The facilities in Independence have undergone quite a few changes in the past year. After the well-published storms tore through northeast Iowa in the spring of 2008, the effect they had on IMS left a lot of unanswered questions. The grandstands, uprooted from their foundation, left the fair board a lot of work to do and very little time to do it.
After a shortened schedule in 2008, Cam has taken over the reins this year and his hard work is already paying off. Brand new grandstands are expected to see completion by June 1, along with a new concession area which is scheduled to open on July 1. These will complement the new, expanded north bleachers, which have already been installed.
Along with the visual aspects of the speedway, Cam has vowed to promote the track like it has never seen before. He changed the grandstand admission from "5 and under free" to allow all kids ages 11 and under free into the grandstands. The local Walmart has agreed to donate two kids' bicycles every Saturday night and there are also plans for a cotton candy machine to be a part of the new concession area. Coincidentally, gone are the concessions purchased through a local wholesale distributor and, in place of them, fresh products from Edgewood Locker and Hy-Vee will be on the menu.
Three Wide Media has also provided a custom-built mini-modified to give two lucky kids a ride around the track, at speed, every Saturday night. As for the racing surface itself, over 30 loads of new dirt were added during the off-season.
There are also a couple of procedural changes that Cam and Race Director Mike O’Connor are incorporating this season to generate fan interest. Gone are single-file restarts and returning are double-wide restarts in all events. Also, 24 cars will start feature events, up from 20 starters in recent seasons.
Quite possibly one of the best changes this season is one that may actually go “unnoticed” by fans and drivers. Cam and his team have brought in a number of racing veterans to serve as his track crew for this season. The new team consists of both former drivers and veteran track officials who have many years of experience in numerous aspects of putting on a successful show.
The I.M.C.A. weekly racing program opened on May 2 after being rained out the week before. After an impressive 75 cars were pre-registered to compete, it was nice to see 122 cars turn out for the opening night of racing. On-hand were 26 I.M.C.A. Late Models, 35 I.M.C.A. Modifieds, 19 I.M.C.A. Stock Cars, 29 I.M.C.A. SportMods and 13 I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks as those in attendance witnessed the first spring race at the speedway in two seasons.
A lot of new faces were found in the pit area in all five divisions. Many drivers were making their first appearance at the speedway while a number of regulars over recent years were making the transition to new divisions. There were even a handful of “old-time” competitors making a return to weekly racing at the speedway after a many year absence. One such driver was Kevin Pittman, who last competed in weekly racing in the I.M.C.A. Modified division in 1990 in his #26.
After finishing second in points that season to Tom Bartholomew, Pittman wheeled an I.M.C.A. Late Model to great success over the course of many years. He then opted to wheel an Open Modified for a few seasons, competing weekly at Echo Valley Speedway in West Union. Since 1990, the only time Pittman drove an I.M.C.A. Modified on a Saturday night in Independence was during a one-night stint in 1992 when he drove Tom White’s 17W.
The track itself held up pretty well during the heat events. It did start to show some wear and developed a number of holes as qualifying progressed as the new dirt will need to be continually worked in throughout the course of the season. Folklore also says that as long as the level of the Wapsipinicon River (just a few blocks away from the speedway) remains high, the track has historically struggled to remain smooth.
While this was evident by the time the SportMods opened feature competition, the racing remained close, competitive and entertaining. Josh Sherbon picked up his fifth career win at the speedway, leading wire-to-wire in the event. Track newcomer Jake Strayer held off Rod McDonald for an impressive second place finish in his first visit as that pair of drivers put on a good wheel-to-wheel battle for the runner-up spot. Another driver who made a nice run through the field was Ryan Coleman, who started the event 16th and finished fifth.
Perhaps the most entertaining race of the night was the I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature. As many as five cars were vying for the lead in two and three-wide battles until Brian Irvine took control just prior to a mid-race caution. When the race returned to green, Irvine walked away from the field to pick up the win. Norman Chesmore held onto second ahead of another hard charger, defending track champion Jarod Weepie, who started the event in the 16th position.
Max Corporon survived persistent challenges from Troy Cordes to pick up the I.M.C.A. Modified win. Cordes stayed committed to the low groove of the speedway and pulled alongside Corporon many times throughout the course of the event, but was unable to nose ahead. Darin Duffy, another former regular competitor in the division, made his return to the weekly Modified ranks to come home third.
With the increasing appeal of the SportMods as an entry-level division, the Hobby Stock car count was a little low, however it remained competitive as a number of veteran drivers returned to action for opening night. Former track champion Josh Irvine quickly worked through the field from a fifth row starting position to score the win ahead of Quinton Miller and Justin Lichty.
In the nightcap, I.M.C.A. Late M
odel veteran Rob Toland made the tow from Davenport to take the opening night win ahead of Curt Martin and Jon Passick. Toland was piloting a car owned by local business owner John Maitland. Since it was sporting the #39 on its side, it will be interesting to see where Toland’s travels take him in 2009. Toland could prove to be tough competition if he competes weekly in Independence as he has had great success over the years in I.M.C.A. Deery Brothers Summer Series and Indee Open Series events at the speedway.While there were some opening night snafus, such as the 20-minute late start, ironing in the new surface and getting everyone accustomed to double-wide restarts, the new crew has indicated they are dedicated to doing what they need to do to get things on track. It is the hope of Cam and Mike that racing will conclude right around the 10pm hour on a regular basis. The good news is that the river level has been receding and track workers have spent endless hours working on the rough spots since the conclusion of the May 2 show.
Aside from Independence, I’ve already made visits to Marshalltown Speedway for its season opener and CJ Speedway for the season opener under new promoters Don and Sharon Wood. I’ve also taken in two shows at 34 Raceway in West Burlington; the Deery Brothers Summer Series for I.M.C.A. Late Models and the weekly points opener.
What’s amazed me more than anything is the impressive car counts I’ve already seen this year. Despite the tough economic times we’re living in, it seems that racing is just as strong as ever. Let’s hope that continues as spring and summer progress.
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