WEST UNION, Iowa (August 12) - Although it was the final event of the series this season, Adam Hensel took advantage of his first series appearance as he drove to the win in the Corn Belt Clash Late Model Series finale at Fayette County Speedway. A pair of late race cautions combined with Hensel's ability to keep his #44 glued to the bottom groove propelled the 2006 WISSOTA national champion to the win after starting 10th.
At the start of the 40-lap event, outside front row starter Terry Neal took command. Neal, one of only a trio of I.M.C.A. cars to compete in the event, put his #28C in the lead at the drop of the green flag. He quickly pulled away from his competitors running the high groove of the smooth, fast 3/8-mile oval.
Just 10 laps into the event, Neal extended his advantage to a straightaway margin as he entered lapped traffic. Running the high groove, Chris Smyser was attempting to fend off the challenges of Lance Matthees, who was running the low line. As those two battled for position, Neal's margin widened as he flawlessly maneuvered through the backmarkers.
Over a straightaway ahead of his nearest foes, Neal put four lapped cars between himself and Matthees on lap 14. Matthees wrestled second place away from Smyser three laps earlier. As Matthees attempted to keep Neal in his sights, series points leader Keith Foss and Hensel were making their way through the field from their fifth row starting positions. Foss made his way around Smyser for third at the 20-lap mark with Hensel just two spots behind him.
Matthees whittled Neal's lead to just under a straightaway by the time the caution flag waved for the first time on lap 25. Neal restarted out front with Matthees and Foss in the row behind him. Hensel restarted fourth, just inside of Smyser, after passing him for the position on lap 21.
On the restart, Neal went back to work on the high side as Foss and Hensel snuck beneath Matthees. Foss held onto second while Matthees worked his way back around Hensel for third. The top four remained unchanged when the second caution was displayed on lap 32.
When racing resumed, Hensel shot below both Foss and Matthees while Neal continued to pace the field. Hensel held the runner-up spot as the caution flag waved a third and final time on lap 35. Committed to their lines, Neal went back up top and Hensel down low when the green flag waved. Hensel pulled even with Neal in a drag race down the front straightaway on lap 37. He took over the point with the flying green in the air as he drove to the exciting win. For his efforts, Hensel took home a big chunk of change - $3,500 to be exact - as the winner's amount was increased from $2,000 for the series finale. Neal ran second and Foss, by virtue of his third place run, clinched the series title.
RESULTS (starting positions in parentheses)
1. (10) 44 Adam Hensel (Barron, Wis.);
2. (2) 28C Terry Neal (Ely);
3. (9) 95 Keith Foss (Winona, Minn.);
4. (3) 90 Lance Matthees (Winona, Minn.);
5. (8) 25 Chad Simpson (Mt. Vernon);
6. (6) 50 Denny Eckrich (Tiffin);
7. (12) 77X Kurt Kile (Nichols);
8. (5) 28X Justin Mitchell (Cedar Rapids);
9. (11) 88 Kevin Kile (West Liberty);
10. (1) 25S Chris Smyser (Lancaster, Mo.);
11. (7) 98X Jason Rauen (Farley);
12. (14) 78W Rick Wendling (Hazleton);
13. (16) 16 Tyler Bruening (Decorah);
14. (17) 22X Jill George (Cedar Falls);
15. (18) 33 Kevin Kirkpatrick (Waterloo);
16. (19) 15C Curt Schroeder (Des Moines);
17. (13) 98 Travis Smock (Independence);
18. (4) 29 Jeremiah Hurst (Dubuque);
19. (15) 31X Jason Utter (Columbus Junction);
20. (21) 45 Curt Martin (Independence);
21. (20) 77 Jeff Aikey (Cedar Falls).
FINAL STANDINGS (top 20)
1. 95 Keith Foss, 226
2. 25 Chad Simpson, 206
3. 45 Curt Martin, 202
4. 98X Jason Rauen, 186
5. 77X Kurt Kile, 182
6. 88 Kevin Kile, 180
7. 98 Travis Smock, 172
8. 90 Lance Matthees, 166
9. 28C Terry Neal, 158
10. 78W Rick Wendling, 148
11. 28X Justin Mitchell, 142
12. 77 Jeff Aikey, 136
T13. 31X Jason Utter, 134
T13. 33 Kevin Kirkpatrick, 134
T13. 25S Chris Smyser, 134
16. 15C Curt Schroeder, 132
17. C10 Darin Burco, 120
18. 32 Chris Simpson, 110
19. Z2 Gary Webb, 100
20. 16 Tyler Bruening, 82
Three other divisions competed for track points during the evening. Matt Jones topped a field of 29 USRA B-Mods to take the win in the 18-lap event. Jones took command on the third lap to score the win after starting outside of row two. Points leader Josh Wedo ran second ahead of Mike Darnall, who started deep in the field in row six.
Tom Schmitt extended his points lead in the USRA Stock Car division by taking home the victory. Schmitt worked his way around Dan Christopher five laps into the 18-lap feature to score the win ahead of Kurt Krauskopf and Mitch Hovden.
Keith Schwartzhoff led much of the USRA Hobby Stock feature until Chris Hovden and Adam Cline battled through the pack to challenge in the late stages of that event. The leaders ran door-to-door and occasionally three-wide over the final few laps before Hovden was able to break away for the win. Cline ran second ahead of Steve Larson.
It was a great return to northeast Iowa to a track that has always been a personal favorite of mine. Always in top-notch shape, the track was as racy as ever and provided great action throughout the evening. Despite over three inches of rain in the area earlier in the week, the track prep crew did an excellent job providing an awesome track for the 88 cars on-hand. A special nod to Jim Granger for working the grader following qualifying events. Although it's never anyone's wish to have an extended intermission during a mid-week show, his efforts, as well as those of the folks running the packers, made it pay off in the end. While it was looking like it was going to be a very late night, the four divisions reeled off 92 laps of feature action in only one hour and 13 minutes. The final checkered flag waved just prior to 11 p.m.
For the Late Models, the inaugural Corn Belt Clash Series was a success. Thanks to DART and Cen-Pe-Co Lubricants for their season-long support of the series, as well as for providing a point fund to the top 10 drivers in the final standings. Those 10 drivers will receive bonus money equivalent to the purse for the top-10 finishes in a standard series event. The standings were based on each driver's best four finishes out of a possible five series appearances.
Race fans of northeast Iowa may not be familiar with the name Adam Hensel, however he is well-known throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. The 22-year-old not only won the WISSOTA national championship in 2006 at the age of 19, he was also the sanction's rookie of the year just one year earlier. A regular competitor at Superior (Wis.) Speedway and Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., Hensel told me he also hits Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis. Despite his success in recent years, Hensel, who drives for Forest Lake, Minn., car owner J.R. Haley, said the Fayette County win was his first of this season. Not a bad way to get that monkey off his back.
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