Wood wins again in IMCA Stock Cars at CJ Speedway

A late caution helped Nathan Wood keep his Friday night record perfect this season at CJ Speedway. Running third on a restart with three laps to go, Wood made his way past Shane Paris and Blaine Dopler to earn his third win in as many nights of racing in Columbus Junction.

From his second row starting spot, Dopler battled outside front row starter Paris for the lead in the early stages of the 15-lapper. Dopler made his way to the front and was chased by Paris as the lead pair pulled away from the pack. Meanwhile, Wood made his way by Billy Faler for third, but the leaders had already extended their advantage to half of a straightaway.

Wood gained ground while Paris continually pestered Dopler for the lead. Dopler held the point when caution slowed action on lap 12.

When racing resumed, Wood made his way around Paris and then went to work on the low side of Dopler for the top spot. Exiting turn four on the final lap, Wood surged ahead of Dopler to drive to victory. Paris followed Dopler on the low groove to chase Wood to the front, but in all honesty, I was so caught up in the pass for the lead that I don't remember if Paris got the job done or settled for third. Check out CJ's results on speednet when they are posted.

Bill Whalen Jr. pulled off a close victory, as well, in the 10-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. Whalen shot into the lead at the drop of the green from his second row starting spot while point leader Aaron Hitt challenged Wayne Noble and John Whalen for second.

Witt secured the runner-up spot a short time later and quickly went to work on chasing down the leader. Although he reeled him in at various points throughout the remainder of the event, Bill Whalen held on for the exciting win, his first of the season at the speedway. John Whalen ran third.

Dan Albright held the early lead in the 15-lap Modified feature and quickly pulled away from traffic. Brandon Rothzen and Todd Hansen, who both started in row four, raced their way into second and third a few laps into the event.

Rothzen caught Albright in the late stages and was making his bid for the lead when Albright spun exiting turn two to bring out the caution. With the leader gone, Rothzen and Hansen sat alongside each other at the front of the pack for the ensuing restart.

When racing resumed, Hansen powered ahead on the top side to drive away to his first win of the season. Rothzen ran second ahead of Wade Lee.

Dan Keltner dominated the 10-lap Mod Lite feature to earn his third win in three weeks. Along with three heat wins this season, Keltner remained perfect in all events at the speedway for 2014. Rob Guss ran second Friday night ahead of Mike Morrow.

Chad Milks led all 10 laps of the Truck feature to earn his first win of the season. He was chased to the checkers by Chase Klenk. Point leader and two-time feature winner Jason Delzell was hoping to join Wood and Keltner in the undefeated ranks. A wild ride over the turn four tractor tire midway through that event ended those hopes, however he was able to continue and salvaged a third place finish.

It was a great night of racing at CJ in my first visit in nearly two years. As I mentioned in my blog earlier in the week, CJ is one of those tracks where the low car count is a concern to many, however the fans got their money's worth with Friday's program as three of the five features went down to the final set of turns.

If you haven't been to CJ lately or if the reports of the low car count have deterred you from going, I encourage you to make the visit some night this season. They get the kids involved in the program and the crew ran a very efficient show tonight by keeping the action moving. The few times the yellow flag waved, realignments and a return to racing were soon to follow.

I realize there are numerous entertainment options these days, including plenty of Friday night race tracks in that part of the state, but give CJ a chance and you might be surprised. Whether you're a driver or a fan, it's a fun way to spend a Friday night.

Thanks to announcer Gene Arnold for asking me to fill him for him behind the mic and thanks to Kurt Burmeister, the Louisa County Fairboard and the entire CJ crew for their hospitality.

I also want to take a moment to thank the readers of my blog. What I wrote last Sunday night got a much larger response than I ever imagined. The intent of that post was not to upset nor point fingers at specific individuals, rather it was to create discussion about how we behave during and following the races. At times, all of us have room to improve how we handle our frustrations, especially if it negatively impacts our sport. I was floored when I started receiving positive comments and messages from people across the country who had read it. The 6,300-plus hits on that page is six times more than any other post I've written at Positively Racing and it is truly humbling. Whether or not you agreed with what I wrote, I appreciate you all for taking the time to read it and for providing your thoughts and comments. It's a discussion that I have discovered many feel is well worth the time.

Up next for me is the third night of weekly racing at Independence Motor Speedway on Saturday night and then night three at Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Sunday before Tuesday's XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour for Modifieds opener in Vinton. There's a lot of racing going on now as the season is in full swing. Get out and support a track near you!

As always, thanks for reading.