Champions crowned on final night at Benton County Speedway

After a scheduled week off due to the IMCA Super Nationals, Benton County Speedway closed out its 2012 season with the Stickfort Construction Autism Awareness Season Championship program. The track broke away from the traditional championship format of running features only based on season point totals and instead ran a regular show of heat race qualifying and features lined up by season point averages (more on that later).

Close points battles in three of the five divisions highlighted the final event of the season, all of which were determined when the checkers waved in each of those features.

Among the titles up-for-grabs was in the IMCA Modified division as points leader Scott Hogan was in search of his eighth track championship in Vinton and the 16th of his career. He entered the final night a single point ahead of Joe Docekal, who was in search of his first Modified crown.

Both points leaders started in the middle of the pack while Jason Snyder assumed command from his pole position start. Snyder pulled away from traffic while the mid-pack runners raced for position. Among those drivers were Docekal and Hogan who tangled together and spun in turn two on the fourth lap, sending both to the back for the ensuing restart.

When racing resumed, Brandon Banks, who started in the third row, powered to the front and settled into second just prior to a caution on lap nine. Prior to that stoppage, a car pushed up in turn one and made contact with Docekal, leaving his #12D with a broken tie rod and flat left front tire, effectively ending his bid at the track title.

On the restart, Banks swept past Snyder and assumed command until a pair of side-by-side lapped cars shook up the running order out front. Banks was forced to slow his #22, allowing Jeff Streeter, Ronn Laurtizen, Snyder and Troy Cordes to sneak by. Streeter held the point until Lauritzen surged past on the 15th circuit. He led the remainder of the 20-lapper to score his third win of the season, his first-ever on championship night. It was also Lauritzen's second straight win during the Stickfort Construction sponsored event, one of his primary sponsors.

The fifth Modified win of his career in weekly racing in Vinton, Lauritzen ended the year tied for 29th on that list with Ed Thomas and Shawn Fisher.

By virtue of his ninth place finish, Hogan took the points title by eight markers ahead of Docekal. It was Hogan's track-leading eighth all-time track title in Vinton, all in the Modified division. It was also his third straight division crown as Hogan matched Jack Mitchell (1981-1983) and Dave Burrell (1992-1994) as the only Modified drivers in track history to three-peat as champions. It was Hogan's fourth title in the last five years and his fifth in the last seven seasons.

The same one point margin separated Phil Holtz and Jay Schmidt entering the night in the IMCA Stock Car division. Both drivers were in search of their first track championships and it was Holtz with the advantage early.

While Holtz chased leader Damon Murty, Schmidt attempted to go three-wide behind them to keep pace. Those efforts left him hanging on the top side of the back stretch, putting him at a disadvantage for the entirety of that 15-lapper.

As Schmidt attempted to race his way back into contention, Murty paced the field with Holtz in tow. Holtz reeled in the leader late in the event, pulling to his inside a couple of times, however Murty proved too strong as he drove to the victory. The fifth season championship win of his career in Vinton, Murty extended his advantage atop the all-time wins list with his 55th trip to the winner's circle in weekly racing history in Vinton. It was also the sixth time in his career Murty has finished with at least five wins in a season Vinton; he has done that each of the last four seasons.

With his runner-up finish, Holtz became the seventh different IMCA Stock Car titlist in the division's 12 year history at the speedway and the fourth straight different champion in the division.

The only other title left to decide was in the IMCA Sport Compact division. Points leader Merv Chandler's attempt at a second straight title were made easier when Steve Miedke, who entered the night second in the standings, was a no-show for the event. Chandler's son, Nathan, was within 10 points of his father, however the low car count guaranteed the elder Chandler his second straight title at the drop of the green flag in that 12-lapper.

Travis Ross set the early pace while Gary Peiffer pursued from his second row starting spot. Peiffer made his way around Ross on the second lap and pulled away in lapped traffic to score the victory. While it was Peiffer's 28th career win in weekly racing history in the division in Vinton, it was his first trip to victory lane since opening night of the 2011 season. Peiffer now owns one Sport Compact victory in each of the last six seasons, the longest such stretch in division history on the quarter-mile. The third season championship win of his career, Peiffer now leads that category for the Sport Compacts.

With his third place finish, Merv Chandler locked up his second straight title at the speedway and joined Peiffer as the only multi-time titlists in the division. Chandler also locked up track championship honors at Marshalltown Speedway and Independence Motor Speedway earlier this season.

Danny Dvorak merely needed to take the green flag in the 15-lap IMCA SportMod feature to guarantee his second straight track championship. While he was doing that, Mike McDonald took charge at the drop of the green.

McDonald set the pace while Jesse Belez, Kyle Olson and Dvorak gave chase. Dvorak made his way around Belez on lap three, then Olson and McDonald by the eight lap mark to take command.

Dvorak pulled away to lead the remainder of the event, en route to his eighth points win in Vinton this season. It was the division-leading 46th weekly win of Dvorak's career and his seventh win all-time in the month of September in Vinton. He is the only SportMod driver with more than one post-August win in Vinton. It was also Dvorak's sixth season championship feature win in the eight seasons the SportMods have competed in Vinton.

The second straight title for Dvorak, the hometown driver now owns four titles in the division, breaking the tie with Austin Kaplan for most all-time. Dvorak also wore the first two SportMod crowns at the track in 2005 and 2006.

Scott Pippert could have been in Tahiti Sunday night and he'd have still been the 2012 IMCA Hobby Stock points champ. Entering the night 67 points head of Matt Brown, Pippert made it a 70-point cushion by night's end as he drove to victory lane for the 12th time this year in weekly racing.

Pippert had to restart from the back of the pack after being involved in an early caution, however he put the #47 back into the top three just two laps after racing resumed. Following another stoppage on lap four, Pippert raced past Erick Knutsen, then pulled away in dominant fashion to take the win. It was his 25th victory in weekly competition in just the last two seasons - a span of 42 events. The 47th weekly win of his career in Vinton, Pippert ended the season just one win shy of Vince Buchholz' all-time lead.

The win locked up Pippert's fourth straight division crown, matching the mark set by Buchholz from 1995-1998. In addition to his 2007 title, Pippert now has five for his career in Vinton. He trails Buchholz by one in that category, as well, as Buchholz also won titles in 1992 and 2003.

Complete results follow below.

In addition to the championship racing, a number of people were recognized throughout the course of the program. The evening served as a Support the Troops/Salute the Veterans Night as current and former service men and women were honored on the front stretch during the national anthem. In addition, Scott Hogan, Joe Docekal, Scott Pippert and Danny Dvorak made their way through the stands to collect money for America's Bravest. In all, the drivers collected $1,400.

Janice Smith, in charge of organizing the event, also spent the year at the helm of the Lil' Racer Car Club. The club, started by Lone Tree's Mitch Swinton, is part of a handful of racing programs in eastern Iowa and Janice did a tremendous job keeping the kids involved this season. For her efforts, Smith was presented a banner during intermission that was signed by all of the drivers on-hand.

Scott and Donette Tjabring of Action Track Photography were also honored for their years of service to local drivers and fans. The official track photographer for many years, Scott and his wife were also presented a banner signed by the drivers during intermission. After more than a decade of dedication to both Vinton and Independence, the Tjabrings are "retiring" from the photo business at the speedway and plan to spend more time with their young family away from the race track. For those tracks who have a track photographer, be sure to thank and appreciate them. Vinton and Independence are losing the best in the business and the Tjabrings will be dearly missed.

After mentioning how so many great people were honored Sunday night, it's almost embarrassing to even bring up the next topic, but I think it warrants a mention. In the days leading up to championship night, there was a lot of scuttlebutt... no, wait, it was just plain bitching, pure and simple... about the format for Sunday night's show.

In this world of entitlement, a number of people were complaining that the top points drivers weren't starting up front for championship features. While I respect the work they've done all year and understand that desire to start the final night from the front, I also understand the desire to put on a great program for the fans to close out the season.

It's no secret that starting straight-up by points is generally the most lackluster show of the season. While it may work sometimes and at some tracks, it's definitely understood why more tracks are breaking from this tradition. People want to see racing at its best, not just see championship night as a formality.

Yeah, it makes the drivers "work" one more night, but it makes for a better show. I've never seen so many drivers "lose" a race either at the draw table or when they first saw posted feature lineups than I did throughout the course of this season. It makes me think those drivers should sell their equipment and start a self-help column in the local paper to console others who fear actually having to race their race cars. You bought the damn car to race so race the damn car!

If you were unable to make it to Vinton Sunday, be sure to check out www.IMCAonDEMAND.com. Barry Braun and his crew have been all over the Midwest this season to provide video coverage of the best racing in the region. Ross Wece was in attendance Sunday night to get the show on film and, as always, did a terrific job. There are many, many videos on the site from a variety of tracks, including the entire week of Super Nationals. Check it out, you won't regret it!

Up next for me is the two-day Havoc on the Highbanks at Marshalltown Speedway during the upcoming weekend. Before then, I plan to assemble the season's statistics for Benton County Speedway and offer up one final Stats Blitz. That posting will include all-time numbers for the current six divisions at the speedway. Check back later this week for all the numbers!

RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature - 1. 10K Ronn Lauritzen; 2. 1J Jeff Streeter; 3. 71 Troy Cordes; 4. 98 Jason Snyder; 5. 22 Brandon Banks; 6. 18 Jerry Luloff; 7. F7 Patrick Flannagan; 8. 14B Shane Burbridge; 9. 33D Scott Hogan; 10. 7S Robbie Schmuecker; 11. 17 Dawn Krall; 12. 7 Todd Jensen; 13. 14 Dustin Morgan; 14. 15D Dustin Johnson; 15. 21K Kyle Brown; 16. 12D Joe Docekal; 17. 1XX Tom Hanson; 18. 80 Jerry Dedrick; 19. 11B Mike Burbridge; 20. 171 Buck Swanson; 21. 21 David Brown.
First heat - 1. K. Brown; 2. Lauritzen; 3. Streeter; 4. Dedrick; 5. Jensen; 6. Johnson; 7. Swanson.
Second heat - 1. Snyder; 2. S. Burbridge; 3. 22 Banks; 4. Flannagan; 5. Docekal; 6. Schmuecker; 7. D. Brown.
Third heat - 1. M. Burbridge; 2. Krall; 3. Luloff; 4. Hogan; 5. Cordes; 6. Hanson; 7. Morgan.
Final top 10 in points (Unofficial) - 1. Scott Hogan; 2. Joe Docekal; 3. Jerry Luloff; 4. Patrick Flannagan; 5. Jeff Streeter; 6. Ronn Lauritzen; 7. Mike Burbridge; 8. Dawn Krall; 9. Jerry Dedrick; 10. Kyle Brown.

IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature - 1.  99D Damon Murty; 2. 7H Phil Holtz; 3. 15 Norman Chesmore; 4. 19J Jay Schmidt; 5. 17 Jason Niedert; 6. 76 Mike Galli; 7. 77C Craig Stepanek.
Heat - 1. Schmidt; 2. Murty; 3. Chesmore; 4. Holtz; 5. Niedert; 6. Stepanek; DNS Galli.
Final top 10 in points (Unofficial) - 1. Phil Holtz; 2. Jay Schmidt; 3. Norman Chesmore; 4. Mike Galli; 5. Jason Deshaw; 6. Curtis Roster; 7. Russell Damme Jr.; 8. John Emerson; 9. Damon Murty; 10. Paul Shepherd.

IMCA SPORTMOD
Feature - 1. 3R Danny Dvorak; 2. 95 Mike McDonald; 3. J2 Dave Schulze; 4. 81 Jesse Belez; 5. 198 Sam Wieben; 6. 72 Mike Hogencamp; 7. 339 Kevin Hurst; 8. 93 Josh Burrell; 9. K3 Kyle Olson; 10. 11 Al Sweerin; 11. 3B Brian Anderson; 12. 50H Steve Wimer; 13. 28 Sonny Parker; 14. 35C Casey Heil; 15. 1JR Ben Chapman.
First heat - 1. Olson; 2. Belez; 3. Dvorak; 4. Chapman; 5. Heil; 6. Hurst; 7. Sweerin; 8. Parker.
Second heat - 1. McDonald; 2. Schulze; 3. Burrell; 4. Hogencamp; 5. Wimer; 6. Wieben; 7. Anderson.
Final top 10 in points (Unofficial) - 1. Danny Dvorak; 2. Kyle Olson; 3. Dave Schulze; 4. Jim Buhlman; 5. Curt Hilmer; 6. Rick Paulson; 7. Brian Anderson; 8. Mike McDonald; 9. Jesse Belez; 10. Josh Burrell.

IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature - 1.  47 Scott Pippert; 2. 99 Erick Knutsen; 3. 25 Doug Laughridge; 4. 78 Matt Brown; 5. 1S Greg Sweerin; 6. 07 Jacob Keiser; 7. 46 Brian Happel; 8. 14J Jacob Floyd; 9. 45 Justin Wacha; 10. 12J Jeremy Floyd; 11. M35 Chad Mannion; 12. 2 Nick Welch; 13. 09 Brayden Forbes; 14. 7J Gabe Phelps.
First heat - 1. Keiser; 2. Happel; 3. Sweerin; 4. Jeremy Floyd; 5. Phelps; 6. Mannion; 7. Wacha.
Second heat - 1. Brown; 2. Laughridge; 3. Knutsen; 4. Pippert; 5. Jacob Floyd; 6. Forbes; DNS Welch.
Final top 10 in points (Unofficial) - 1. Scott Pippert; 2. Matt Brown; 3. Doug Laughridge; 4. Jacob Keiser; 5. Justin Wacha; 6. Rod Grother; 7. Cale Petersen; 8. Vince Buchholz; 9. Brian Happel; 10. Justin Stander.

IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature - 1. 36DD Gary Peiffer; 2. 22 Nathan Chandler; 3. 2 Merv Chandler; 4. 83 Travis Ross; 5. 57 Duayne Herb; 6. 111 A.J. Witten; 7. 3S Craig Streeter.
Heat - 1. N. Chandler; 2. Witten; 3. M. Chandler; 4. Ross; 5. Peiffer; 6. Herb; 7. Streeter.
Final top 10 in points (Unofficial) - 1. Merv Chandler; 2. Nathan Chandler; 3. Steve Miedke; 4. Travis Ross; 5. A.J. Witten; 6. Brett Vanous; 7. Craig Streeter; 8. Bill Whalen Jr.; 9. Travis Losenicky; 10. Gary Peiffer.