draw the pole, but Jordon "Grabo" Grabouski, who certainly knows his way around the Beatrice Speedway. Grabouski, from Beatrice, was the defending Spring National's champion, as well as the 2011 IMCA National Champion. Grabouski led all but the very first lap of the event though things were looking to be getting interesting in the late laps of the race. That's when David Murray came charging into second in a desperate attempt to over take the #30 car of Grabouski. That challenge would end when at lap 27, on a restart, Murray dove to the inside, clipped a track tire, then shot across the track and made contact with the outside wall, and ended up with Jeremy Frenier driving over the top of his car...and bringing out another yellow.
Grabouski kept command from that final restart, taking the checkers first. Jay Noteboom finished in second, third was Dylan Smith, fourth was Brian Mullen from Seymour, Wisconsin and fifth went to David Karst from Mills, Wyoming.
What a way to start off our 2012 racing season around these parts! The pits were packed...well over 230 on the second night of racing, and the stands and cat walks were full! The weather conditions were warm, though a bit too windy, but if this was any indication of the racing action, the car count, and the fan count to come, it is looking up for racing. It was nice to see the full stands and great to see so many race friends we knew who were in attendence...all enjoying the sport we love!
Don't forget the Frostbusters coming up in our area soon. The Frostbusters will kick off their five-night schedule at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, April 4, followed by Thursday night, April 5th at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway in Des Moines, the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday, April 6, the Boone Speedway, Boone, Iowa on Saturday April 7th, and finishing up on Sunday April 8th at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa. We hope to make many of those events. Hope to see you there. Happy racing!
Friday night's show had the IMCA modifieds, IMCA stock cars,(back after several year's absence at the track)IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Hobby Stocks on the docket. Running in the heats were 39 stock cars, 56 sportmods, 36 hobby stocks, and 65 modifieds--196 total cars in the heats. That's just by my count, so there may have been more that did not make the call.
The IMCA hobby stock feature ran first on Friday and the finish resulted in a controversy that not many in the grandstand seemed to observe--from our perspective anyway. With just a lap in, a rolling car or two halted the action in turn one, requiring a lengthy time for clean up. The group that we were enjoying the racing with, observed that a certain car was realigned in what we didn't believe to be the proper place. However, there didn't seem to be any protesting in the stands and the race resumed with the car in that position. It seems that the problem arose due to the fact that there were several cars with the same number--though different letters--difficult circumstances for some scorers. The finish was thus scored with Adam Armstrong taking the eventual win. Scott Pippert, Elberon, Iowa and an area driver we often see, led much of the race but was overtaken by Armstrong, and had to settle for runner up. Third was Mike Hansen, fourth Shane Slezak and fifth went to Brian Stich.
The 20-lap Northern SportMod feature was up next and Tyler Frye dominated in taking another win. He was the defending Spring Nationals champion as well as the defending track champion. Tad Reutzel, northern Iowa driver from Burt, finished in second place, third was Minburn, Iowa driver, Clint Luellen, fourth went to former modified driver, Jeff Jones out of Council Bluffs, and rounding out the top five was Jeremy Leiting.
The IMCA stock cars also ran a 20-lap feature. We were pleased to see the stock cars back on the schedule again. It's still one of our favorite classes, and by the nice turnout, looked to be a popular re-introduction. This feature turned into a a good battle up front between three drivers; Elijah Zevenbergen, or "EZ", Damon Murty, the Chelsea Charger, and local favorite, Kyle Vanover. Perry Misner from Garden City, Kansas threw his hat into the ring at the end, mixing the running order up. Zevenbergen, from Ocheyedan, Iowa led it from start to finish however, taking the win ahead of Misner in second, Vanover in third, Murty was fourth, and fifth went to Jesse Taylor, who made the trip over from Ft. Morgan, Colorado.
The IMCA modifieds ran 30-laps for the night cap. Jay Noteboom, who started on the outside front row, had the lead early, passing former national champion Dylan Smith, and Dunkerton, Iowa's Troy Cordes. From there on, there was no looking back, as Noteboom motored home for the win. He won comfortably over another former national champion, David Murray, and third was yet another former national champion, Gordon Grabouski. Fourth went to Colorado driver Brett Smith, and fifth was Dylan Smith.
Saturday saw another warm and very breezy day. We expected much the same track conditions for the races that night, and that is what evolved--the track rubbering over early on. Tonight's racing included the IMCA Sport Compacts joining the four classes from the previous night.
The IMCA Sport Compacts ran a 12-lap feature with Aaron Betz, besting the field. Betz, who made the long haul down from Avoca, Minnesota, had a twenty-plus feature win season in 2011, and looks to be picking up where he left off. Tyler Whalen, from Riverside, Iowa took home the runner-up position, third was Ole Olson, fourth was Brock McDougall, and fifth was Scott Spellmeier.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks ran 15-laps for their feature event. Shaun Slezak, a popular area driver, took the win tonight. Slezak, in a borrowed car because his own was not ready, dominated the race. Mike Hansen, from Weeping Water, Nebraska (love that name), took second over Brendon Stigge from nearby Fairbury, Nebraska, fourth was Blain Petersen from Essex, Iowa and Adam Armstrong was fifth.
The Northern SportMods ran their 20-lap feature next. Mike Pruitt from Redfield, Iowa was the lucky re-draw #1 and started on the pole along side Jeremy Leiting. Pruitt led all but the first lap when he passed Leiting, and drove his Raven Chassis to the victory. Jesse Sobbing tried his best to sneak past Pruitt, but was unable to make it happen, ending up with the bridesmaid spot. Leiting held on to take third, fourth was Kyle Prauner, and Racer Hulin from Laurel, Iowa took home fifth spot.
Chelsea, Iowa's Damon Murty established his dominance early on in the stock car 20-lap feature, taking home the victory. Andrew Altenburg from Minnesota and Beatrice's Tyler Phelps applied some pressure to Murty, but he never relinquished the lead. Altenburg finished second, Phelps came from starting in the fifth row, to finish third, fourth was Casey Werkmeister and Jesse Taylor rounded out the top five.
Thirty laps awaited the modifieds that would cap off the night's racing. Who should draw the pole, but Jordon "Grabo" Grabouski, who certainly knows his way around the Beatrice Speedway. Grabouski, from Beatrice, was the defending Spring National's champion, as well as the 2011 IMCA National Champion. Grabouski led all but the very first lap of the event though things were looking to be getting interesting in the late laps of the race. That's when David Murray came charging into second in a desperate attempt to over take the #30 car of Grabouski. That challenge would end when at lap 27, on a restart, Murray dove to the inside, clipped a track tire, then shot across the track and made contact with the outside wall, and ended up with Jeremy Frenier driving over the top of his car...and bringing out another yellow.
Grabouski kept command from that final restart, taking the checkers first. Jay Noteboom finished in second, third was Dylan Smith, fourth was Brian Mullen from Seymour, Wisconsin and fifth went to David Karst from Mills, Wyoming.
What a way to start off our 2012 racing season around these parts! The pits were packed...well over 230 on the second night of racing, and the stands and cat walks were full! The weather conditions were warm, though a bit too windy, but if this was any indication of the racing action, the car count, and the fan count to come, it is looking up for racing. It was nice to see the full stands and great to see so many race friends we knew who were in attendence...all enjoying the sport we love!
Don't forget the Frostbusters coming up in our area soon. The Frostbusters will kick off their five-night schedule at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, April 4, followed by Thursday night, April 5th at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway in Des Moines, the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday, April 6, the Boone Speedway, Boone, Iowa on Saturday April 7th, and finishing up on Sunday April 8th at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa. We hope to make many of those events. Hope to see you there. Happy racing!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Racing at Daytona
It's been a while since we've checked in here. It's been a quiet time racing wise for us since last fall. However, we did recently get some racing in when we ventured to Florida and took in Speedweek at Daytona International Speedway. No doubt, most of you know about the rain postponed Daytona 500 that we got to experience! We not only saw the first ever postponed Daytona 500, but also the only one run at night. Plus...it lasted into the wee hours of Tuesday morning, so also spanned two days!
For the most part, other than that Sunday when the Daytona 500 was to be run, we enjoyed the nicest/warmest weather ever for racing in Florida. Thursday was beautiful for the running of the Duels. Duel #1 was pretty uneventful until Danica Patrick took a rough ride into the backstretch wall. Tony Stewart took the checkers (to my delight) in the first race of the day. The second race went to Matt Kenseth, which I was quite pleased about as well! We always enjoy the Duel races, as it gives you an opportuity to see ALL the drivers who are attempting to qualify. Also a little chance to wrap your head around all the car/driver changes from the previous year.
Friday wasn't quite as early a call to head to Daytona from our hotel in Orlando, since the race was a night running. The race vehicles are always beautiful under the lights. Little did we know then, it wouldn't be the last time we would see a race at night there! There were several cautions in the race but it was on a late-in-the-race restart, that things really changed up the game. I should have known when they announced the restart would be the "first" of a green-white-checkered finish, that they really knew what they were talking about! Yup...finally on the THIRD, green-white-checkered, the "bumper trucks" finally got the race in. That was after the second try resulted in a RED flag situation and then at the conclusion of the third restart, a big mess ensued after the white flag had flown and the race was called completed. It was nice to see a first-time winner in John King, get a victory, but an unfortunate situation that eliminated up-front runners all night being taken out of a good finish at the very end. It happens, as we've all seen before. One of the incidents resulted in a truck flipping pretty high just down from our seats, bending one of the catch fence poles at a pretty good angle. It was replaced by the next day.
Saturday, it was back again to the Speedway, and this time for the running of the Nationwide race. There were many lead changes early in the race, and once again, more than several cautions. And, once again, a big mess happened on the final lap of the race, taking out the top running cars. The lucky winner of this race was James Buescher. Not a bad deal for him since he had been running in 11th place as he rounded turn four coming to the checkers. He skillfully avoided the massive wreck in front of him involving the leaders.
Now comes Sunday, and the scheduled Daytona 500. We knew all week that Sunday was calling for rain. However, all those cells that pop up and move in can just as quickly dissipate as they form in that area. We were all hoping that would be the case on Sunday. It didn't happen...not for long anyway. We sat in the vehicle in a pretty convenient location to the track, so could hear the jet dryers on the track periodically as they attempted to get the job done. It drizzled off and on and with the scheduled start time approaching, we opted to head to the track. As we stood beneath our upper section seats (we were in the very top row of the frontstretch, just at the pit exit) the pre-race ceremonies were underway, Lennie Kravitz performing, and then the driver introductions. We were encouraged that this might just happen! Then, it poured!! We ended up standing there under the protected area of our section, for four hours, just waiting. We did get to know one of the ushers quite well though. When the rain let up, we decided to head back to the vehicle just to be able to sit down and rest, knowing that it would still be at least two hours before they could even get the track dried if and when it stopped. Wasn't long after we got there, that the word came that they had decided to postpone the race. This was for the first time EVER in the history of the Daytona 500. It was rescheduled to run at noon the next day. Thanks to a track text messaging, we got the word quickly, though it was also announced over the radio and people in the parking lot were also listening on their scanners. So...back to Orlando we went, booked our hotel room for an extra night, and crossed our fingers for getting the race in on Monday.
Monday dawned drippy too! Oh no, tell us it wasn't so! But we headed over to Daytona hoping for the best. We had heard that they probably wouldn't delay the 500 and run it on Tuesday if Monday didn't happen, but instead, would schedule it for an "off weekend" in April. That wouldn't happen for us then. It sprinkled off and on Monday morning and then came more than a sprinkle! The word then came that they had once again postponed the race, but were hopeful that a window of opportunity would come later that evening....races to be run at 7 p.m. Yup, got to see another night race.
The Daytona 500 ran at 7 p.m. on Monday, and the conditions of the track and the weather were actually quite pleasant. Of course, everyone had their ponchos close at hand! No umbrellas allowed in the grandstand, and apparently, many didn't know that as observed by the stash of umbrellas confiscated at the gates! Luckily, no more than a very few sprinkles fell the remainder of the night, and none enough to stop any action on the track.
Jimmy Johnson's night ended nearly before it started, with involvment in a wreck on lap 3 that took him out. A blown engine on lap 64 took out Jeff Gordon early as well. Everyone had their fingers crossed looking for that magic 100th lap, knowing that if rain came, the race would be declared offical. There was rain showing on radar, nearby. But no more than those few sprinkles mentioned earlier, ever appeared and the race continued. Late in the race, a caution came out and the yellow flag laps were counting down the conclusion of the race. During this time, we kept observing cars pitting...one right down from us. That would be the infamous car #42 of Juan Pablo (or JP as they are now calling him) Montoya. They checked it over, but didn't appear to make any changes, but he did go tearing out of the pits after his stop, in an attempt to catch the pack of cars on the track. We weren't really paying too much attention to the action on the track, since it was under yellow, but I suddenly looked up at the giant jumbotron to observe the wrecked, and on fire, car of Montoya! What the heck. About that time, a glance toward turn three brought a huge, "BOOM" and an enormous fireball! Thinking his car had exploded for some reason, we were still a bit puzzled (we didn't have a scanner) but soon learned that he had hit the back of one of the jet dryers! Not a good thing at all! Thankfully, Montoya and the jet dryer driver were able to escape safely...though I don't know how! The flames burned for a long, long time, the race was red flagged and not many people expected the race to be able to continue. The dryer melted to the track surface, and we thought that was it. Someone heard Dale, Jr. to say he didn't think there was anyway the track would be safe for racing. But....race they did. That would be after a two-hour cleanup of the track, using Tide! I am sure no one was more hopeful the race would NOT continue than Dave Blaney, who was scored the leader when the inferno occurred.
At 12:56 a.m. on TUESDAY, almost 36 hours after it was originally scheduled to run on Sunday at 1 p.m., the 54th running of the Daytona 500 was in the books...winner Matt Kenseth!! This race would also end under a green-white-checkered finish. A common happening during the four races we saw. Kenseth won the 500 for the second time in his career.
We not only saw a Daytona 500 that we will never forget, but along the way, ran into other fans who love the sport as much as us. All those hours of waiting around for the sky to clear, you meet a lot of people! We also, just by chance, were in a restaurant the week after the races....extending our vacation to catch up with our son and family who had flown down, when a couple dining just across from us, made a comment about a shirt Dick was wearing--D.T.U., Dirt Track University. That would bring about a conversation about racing in our neck of the woods here in Iowa and their dirt track racing...in Canada! They told us they were affiliated with Brighton Speedway in Brighton, Ontario. The track, a 1/3 mile slightly banked clay oval had previously been a sanctioned IMCA track, but they told us the newest promoter had opted out of sanctioning, though they ran nearly IMCA rules. It was nice to visit with Huck, who is the announcer at the track, and his wife Mary Ann. A chance meeting of people who love the great sport of dirt track racing. We encouraged them to try and make it back to Iowa for some racing in the near future and mentioned the IMCA Super Nationals. They said they had heard about that spectacle and would love to come sometime. So, Huck and Mary Ann, if by chance you happen to get to read this blog, as I gave them the link to this and a couple of our local tracks, "come on back" and enjoy some racing Midwest style.
We plan to head to Beatrice, Nebraska this Friday for the Beatrice IMCA Spring Nationals. That has often been our kick-off racing each spring in our area. We hope it happens and we get to see some good racing...dirt style!! Happy racing!
For the most part, other than that Sunday when the Daytona 500 was to be run, we enjoyed the nicest/warmest weather ever for racing in Florida. Thursday was beautiful for the running of the Duels. Duel #1 was pretty uneventful until Danica Patrick took a rough ride into the backstretch wall. Tony Stewart took the checkers (to my delight) in the first race of the day. The second race went to Matt Kenseth, which I was quite pleased about as well! We always enjoy the Duel races, as it gives you an opportuity to see ALL the drivers who are attempting to qualify. Also a little chance to wrap your head around all the car/driver changes from the previous year.
Friday wasn't quite as early a call to head to Daytona from our hotel in Orlando, since the race was a night running. The race vehicles are always beautiful under the lights. Little did we know then, it wouldn't be the last time we would see a race at night there! There were several cautions in the race but it was on a late-in-the-race restart, that things really changed up the game. I should have known when they announced the restart would be the "first" of a green-white-checkered finish, that they really knew what they were talking about! Yup...finally on the THIRD, green-white-checkered, the "bumper trucks" finally got the race in. That was after the second try resulted in a RED flag situation and then at the conclusion of the third restart, a big mess ensued after the white flag had flown and the race was called completed. It was nice to see a first-time winner in John King, get a victory, but an unfortunate situation that eliminated up-front runners all night being taken out of a good finish at the very end. It happens, as we've all seen before. One of the incidents resulted in a truck flipping pretty high just down from our seats, bending one of the catch fence poles at a pretty good angle. It was replaced by the next day.
Saturday, it was back again to the Speedway, and this time for the running of the Nationwide race. There were many lead changes early in the race, and once again, more than several cautions. And, once again, a big mess happened on the final lap of the race, taking out the top running cars. The lucky winner of this race was James Buescher. Not a bad deal for him since he had been running in 11th place as he rounded turn four coming to the checkers. He skillfully avoided the massive wreck in front of him involving the leaders.
Now comes Sunday, and the scheduled Daytona 500. We knew all week that Sunday was calling for rain. However, all those cells that pop up and move in can just as quickly dissipate as they form in that area. We were all hoping that would be the case on Sunday. It didn't happen...not for long anyway. We sat in the vehicle in a pretty convenient location to the track, so could hear the jet dryers on the track periodically as they attempted to get the job done. It drizzled off and on and with the scheduled start time approaching, we opted to head to the track. As we stood beneath our upper section seats (we were in the very top row of the frontstretch, just at the pit exit) the pre-race ceremonies were underway, Lennie Kravitz performing, and then the driver introductions. We were encouraged that this might just happen! Then, it poured!! We ended up standing there under the protected area of our section, for four hours, just waiting. We did get to know one of the ushers quite well though. When the rain let up, we decided to head back to the vehicle just to be able to sit down and rest, knowing that it would still be at least two hours before they could even get the track dried if and when it stopped. Wasn't long after we got there, that the word came that they had decided to postpone the race. This was for the first time EVER in the history of the Daytona 500. It was rescheduled to run at noon the next day. Thanks to a track text messaging, we got the word quickly, though it was also announced over the radio and people in the parking lot were also listening on their scanners. So...back to Orlando we went, booked our hotel room for an extra night, and crossed our fingers for getting the race in on Monday.
Monday dawned drippy too! Oh no, tell us it wasn't so! But we headed over to Daytona hoping for the best. We had heard that they probably wouldn't delay the 500 and run it on Tuesday if Monday didn't happen, but instead, would schedule it for an "off weekend" in April. That wouldn't happen for us then. It sprinkled off and on Monday morning and then came more than a sprinkle! The word then came that they had once again postponed the race, but were hopeful that a window of opportunity would come later that evening....races to be run at 7 p.m. Yup, got to see another night race.
The Daytona 500 ran at 7 p.m. on Monday, and the conditions of the track and the weather were actually quite pleasant. Of course, everyone had their ponchos close at hand! No umbrellas allowed in the grandstand, and apparently, many didn't know that as observed by the stash of umbrellas confiscated at the gates! Luckily, no more than a very few sprinkles fell the remainder of the night, and none enough to stop any action on the track.
Jimmy Johnson's night ended nearly before it started, with involvment in a wreck on lap 3 that took him out. A blown engine on lap 64 took out Jeff Gordon early as well. Everyone had their fingers crossed looking for that magic 100th lap, knowing that if rain came, the race would be declared offical. There was rain showing on radar, nearby. But no more than those few sprinkles mentioned earlier, ever appeared and the race continued. Late in the race, a caution came out and the yellow flag laps were counting down the conclusion of the race. During this time, we kept observing cars pitting...one right down from us. That would be the infamous car #42 of Juan Pablo (or JP as they are now calling him) Montoya. They checked it over, but didn't appear to make any changes, but he did go tearing out of the pits after his stop, in an attempt to catch the pack of cars on the track. We weren't really paying too much attention to the action on the track, since it was under yellow, but I suddenly looked up at the giant jumbotron to observe the wrecked, and on fire, car of Montoya! What the heck. About that time, a glance toward turn three brought a huge, "BOOM" and an enormous fireball! Thinking his car had exploded for some reason, we were still a bit puzzled (we didn't have a scanner) but soon learned that he had hit the back of one of the jet dryers! Not a good thing at all! Thankfully, Montoya and the jet dryer driver were able to escape safely...though I don't know how! The flames burned for a long, long time, the race was red flagged and not many people expected the race to be able to continue. The dryer melted to the track surface, and we thought that was it. Someone heard Dale, Jr. to say he didn't think there was anyway the track would be safe for racing. But....race they did. That would be after a two-hour cleanup of the track, using Tide! I am sure no one was more hopeful the race would NOT continue than Dave Blaney, who was scored the leader when the inferno occurred.
At 12:56 a.m. on TUESDAY, almost 36 hours after it was originally scheduled to run on Sunday at 1 p.m., the 54th running of the Daytona 500 was in the books...winner Matt Kenseth!! This race would also end under a green-white-checkered finish. A common happening during the four races we saw. Kenseth won the 500 for the second time in his career.
We not only saw a Daytona 500 that we will never forget, but along the way, ran into other fans who love the sport as much as us. All those hours of waiting around for the sky to clear, you meet a lot of people! We also, just by chance, were in a restaurant the week after the races....extending our vacation to catch up with our son and family who had flown down, when a couple dining just across from us, made a comment about a shirt Dick was wearing--D.T.U., Dirt Track University. That would bring about a conversation about racing in our neck of the woods here in Iowa and their dirt track racing...in Canada! They told us they were affiliated with Brighton Speedway in Brighton, Ontario. The track, a 1/3 mile slightly banked clay oval had previously been a sanctioned IMCA track, but they told us the newest promoter had opted out of sanctioning, though they ran nearly IMCA rules. It was nice to visit with Huck, who is the announcer at the track, and his wife Mary Ann. A chance meeting of people who love the great sport of dirt track racing. We encouraged them to try and make it back to Iowa for some racing in the near future and mentioned the IMCA Super Nationals. They said they had heard about that spectacle and would love to come sometime. So, Huck and Mary Ann, if by chance you happen to get to read this blog, as I gave them the link to this and a couple of our local tracks, "come on back" and enjoy some racing Midwest style.
We plan to head to Beatrice, Nebraska this Friday for the Beatrice IMCA Spring Nationals. That has often been our kick-off racing each spring in our area. We hope it happens and we get to see some good racing...dirt style!! Happy racing!
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