I received a call a week ago to fill in for regular track announcer Chad Meyer at Buena Vista Raceway this Wednesday, so I ventured to Alta for what has become a yearly trip after hitting the Hawkeye Dirt Tour special there each of the last two seasons. My only other visit to the speedway was a 4th of July special in 2002, so it was my first trip there for a weekly program.
BVR boasts some quality race car drivers who have earned a long list of accomplishments through the years, including national and Super Nationals titles. Wednesday's great racing reflected their impressive field of drivers.
The 15-lap IMCA Stock Car feature topped the list Wednesday night as Chris Ullrich, David Smith, Devin Smith, Stefan Sybesma, Brian Blessington and Dan Hanselman vied for top honors throughout the event.
Ullrich held off hard-fought pressure from both Smiths to take the victory, his first of the season at the speedway. In fact, he was the first non-Smith to win in the division through 11 weeks as David and Devin had shared trips to victory lane through the first 10 nights.
Chris Abelson continued his recent dominance in the IMCA Modified division - not just at BVR, but everywhere he's raced this season. The Harris Clash winner and current national points leader destroyed the field to earn his fourth straight win at the speedway and fifth of the season.
In fact, Abelson has won every night he has pulled to a race track since his visit to Alta last Wednesday. I believe he ended the night with six wins in his last six outings. Impressive.
Matt Frederickson was a first-time winner this season in the IMCA Northern SportMods. Frederickson led throughout that 15-lapper and withstood pressure from Doug Smith, Tony Pogeler and Keagan Scott to take the checkers.
Justin Nehring inherited the lead late in the 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature to drive to his fourth win of the season. Nehring remains the only driver in the division to earn multiple wins in 2014 in Alta.
Jay DeVries held off a hard-charging Nate Coopman to earn his third win of the year in the IMCA Sport Compact division and Sarah Nelson drove to her first-ever BVR Bomber victory in that eight-lap event.
A few folks from Vinton questioned why I'd drive three hours on a Wednesday night to go racing, but the trip to Alta is well worth it. Promoter Jeff Herrig and his crew put on a top notch show and the fantastic crowd in the grandstand was indicative of that.
I also have to tip my hat to scorer Kay Schurke. No race fan or driver likes long delays during caution periods and those delays feel even longer when you're in charge of realigning cars. Kay, hands down, is one of the best in the business. Not only does she do a fantastic job scoring, she also runs the RACEceivers in Alta and takes no more than a single lap to get the field realigned. I couldn't even count how many times the green flag would wave one lap after a race was slowed for caution. Amazing.
Thanks to Jeff, Kay, Eric Blum and the entire BVR staff for a fantastic night Wednesday. The season championship program in Alta is next Wednesday, July 30. Details on BVR are available at www.buenavistaraceway.com.
Thursday night, Independence Motor Speedway hosted the World of Outlaws Late Model Series for the fourth straight year, along with the XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds.
Darrell Lanigan topped a field of 25 Late Models to earn his third straight win in Independence and his 10th WoO victory in only 22 events this season. His performance on that tour has been nothing short of dominating.
Troy Cordes raced from row six and took advantage of a late caution to work around race-long leader and defending tour champ Ronn Lauritzen to earn the first HDT win of his career.
If anyone has ever had the inkling to question the quality of our weekly Modified competition in Independence, any doubt should have been quieted Thursday night. Despite the best drivers in the region converging on Independence the last two seasons for the HDT, four of the top five finishers each of those last two years have been weekly drivers.
As promoter Todd Summers said to me earlier today, "We don't just have the best Modified drivers in the area in Independence, we have the best Modified drivers on the planet." You hit the nail on the head, Todd. Every Saturday night, our Modified program in Independence is HDT-quality.
The story and complete results from Independence are available at www.independencemotorspeedway.com. Fellow Positively Racing bloggers Dick and Joyce Eisele and Brian Neal were also in attendance Thursday night. Check out their thoughts at The 4dfan Report and Midwest Racing News.
Cordes has been the man to beat in the Modifieds in eastern Iowa in recent weeks. Along with his $1,000 payday Thursday night, Cordes earned the $10,000 winner's share at the Aftermarket Nationals earlier this month in Farley and is the current points leader at both Independence and Benton County Speedway in Vinton.
With success, however, comes more than all the deserving accolades and words of congratulations. Yes, grumbling also starts to surface from people who think "the guy who wins all the time must be cheating." Stop it. Just stop it.
Every once in a while you'll see a driver who has his program dialed in and he reels off a number of wins during the season. In the case of Cordes, he's had both weekly racing and special events go his way. It isn't due to luck. And it isn't due to cheating. He's just that good.
The way a number of fans seem to see things, a consistent winner is a cheater. I guess that means there aren't any "good" race car drivers left anymore. There are drivers who don't/can't win and there are cheaters who do/can win. So now we're in a sport full of cheaters and losers? How insane does that sound? Get real. This sport has a great number of winners and Troy Cordes has proven he's one of the best.
For all the naysayers, I suppose they think the guy who finishes second is the best non-cheating driver? Ok, then, let's go with that. Congratulations to Ronn Lauritzen for his second place finish last ni... wait a minute. Wasn't it Lauritzen who was the dominant driver in weekly racing last year and the defending HDT champion? Nah, he must be a cheater, too. Alright then, congrats to Thursday night's third place finisher Vern Jackson! Yeah, he hasn't won in a while so he must have been the only legal guy in the top three! Yes, folks, your logic is astounding.
Rather than assume a proven winner must be cheating, why don't we sit back and appreciate the talent we are able to witness by the accomplishments of successful drivers we are able to watch week in and week out? Yes, this sport is full of good drivers - hell, great drivers - and it is their talent that gets them there. Like I said, the Mods who race weekly in Indee are among the best anywhere. Enjoy that luxury!
Tonight, I'm headed across town for the Night of Destruction during the Benton County Fair in Vinton. It will include a roll-over contest, trailer race, a wall of fire(?) and who knows what else. All I know, the havoc will be enjoyed by all.
If you plan to head to Vinton, the event is scheduled to start at 7, however you'll want to get there early. I promise you it will be standing room only. Avoid the long lines and find yourself a seat. I'll be helping put on wristbands at the main gate so be sure to say hi!
Tomorrow, I'll return to Independence for the weekly program which will include double features in the IMCA Late Model, IMCA Northern SportMod and IMCA Hobby Stock division. It's been a month now since mid-season championships were cut short due to rain. Pesky weather since then and a night off during the Buchanan County Fair have delayed the completion of those events. Eight features are in store Saturday night so it will be a great night to head to Indee!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
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