With Mid-Season Championships cut short due to rain earlier this season, the schedule and Mother Nature finally cooperated to allow the final make-up features to be run Saturday night at Independence Motor Speedway.
IMCA Late Models, IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Hobby Stocks had double features for the night, but it was an IMCA Modified driver who likely left Independence with the biggest smile on his face.
Tony Snyder led throughout the 20-lap Modified feature and held off Ronn Lauritzen following a trio of mid-race cautions to earn his first career win in the division. With the win, Snyder became the 84th different IMCA Modified driver in weekly racing history at the speedway. He is the 15th to earn his first Independence win during the month of July.
Kevin Rose led the entire 18-lap distance in the IMCA Stock Car feature to take his first win of the year and the second of his career at the speedway. He is now one of 27 drivers with multiple Stock Car wins in Independence and is tied with David Adams, Paul Shepherd and Robert Walters for 24th on the all-time list.
John Emerson dominated the 25-lap make-up feature for the Late Models. He pulled away from the pack in convincing fashion to earn his second win of the season. With the win, Emerson became the 66th Late Model driver in track history with multiple wins in the division. He is tied for 48th on that list.
Greg Kastli took a big early lead and then survived a late restart to earn the victory in the regularly scheduled Late Model main. Kastli, who has now won 42 Late Model features in weekly racing history in Independence, ranks fourth on the division's all-time list. His most recent win prior to Saturday came nearly three years ago on August 13, 2011.
Benji Irvine swept past Jim Ball on the 15th and final lap of the make-up feature for the Hobby Stocks to drive to his fifth win of the year. All-time, Irvine has 10 Hobby Stock wins in Independence, placing him in a tie with Ken Irvine, Nick Wroten and Rick Johnson for 10th on the all-time list. All of Irvine's wins have come in just over two years - his first win at the speedway was July 21, 2012.
Shawn Kuennen was the winner in the regular Hobby Stock feature. He took the lead following an early restart and then held off late pressure from Irvine to drive to his second win of the season. Kuennen has two career Hobby Stock wins at the speedway, making him one of 63 drivers with multiple wins in the division. He is tied with 15 other drivers for 48th on the wins list.
Tony Olson came from the eighth row to score victory in the make-up feature for the Northern SportMods. Olson took command after just three laps and then drove away to victory. The 2007 B Mod champion, it was Olson's first career Independence SportMod win. He became the 28th different SportMod winner in weekly racing history.
Olson also spent a few years behind the wheel of an IMCA Modified. Ironically, his first and only Modified win in Independence came exactly six years prior to Saturday night's win - July 26, 2008.
In the regularly scheduled Northern SportMod feature, Danny Dvorak crossed the line first after a green, white, checkered finish following a late caution, however Matt McCahen was awarded the victory after a bizarre chain of events.
After a handful of drivers took the checkers, the red flag came out when Lucas Lundry rolled in turn four while dodging a car that was sitting sideways on the track. The red flag came out and drivers were instructed over the RACEceivers to stop immediately. Dvorak ignored the command over the RACEceiver and drove through the crash scene on his way to victory lane where he was disqualified for the safety violation.
For McCahen, the win was the second of his career and first since June 2, 2012. He is now one of 13 SportMods with multiple wins in Independence and is tied with Rod McDonald for 12th on the all-time list.
The Dvorak disqualification was quite the conversation piece at the track following the program and it made some noise on social media, as well. While nearly everyone at the track appeared in agreement with the call, not everyone understood how a win could be taken away after the checkers waved. The answer is simple - safety trumps everything, especially when red flag conditions are present.
The situation with Lundry unfolded as the leaders were making their way through turns one and two after taking the checkers. When Lundry rolled in turns three and four, communication went out from the tower from Brett Whitson on the RACEceivers for drivers to stop immediately on the track. Those who had taken the checkers stopped in turn two with the exception of Dvorak who continued, at speed, into turn three. He proceeded to drive past the accident and track workers tending to the incident on his way to victory lane. His disqualification was called immediately.
Some folks questioned Dvorak's ability to see the red flag and lights since he had already taken the checkers, however there are traffic signals in turn three ahead of where the rollover occurred and the command to stop had gone out over the RACEceiver in plenty of time for him to stop short of the site of the accident. RACEceivers are safety devices required to be used by all competitors for situations just like this.
As for the event already being official since the leaders had taken the checkers, as I mentioned earlier, safety trumps everything. A winner can be disqualified in post-race inspection for a safety violation and they can and will be disqualified based on the incident described above. It makes no difference if it was the winner or the 10th place finisher, failing to stop under red when the command is given is an immediate disqualification.
I spoke with promoter Todd Summers this morning about Saturday night's program and he summed it up best. He asked, "Have you ever been standing on a race track next to a race car that just rolled, is leaking fuel and a race car comes driving by you?"
He continued by saying, "It's scary and it's dangerous down there. The driver in that car wants to get out as soon as possible. With fuel leaking, you can't blame him. There are track officials and safety crews working down there. The red was out for a reason and the call had to be made. There was no other choice than to disqualify him."
And that call will be made every time no matter who it is or where they finish the race. For the few who think a driver was robbed of a win last night, you're right. The track didn't take away the win, though - the driver gave it away himself.
Tonight, it's back to Benton County Speedway where IMCA Late Models will be joining the weekly program for the third time this season as part of the IMCA Late Model Sunday Series. Although the midway portion of the Benton County Fair has wrapped up, the Beef Producers and other food vendors will still be under the grandstands for one more evening. This means the main stairs to the grandstand will not be accessible and wristbands for grandstand admission will be required. The ramps on the north and south ends of the grandstands will be available for access to the grandstands.
Get there early to enjoy points racing in seven divisions as we close out the 2014 Benton County Fair!
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