I made my second trip of the year to Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa this Wednesday to see another terrific show by new promoter Mike Van Genderen and his crew. A special $500-to-win draw/redraw weekly points event for the IMCA SportMod division headlined Wednesday night action.
Not only was there an increased purse for the SportMod drivers, but the format of the event itself was unique in nature. While the 23 entries took part in the standard three heat race qualifiers with the top four from each redrawing for their feature starting positions, the 20-lap feature was broken down into two segments. Following the completion of the first 10 laps, a mandatory caution was thrown to allow drivers and crews the chance to make what they felt were necessary changes to their cars for the final half of the event. Any changes that could be made in the allotted five minute time frame were allowed, however each car was permitted only one tire change. Anyone changing more than one tire was required to start at the tail for the second half of the event. Otherwise, everyone started lap 11 where they finished the first half of the event.
Pole sitter Racer Hulin took charge at the start of the event before it was quickly slowed for caution following the first lap. He held the point over Bryon Weyer and Scott VanBuskirk when racing resumed.
VanBuskirk slipped past Hulin for the lead, then proceeded to extend his advantage to a few car-lengths while Curtis Van Der Wal was racing through the field from a sixth row starting spot. Van Der Wal settled into the third position a couple of laps prior to the mandatory midway stoppage.
Below is the unofficial running order of the cars remaining on the track at the 10-lap mark:
1. 25 Scott VanBuskirk
2. 505 Racer Hulin
3. 1 Curtis Van Der Wal
4. 7 Carter VanDenBerg
5. 72 Brett Lowry
6. 85 Jason McDaniel
7. 19J Jenae Gustin
8. 27 Bryon Weyer
9. 1X Randy Roberts
10. 16 Mike Shelton
11. 10R Ryan Fullenkamp
12. 03 Mark Mundell
13. 8T Tony Johnson
14. 38 Bill Gibson
15. 198 Sam Wieben
16. 8 Tom Lahtrop
17. 36 Matt Pittman
18. 95J Jason Hall
19. 777 Jamie Duinink
Following repairs and changes to the machines, VanBuskirk led the field back to green while Van Der Wal worked the low side of Hulin for second. That pair ran side-by-side for a pair of laps before Van Der Wal broke free, then quickly ran down VanBuskirk at the front of the pack.
In turn two on lap 13, Van DerWal shot to the low side of VanBuskirk, then snagged the lead the next time past the flagstand. He put a few car-lengths over VanBuskirk until the flying green waved when VanBuskirk started to work his way back into contention.
Running the high groove, VanBuskirk closed onto the rear bumper of Van Der Wal, leaving the rest of the field nearly a straightaway behind them. Committed to the top groove, VanBuskirk pulled alongside the leader on the back stretch, then took over the top spot coming off turn four to score the exciting victory. Van Der Wal ran second ahead of Hulin.
UNOFFICIAL Results (along with original starting positions)
1. (4) 25 Scott VanBuskirk
2. (11) 1 Curtis Van Der Wal
3. (1) 505 Racer Hulin
4. (3) 72 Brett Lowry
5. (14) 19J Jenae Gustin
6. (5) 7 Carter VanDenBerg
7. (15) 1X Randy Roberts
8. (2) 27 Bryon Weyer
9. (6) 85 Jason McDaniel
10. (7) 10R Ryan Fullenkamp
11. (22) 38 Bill Gibson
12. (17) 198 Sam Wieben
13. (23) 30X Josh Modde
14. (10) 8T Tony Johnson
15. (19) 16 Mike Shelton
16. (18) 03 Mark Mundell
17. (16) 36 Matt Pittman
18. (13) 8 Tom Lathrop
19. (21) 95J Jason Hall
20. (20) Jamie Duinink
99 Jesse Sobbing (transmission), 12 Eric Flander (early caution in turn two wall) and 01 Brayton Carter did not finish.
Pole sitter Rich Vogt held the early lead in the 16-lap IMCA Stock Car feature. While Vogt led, a trio of drivers battled for the runner-up position. Matt Greiner worked his way into the lead on lap three when Vogt got sideways in the middle of turn four. Although the field scattered and the order was shaken up by the spin, everyone stayed moving and the race remained under green flag conditions. This allowed Kyle Harwood to sneak through traffic from the fifth spot to take over second. Harwood ran in that spot until lap six when he got crossed up exiting turn two to bring out the race's only caution.
Greiner held the point for the restart with Todd Fisher and Damon Murty on his rear bumper. Murty took one lap to dispose of Fisher, then worked his way past Greiner for the lead on lap eight. Murty led the final half of the event to take the win ahead of Greiner and Todd Reitzler. Points leader Nathan Wood, who suffered a flat left rear tire on his #52 just as the lap six caution occurred, made a quick tire change and had a terrific run back through the field to finish fourth. Fisher completed the top five.
Brandon Banks took the lead at the drop of the green in the 15-lap IMCA Modified feature. He set the pace for the first seven laps while Cayden Carter closed the gap. Carter reeled in the leader on the sixth circuit, then stuck his nose to the inside of the Banks machine in turn two. He continued to work the low side of Banks until finally emerging with the lead down the back chute one lap later.
Banks closed the gap in the late stages of the event when Carter came upon the lapped car of Doug Pratt. Carter snuck past the Pratt machine to put the backmarker between himself and Banks at the line to take the win. Greg Cox ran third ahead of Shane Weller and Jeff Conner.
Shannon Anderson came from the fifth row of the IMCA Hobby Stock main event to take the win in that 14-lapper. Bobby Greene paced the field while Anderson quickly made his way through the pack to challenge the low side of the leader just a handful of laps into the event.
Anderson took charge on the fifth circuit to cruise to the win ahead of Eric Stanton, John Watson and Kevin Fee. Danny Thrasher ran fifth, a straightaway behind the leaders.
Merv Chandler broke his tie atop the points standings with Bill Whalen Jr. by taking the feature win in the IMCA Sport Compact division. Chandler worked the low side of early leader Larry Hopkins to take the top spot on lap two, then held off a late charge from John Whalen to score a close win at the line. Bill Whalen Jr. ran third ahead of Hopkins and Mark Williams.
Osky Notes: SportMod driver Bill Gibson not only had a qualifying spot locked up, but a heat race win in the bag before mechanical problems sidelined him on the final lap of his qualifier. Relegated to a 22nd starting spot for the main event, Gibson made a nice run through the field to finish 11th. The other hard chargers of that event were Curtis Van Der Wal and Jenae Gustin, who each advanced nine spots... Damon Murty not only swept his heat and feature events, he scored five wins on the night. Murty won separate head-to-head battles against Nathan Wood, Matt Greiner and Colt Mather to earn an extra $100 in a special King of the Hill event for the Stock Cars... Some folks sitting around me stated their displeasure that they returned from intermission to realize they hadn't missed the Sport Compact feature, saying that's when they generally took a break or went to the concession stand. I assured one of them that, of the three nights of racing I took in over the past weekend, the Sport Compacts provided some of the best racing and I expected nothing different on Wednesday. Sure enough, Merv Chandler and John Whalen provided an exciting finish in that feature. Don't sell the Sport Compacts short, folks!... Promoter Mike Van Genderen watered the track in a way I had never seen before Wednesday night; with a bucket of water. Frequently throughout the evening, Van Genderen took a bucket of water to the turn one end of the front stretch to provide a drink to a couple of dry spots so the fans in that area wouldn't get dusted. Out of the ordinary? Yes. Did it work? Absolutely. Great job to Van Genderen for taking the extra steps (literally) to ensure an enjoyable night for the fans. I should add, the track was in great shape tonight. It stayed fast and smooth all night with multiple grooves for side-by-side racing. There was plenty of three-wide and even some occasional four-wide racing during the evening, as well... A candy dash was also held during intermission for the kids in attendance, just one of many promotions Van Genderen is using to generate more interest at Osky... Another promotion is allowing fans to cover the pit pass expense for their favorite drivers. Accounts are set up for the drivers so that fans can give money toward their entry fees every week. It's a great way for fans to help support costs endured by racers. It seems to have gone over quite well, too, as a number of drivers have extra funds in their accounts on a weekly basis... The five minute break during the SportMod feature allowed for a unique angle in that event. Track announcer Tony Paris took advantage of the time to conduct in-race interviews with the leaders to get their thoughts on the first half of the race while their crews worked on their cars... It was great to catch up with fellow Positively Racing bloggers Dick and Joyce Eisele prior to the races. They are regulars at Oskaloosa, so be sure to check out their recap at 4d Fan Report... Despite all the "extras" in tonight's show (King of the Hill, candy dash, SportMod special), the final checkered flag waved shortly after 10 p.m. It was a great night all around at Osky and I'm looking forward to future visits.
As I mentioned earlier, Van Genderen has a lot of promotional ideas for the track this year and they all seem to be very popular with race fans and drivers in the area. You hear all the time that there are "promoters" and then there are those who simply "put on races." You can rest assured, Van Genderen is a true promoter of the sport and is going to great lengths to bring back the glory days of racing in Oskaloosa. Keep up the great work, Mike!
On my way out of the gate, I realized two things were missing tonight. One was the presence of caution flags as only a handful were thrown all night. In fact, I understand the five thrown was an abnormally high number for Osky. They really know how to keep the show moving. The other "missing" thing that caught my eye? No more than a handful of people (from my section, anyway) left before the final checkered flag waved. That itself says something about the show the crew in Osky is providing for its fans this season. There are always those who depart early to beat traffic on weekend shows, let alone the anticipated larger early exits from mid-week events.
Mike and his crew continue to come up with new ideas to rejuvenate fan interest and to draw more cars to the pits. I counted 64 cars on-hand Wednesday night, 13 of which were new additions to this year's weekly program. If you're a race fan or a racer and want to be part of a show that truly appreciates you taking the time to race with them, make plans in the near future to visit Southern Iowa Speedway on a Wednesday night. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Next Wednesday night may be as good a night as any... Dick Berggren and the folks at Speedway Illustrated will be on-hand to feature the track in an upcoming story in the magazine.
My newly established weekend routine of Donnellson, Independence and Vinton awaits starting this Friday. Then, I plan to make my second trip of the season to Marshalltown Speedway on Tuesday, May 22, for the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models. That promises to be a good show every year and always comes through on that promise.
As always, thanks for reading.
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