After battling a nasty cold and sinus infection over the last two weeks, I felt well enough to make the trip south Saturday to Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for the Fall Extravaganza.
Ronn Lauritzen earned a thrilling win in the Modified division. After starting outside the front row next to fast dash qualifier Scott Hogan, Lauritzen worked the low side into the lead in the early going of that 25-lapper.
While Lauritzen put a little distance over the field, Kyle Brown worked through the pack to challenge Hogan for second. Hogan worked the top side with Brown down low and Lauritzen out front also running the low groove.
A couple cautions kept the field bunched, but Lauritzen took charge each time the green flag waved. Hogan, in fact, appeared to struggle exiting turn four over the final half of the event. While he seemed poised to challenge for the win early on, he found himself in a late tussle with Brown for second.
With less than a handful of laps to go, Hogan found something on the top of turn four. After the race, Hogan said he just "through it in harder and deeper," and that must have done the trick.
While Lauritzen was dealing with slower traffic on the bottom groove in the final laps, Hogan surged from the top side and was able to pull even with Lauritzen. One last dive to the bottom exiting turn four wasn't enough for Hogan, however, as Lauritzen escaped with the thrilling win.
Abe Huls raced the low groove to victory in the 25-lap Stock Car main. Huls slipped beneath John Oliver Jr. and then held off a pestering Todd Reitzler to take the victory.
Curtis Van Der Wal led throughout the 22-lap SportMod feature to score the victory. He was challenged late by Tony Dunker, but sailed to victory in an event that was stopped numerous times for caution - one that involved as many as eight cars.
Dustin Griffiths was the winner in the Hobby Stock feature after surviving early pressure from Mike Hughes. Adam Gates dominated the 18-lap Sport Compact feature to drive to victory. Those two drivers defended their Fall Extravaganza victories from a year ago.
I didn't intend to blog on Saturday night's event, however it's been so long since I've written, I figured I needed to let my readers know I'm still around! For a more thorough rundown of Saturday's action, visit Dick and Joyce Eisele's The 4dfan Report and check back later for Brian Neal's Midwest Racing News.
Rather than rehash the event, I did take a few mental notes. Bear with me, I hope my sinus congestion hasn't clouded anything I took from Saturday's show...
* The two-day show featured inverted heat race qualifying in all five divisions Friday. Drivers each raced two heat races Friday night - the first based on their draw upon signing in and the second an invert that also allowed them to compete with drivers different than during the first set of qualifiers. Saturday's last chance qualifiers and championship racing included fast dash races for top points earners from Friday's show. The dashes determined the starting lineups at the front of Saturday night's features. It was a unique format that offered a twist to the normal draw/redraw format. It seems a number of tracks have started to consider this for post-season non-points specials. It will be interesting too see how the trend will continue or be altered when spring specials approach in March and April.
* I enjoyed most of the show in a VIP booth with fellow bloggers Dick and Joyce Eisele. As we have done during many of the special events toward of the season, the three of us predicted the feature winners as the events rolled out of staging. I managed to get one correct winner on the night. Thank you, Curt Van Der Wal, for making me look smart for a brief moment in time! Of course, I was lucky enough to have the first pick of the SportMod main. If you've never taken the time to visit Van Der Wal, be sure to do so the next time you're at a track where he's competing. He is a class act and always makes time to chat. Not only is he one of the genuine, good guys in our sport, he has a hell of a race program. Congrats on the win, Curt! Plus, don't worry, awards season isn't far away in Hollywood, Nashville and all points in between. I'll try to entertain you with my snide award show remarks on facebook!
* Race day opportunities are quickly winding down in our area. Along with a special this coming weekend at Farley Speedway, I believe an October 19 special at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa and Shiverfest in Donnellson October 26 will be your final chances to go racing in the Hawkeye state this season. Just across the border in Memphis, Mo., a two-day fall special will be held this coming weekend.
* A number of drivers I spoke with Saturday were uncertain of their plans for the next couple weeks. Many of them have followed the fall specials at Webster City, Oskaloosa and Donnellson, but were taking things day-by-day to determine just how long they'd extend their seasons. Most often I heard, "If we survive this weekend with little damage, we may race next weekend." One of those drivers was Modified driver Scott Hogan, who had a rough go of things in Webster City and Oskaloosa. Although he had a great run Saturday, his wife's facebook page indicates they're going to end the season on a high note and call 2013 complete. After chasing points for much of his career, Hogan limited his race nights this year and focused on fun rather than the work involved in chasing points. Although his plans are undecided for 2014, I wouldn't be surprised to see Team Hogan take the same approach next season.
* As I mentioned at the top of this blog, I was among the sickly for the last couple weeks. In short, I was knocked on my ass for a good two weeks. Along with a cold and sinus infection, my history with cluster headaches reared its ugly head again. Although it had been almost two years since my most recent episode, I was either in bed or on the couch for five straight days while also battling whatever bug I had. I'm getting back up to speed, though, so I hope to take in a few more races before the season is over.
Saturday night was my 85th race of the year - a personal record. I joked with Positively Racing web mistress Sue McDaniel on Saturday that my readers probably had no idea I've been to that many races. As I mentioned in my most recent entry, this is the time of year I enjoy socializing and watching the races without worrying about what to write, but I got the itch after last night's show and it's good to be back.
My next race will include a six hour trip later this week as I head to Thunder Hill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan., for the second straight year for Thunder on the Hill. If you haven't been there and are still able to make plans to go, GO! The event starts Thursday, Oct. 17 with practice and then complete shows both Friday and Saturday. The facility is awesome, the racing is incredible and Mike and Pam Conkwright are top-notch promoters.
After that, I plan to make it back to Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for Shiverfest the following weekend. It's one of few special events in eastern Iowa I've never attended, but I'm hoping to finally make it this year. After Shiverfest, I'm hoping for one more racing weekend and that's to make the trip to Las Vegas next month for the Duel in the Desert. Plans are still in the works for that one, but it would be a great way to end the season before banquet time begins.
Speaking of banquets, the Independence Motor Speedway banquet is slated for Saturday, November 23. Invitations should be sent in the mail this week. I'm hoping to have details finalized and ticket order forms mailed out before I head to Kansas.
Also, I'm honored to say I've been invited back to be an emcee at the IMCA National Banquet in Lincoln, Neb., November 30. It will be my third year in Lincoln and I'm looking forward to spending that weekend celebrating and honoring the best in IMCA racing.
I hope to see many of you in Kansas this week. If not, make plans to head to Farley, Maquoketa or Memphis. Race days in the Midwest are numbered and we need to get our fix while we can.
As always, thanks for reading!
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