Following last week's postponement of the Open Wheel Shootout, Mother Nature offered perfect conditions for Saturday's season points opener at Independence Motor Speedway. A great field of 113 race teams were on-hand to do battle for the first night of weekly racing. Below are the winners of those events and how they compare historically with numbers at the speedway.
IMCA Late Model
Tyler Bruening led all 25 laps en route to the opening night win in the IMCA Late Model division. After a couple of restarts slowed action early and lapped traffic slowed his progress late, Bruening was impressive in his initial bid to repeat as track champion.
It was Bruening's 13th career win in weekly points racing in Independence, which moved him into a tie with Glen Martin and Kevin Pittman for 14th in total wins since 1967. It was Bruening's first win during the month of April and his second opening night victory. He also won the opener in 2011. Bruening is now one of only nine drivers to win multiple opening night features at the speedway.
IMCA Modified
All-time IMCA Modified wins leader Darin Duffy picked up his 42nd win in weekly racing history in the division in Independence. After taking over the lead following a mid-race restart, Duffy pulled away to score the opening night win. His all-time wins lead is now three better than Vern Jackson (39), who is second on that list.
Despite his storied career, prior to Saturday, Duffy had never won an opener in Independence. By virtue of his win Saturday, Duffy became the 28th different opening night Modified winner in 31 years at the speedway and the 10th straight different winner to earn an opening night win in the division.
Remarkably, it was also Duffy's first-ever victory during the month of April in Independence. He has now won at least one feature in every month from April through September. He joins Tom Bartholomew as the only two Modified drivers in track history to boast that accomplishment.
The winner of last year's season championship feature, Duffy joined another very exclusive list. He is now one of only four Modified drivers in track history to win the opening night event following a season championship win the year before. The only other Modified drivers to do that are Steve Droste (1994-1995), Scott Hogan (2003-2004) and Vern Jackson (2007-2008).
With Saturday's win, Duffy has now won at least one feature in each of five consecutive years. That ties the sixth longest streak in division history in Independence. Duffy also strung together wins in six consecutive years from 1997-2002, which is tied for the fourth longest streak of that nature.
IMCA Stock Car
John Emerson held off race-long pressure from Sean Johnson to score his first-ever opening night win in the IMCA Stock Car division. The fifth win of his career in the division in Independence, Emerson is now tied with Curtis Roster, Darin Treptow and Lon Gadow for 11th on the all-time list for Stock Cars.
Like the others, it was also Emerson's first-ever win during the month of April. Dating back to June 9 of last season, Emerson has won five of the last 11 Stock Car features at the speedway. The other six during that time were all won by Johnson.
IMCA SportMod
Lucas Lundry won an entertaining IMCA SportMod feature. He battled Shane Ebaugh and Danny Dvorak before pulling away at the end to collect his first-ever opening night win in Independence.
The first win of his career during the month of April in Indee, Lundry has now won five SportMod features in his career at the speedway - he has earned one win in each of the last five seasons. No other driver has won at least one feature in five different seasons in the division. Fifth on the career list, Lundry moved to within a single win of Austin Kaplan for fourth all-time.
Lundry became the fifth different opening night winner in the division's sixth season at the speedway. It was also the fifth straight different opening night winner in the SportMods. Only Josh Sherbon, who won the first two SportMod openers in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, has won multiple openers in the division.
IMCA Hobby Stock
Benji Irvine took command midway through the IMCA Hobby Stock main event to take the checkers in that 15-lapper. He, too, enjoyed his first career win during the month of April in Indee.
His three career wins place him into a tie with 13 other drivers for 34th on the track's all-time list for Hobby Stocks. Dating back to July 21 of last season, all three of Irvine's wins have come in the last six events.
In the division's 25 seasons at the speedway, Irvine became the 23rd different driver to win on opening night. Irvine's win made him the 18th straight different opening night Hobby Stock winner. Only Lon Gadow (1990-1991) and Chris Wessner (1995-1996) have won multiple Hobby Stock openers.
IMCA Sport Compact
Adam Gates dominated the 12-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature, winning that event by nearly half of a lap. His first-ever win in weekly racing history at the speedway, Gates became the fourth different Sport Compact winner in the division's brief seven-race history at the speedway.
Racing will resume next Saturday in Independence for another night of weekly points racing. Gates will open at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6 and racing to follow.
Many have asked if there will be a tack photographer in Independence this season. I'm pleased to announce that Jim Wittke has agreed to come on board to be our official track photographer. Also working on Sunday nights in Vinton, you can find Jim's work at www.speedwaysouvenir.com. Jim works at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, as well, so he will be enjoying a busy summer at area tracks. If you see Jim, be sure to thank him for spending his Saturday nights with us in Independence!
Tonight, I'll be back at Benton County Speedway in Vinton for its weekly program. I'm scheduled to fill-in for track announcer Bucky Doren, who is enjoying a successful run coaching his son's youth baseball team. Gates open at 3, with hot laps at 4:30 and racing to follow. I hope to see you there!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Eight features highlight action-packed night at Benton County Speedway
Due to the rain-shortened season points opener April 14, this Sunday's program provided fans more than their money's worth at Benton County Speedway. Eight feature events were completed, including three make-up features from a week ago, plus five features from the evening's scheduled event. (Complete April 14 and April 21 results are listed at the end of this entry.)
In all, seven different drivers made their way to victory lane and one added his name to the speedway's history book by picking up a pair of feature wins.
Entering the evening, only five times in the track's history had a driver won a make-up feature and the regularly scheduled feature on the same night. IMCA Stock Car driver Damon Murty added his name to that very short list Sunday night.
In the make-up event, Murty started outside of row one and led the 15-lapper in its entirety to score the win ahead of John Emerson and Rick Kriegel.
After points were compiled and qualifying completed, Murty started in the third row of the regular feature. He quickly made his way into third by the time the caution flag waved after one lap.
On the restart, Murty snuck between leaders Mike Galli and Rick Kriegel as the field made its way off turn two. He escaped down the back straightaway with the lead while Emerson followed him to the front.
Following a lap 12 restart, Emerson made contact with the leader as they exited turn two, sending Murty into a spin. While Emerson was penalized for questionable driving, Murty stayed on the gas and continued moving prior to the caution flag, which allowed him to retain the lead for what would be the final restart of the event.
When racing resumed, Murty pulled away to take the victory ahead of Norman Chesmore and Jerry Miles. His second win on the night, Murty joined the following list of drivers to win two features on the same night in the same division at the speedway:
Jack Mitchell (Modified, 7/3/83)
Scott McLaughlin (Compact Modified, 6/22/97 and 8/3/97)
Josh McGowan (Pro Stock, 6/22/97)
Frankie Dulin (Hobby Stock, 7/9/00)
With his two wins Sunday, Murty has earned 57 for his career in weekly racing history at the speedway. That total is 20 more wins than Justin Temeyer, who sits second on that list. Of his 57 wins, Murty has won nine times in the month of April. He has also has eight separate streaks of at least two wins.
Ronn Lauritzen also made a little history in the IMCA Modified division by winning the make-up feature from opening night.
Lauritzen, who sat fifth on the starting grid, made his way into second after just one lap, then set his sights on leader Joe Docekal. Lauritzen ran the low groove into contention and reeled in Docekal a short time later.
When Docekal went high in turn four on the ninth lap, Laurtizen powered to his inside to take the lead at the flagstand. A lap later, Richie Gustin entered the mix as he made his way into second after a fourth row starting spot.
Lauritzen encountered lapped traffic on the 12th circuit as Gustin continued to cut into his lead. Gustin reeled in the leader running the low groove and challenged numerous times before mounting one last effort just after taking the white flag. Entering turn one, Gustin shot to the low side to make a bid for the lead when his machine locked up and came to a stop to bring out a final caution.
Lauritzen held off Docekal on the restart to take the win, his sixth at the speedway. Lauritzen is now tied for 24th with Dave Venenga, Garry Stuber, Jim Schmuecker, Mike Krall and Tony Olson on the division's wins list at the speedway.
Also the winner on season championship night last year, Lauritzen became just the third driver in the division's 29 year history at the speedway to win on opening night the year after winning the season championship feature. The only other Modified drivers in track history to do that are Scott Hogan and Troy Cordes, who have each done it twice.
In the regularly scheduled feature, David Brown and Mike Burbridge raced side-by-side at the front of the pack for many laps before Brown broke free near the midway point of the 20-lapper. By the time Brown reached lapped traffic on the 12th circuit, Gustin was positioning himself to strike. His efforts were aided when caution slowed the race with five laps to go.
In the waning laps, Gustin mounted a charge on Brown by rocketing off the top side of three to the bottom of turn four, however Brown held on to take the exciting victory. The second win of his career in Vinton, Brown became the 49th Modified driver in track history with multiple trips to the winner's circle.
The other division with double features on the evening was in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Shannon Anderson was leading a week ago when rain halted action after five laps were completed in that 15-lapper.
When the event resumed Sunday, Anderson took command with Brian Happel and Chris Luloff giving chase. Luloff made his way past Happel on lap six before he spun, dropping him back to eighth in the running order.
Now unchallenged, Happel chased Anderson through lapped traffic, then reeled in the leader as the flying green waved. Happel made a bid for the lead when he shot to the low side of turns one and two after the leaders had taken the white flag. Happel powered into the corner and made contact with Anderson, sending them both spinning. When the dust settled, Happel was disqualified for questionable driving, while Anderson made his way back to the pit area.
By the time the leaders made their exits, Luloff worked his way back into third and inherited the lead for a green, white, checkered finish. He raced to the checkers ahead of Kyle Parizek to steal the win, the 18th of his career in weekly points racing in Vinton. The victory moved him into a tie with Brad Forbes for third on the all-time list. It will be a while before Luloff moves up any further as Scott Pippert ranks second with 47 wins.
In the other Hobby Stock main, BCS newcomer Paul Nagle started on the pole and led all 15 laps to take his first-ever win in Vinton. Anderson challenged throughout that event, but came up a car-length short at the line. With the win, Nagle became the 82nd Hobby Stock winner in the track's history. He is the most recent newcomer to victory lane since Cale Petersen's first win on July 14, 2011. That span of 647 days is the longest between new winners in Hobby Stock history at the speedway.
In separate incidents, Luloff and Happel got upside down in the second Hobby Stock feature. Both drivers walked away uninjured.
Nick Roberts was looking to become just the third IMCA Northern SportMod driver in track history to win the first two points events of the season. Following last week's opening night win, Roberts once again made the haul from Des Moines to try his luck on the quarter-mile.
It was pole-sitter Brady Graham showing the way early in the 15-lap event as his #44G paced the field through the first five laps and the first caution. On the restart, Danny Dvorak, who started in row four, was on the leader's rear bumper.
Dvorak raced the low side past Graham one lap after racing resumed while Roberts was making his way through traffic from a fifth row starting spot. Roberts made his way into second just past the midway point, then went work on cutting into Dvorak's sizable lead.
A pair of late cautions assisted those efforts as Roberts shot to the low side of the leader in turn one following a restart on lap 11. Roberts was unable to make the move stick as Dvorak raced past him on the outside.
Roberts buried his #23JR deeper into the same set of turns after the field took the flying green. He cleared the leader into turn two until Dvorak returned the favor and shot to the inside of the Roberts as they exited the corner. The leaders battled wheel-to-wheel for position off the corner until the two came together, sending Roberts into a spin to bring out the final caution.
With Roberts sent to the back for the stoppage, Dvorak went on to hold off Brett Lowry for the victory. Dvorak's 47 SportMod wins in weekly racing history at the speedway are 23 more than his nearest competitor.
All-time BCS IMCA Sport Compact wins leader and opening night winner Nathan Chandler was looking to go two-for-two Sunday night. Although he quickly settled into second from a second row starting spot, Chandler had a hard time making his way around leader Bill Whalen Jr.
Whalen paced the field for the entirety of the 12-lapper, denying Chandler his second win of the season, as he made his way to victory lane. His eighth career points win in the division in Vinton, Whalen is now tied with Merv Chandler and Brad Chandler for fifth on that list.
Early start times remain in effect for next Sunday night. Gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps scheduled for 4:30 and racing to follow.
My next event is scheduled to be Saturday night for the season opener at Independence Motor Speedway. I hope to see you there. Have a great week!
APRIL 14 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 2. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 3. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 4. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 5. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 6. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 7. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 8. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids); 9. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 10. 17 Mike Krall (Waterloo); 11. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 12. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 13. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); 14. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 15/DNS. 8S Josh Star (Tipton).
Heat one: 1. Auringer; 2. Cordes; 3. Jackson; 4. Flannagan; 5. Brown; 6. Krall; 7. Star.
Heat two: 1. Lauritzen; 2. Gustin; 3. Banks; 4. Docekal; 5. Burbridge; 6. Olson; 7. Luloff; DNS Dedrick.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 99D Damon Murty (Chelsea); 2. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 3. K17 Rick Kriegel (Brooklyn); 4. 4 Jerry Miles (Bernard); 5. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon); 6. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); 7. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 8. 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids); 9/DNS. 8 Curtis Roster (Vinton).
Heat: 1. Murty; 2. Emerson; 3. Kriegel; 4. Roster; 5. Pippert; 6. Miles; 7. Galli; 8. Beauregard; 9. Ahrendsen.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 2. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 3. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 4. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 5. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 6. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 7. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 8. 10S John Schaefer (LaPorte City); 9. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 10. CH19 Colby Heishman (Brooklyn); 11. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 12. 10 Mike Knapp (Cedar Rapids); 13. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 14. 44G Brady Graham (Brooklyn); 15. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 16. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 17/DNS. Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 18/DNS. 1X Steve Streeter (Vinton); DNS. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart).
Heat one: 1. Roberts; 2. McDonald; 3. Sellers; 4. Burrell; 5. Anderson; DNS Kitner; DNS Knapp.
Heat two: 1. Schulze; 2. Buhlman; 3. Hilmer; 4. Olson; 5. Graham; 6. Streeter.
Heat three: 1. Rust; 2. Dvorak; 3. Schaefer; 4. Heishman; 5. Heil; 6. King.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 2. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine); 3. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 4. 99JR Nick Murty (Chelsea); 5. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 6. 96R Jamie Songer (Ankeny); 7. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 8. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 9. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 10. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 11. 78X Shannon Anderson (Atlantic); 12. 46 Brian Happel (Vinton); 13. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 14. 29 Nathan Ballard (Marengo).
Heat one: 1. Parizek; 2. Songer; 3. Happel; 4. Ball; 5. Wacha; 6. Ballard; 7. Stander.
Heat two: 1. Luloff; 2. Brown; 3. Nagle; 4. Murty; 5. Anderson; 6. Keiser; 7. Vanous.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 22 Nathan Chandler (Norway); 2. 21 Mike Barten (Maquoketa); 3. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 4. 99J Jeremy Lerch (Vinton); 5. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 6. 2 Merv Chandler (Vinton); DQ 111 Buster Pate (Hiawatha); DNS 9 Toby Denning (Mt. Auburn).
Heat: 1. M. Chandler; 2. N. Chandler; 3. Barten; 4. Whalen; 5. Pate; 6. Lerch; 7. Cooney; DNS Denning.
APRIL 21 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 2. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 3. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 4. 92 Tyler Droste (Waterloo); 5. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 6. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 7. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 8. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 9. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 10. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 11. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 12. F71 Dennis Betzer (Central City); 13. 10K Ronn Lauritzen; 14. 17 Mike Krall (Waterloo); 15. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 16/DNS. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); DNS. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids).
Heat one: 1. Brown; 2. Burbridge; 3. Flannagan; 4. Cordes; 5. Schulte; 6. Docekal; 7. Krall; DNS Olson.
Heat two: 1. Luloff; 2. Auringer; 3. Gustin; 4. Droste; 5. Jackson; 6. Lauritzen; 7. Dedrick; 8. Banks; 9. Betzer.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty (Chelsea); 2. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 3. 4 Jerry Miles (Dubuque); 4. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon); 5. 4W John Watson (Des Moines); 6. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 7. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); 8. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 9. 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids); 10. 77T Trent Jeanes (Chariton); 11. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 12. K17 Rick Kriegel (Brooklyn).
Heat one: 1. Miles; 2. Watson; 3. Beauregard; 4. Emerson; 5. Weepie; 6. Ahrendsen.
Heat two: 1. Murty; 2. Kriegel; 3. Chesmore; 4. Galli; 5. Jeanes; 6. Pippert.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 2. 72 Brett Lowry (Montezuma); 3. 7M Kurt Moeding (Mason City); 4. 8B Brad Iverson (Grinnell); 5. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 6. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 7. 44G Brady Graham (Brooklyn); 8. 10S John Schaefer (LaPorte City); 9. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 10. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 11. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 12. 10 Mike Knapp (Cedar Rapids); 13. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 14. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 15. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 16. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 17. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 18. 35C Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 19. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 20. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 21. 7P Jordan Peters (Des Moines); 22/DNS. CH19 Colby Jeishman (Brooklyn); 23/DNS. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart); 24/DNS. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo).
Heat one: 1. Roberts; 2. Lowry; 3. Maitland; 4. Graham; 5. Heishman; 6. Buhlman; 7. Olson; 8. Kitner.
Heat two: 1. Rust; 2. Anderson; 3. Iverson; 4. Hilmer; 5. Moeding; 6. Heil; 7. Sellers; 8. Burrell.
Heat three: 1. King; 2. McDonald; 3. Schulze; 4. Dvorak; 5. Schaefer; 6. Peters; 7. Knapp; 8. Chipp.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 2. 78X Shannon Anderson (Atlantic); 3. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 4. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 5. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 6. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 7. 500 Garrett Eilander (Newton); 8. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 9. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine); 10. 99JR Nick Murty (Chelsea); 11. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 12. 99 Erick Knutsen (Center Point); 13. 46 Brian Happel (Vinton); 14. 96R Jamie Songer (Ankeny); 15. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 16/DNS. 2 Nick Welch (Cedar Falls).
Heat one: 1. Anderson; 2. Nagle; 3. Ball; 4. Brown; 5. Stander; 6. Knutsen; 7. Luloff; 8. Vanous.
Heat two: 1. Happel; 2. Songer; 3. Keiser; 4. Parizek; 5. Wacha; 6. Eilander; 7. Murty; 8. Welch.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 2. 22 Nathan Chandler (Norway); 3. 2 Merv Chandler (Vinton); 4. 11 Steve Miedke (Shellsburg); 5. 22T Travis Losenicky (Garrison); 6. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 7. 21 Mike Barten (Maquoketa); 8. 3S Craig Streeter.
Heat: 1. M. Chandler; 2. N. Chandler; 3. Barten; 4. Whalen; 5. Losenicky; 6. Miedke; 7. Cooney; 8. Streeter.
In all, seven different drivers made their way to victory lane and one added his name to the speedway's history book by picking up a pair of feature wins.
Entering the evening, only five times in the track's history had a driver won a make-up feature and the regularly scheduled feature on the same night. IMCA Stock Car driver Damon Murty added his name to that very short list Sunday night.
In the make-up event, Murty started outside of row one and led the 15-lapper in its entirety to score the win ahead of John Emerson and Rick Kriegel.
After points were compiled and qualifying completed, Murty started in the third row of the regular feature. He quickly made his way into third by the time the caution flag waved after one lap.
On the restart, Murty snuck between leaders Mike Galli and Rick Kriegel as the field made its way off turn two. He escaped down the back straightaway with the lead while Emerson followed him to the front.
Following a lap 12 restart, Emerson made contact with the leader as they exited turn two, sending Murty into a spin. While Emerson was penalized for questionable driving, Murty stayed on the gas and continued moving prior to the caution flag, which allowed him to retain the lead for what would be the final restart of the event.
When racing resumed, Murty pulled away to take the victory ahead of Norman Chesmore and Jerry Miles. His second win on the night, Murty joined the following list of drivers to win two features on the same night in the same division at the speedway:
Jack Mitchell (Modified, 7/3/83)
Scott McLaughlin (Compact Modified, 6/22/97 and 8/3/97)
Josh McGowan (Pro Stock, 6/22/97)
Frankie Dulin (Hobby Stock, 7/9/00)
With his two wins Sunday, Murty has earned 57 for his career in weekly racing history at the speedway. That total is 20 more wins than Justin Temeyer, who sits second on that list. Of his 57 wins, Murty has won nine times in the month of April. He has also has eight separate streaks of at least two wins.
Ronn Lauritzen also made a little history in the IMCA Modified division by winning the make-up feature from opening night.
Lauritzen, who sat fifth on the starting grid, made his way into second after just one lap, then set his sights on leader Joe Docekal. Lauritzen ran the low groove into contention and reeled in Docekal a short time later.
When Docekal went high in turn four on the ninth lap, Laurtizen powered to his inside to take the lead at the flagstand. A lap later, Richie Gustin entered the mix as he made his way into second after a fourth row starting spot.
Lauritzen encountered lapped traffic on the 12th circuit as Gustin continued to cut into his lead. Gustin reeled in the leader running the low groove and challenged numerous times before mounting one last effort just after taking the white flag. Entering turn one, Gustin shot to the low side to make a bid for the lead when his machine locked up and came to a stop to bring out a final caution.
Lauritzen held off Docekal on the restart to take the win, his sixth at the speedway. Lauritzen is now tied for 24th with Dave Venenga, Garry Stuber, Jim Schmuecker, Mike Krall and Tony Olson on the division's wins list at the speedway.
Also the winner on season championship night last year, Lauritzen became just the third driver in the division's 29 year history at the speedway to win on opening night the year after winning the season championship feature. The only other Modified drivers in track history to do that are Scott Hogan and Troy Cordes, who have each done it twice.
In the regularly scheduled feature, David Brown and Mike Burbridge raced side-by-side at the front of the pack for many laps before Brown broke free near the midway point of the 20-lapper. By the time Brown reached lapped traffic on the 12th circuit, Gustin was positioning himself to strike. His efforts were aided when caution slowed the race with five laps to go.
In the waning laps, Gustin mounted a charge on Brown by rocketing off the top side of three to the bottom of turn four, however Brown held on to take the exciting victory. The second win of his career in Vinton, Brown became the 49th Modified driver in track history with multiple trips to the winner's circle.
The other division with double features on the evening was in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Shannon Anderson was leading a week ago when rain halted action after five laps were completed in that 15-lapper.
When the event resumed Sunday, Anderson took command with Brian Happel and Chris Luloff giving chase. Luloff made his way past Happel on lap six before he spun, dropping him back to eighth in the running order.
Now unchallenged, Happel chased Anderson through lapped traffic, then reeled in the leader as the flying green waved. Happel made a bid for the lead when he shot to the low side of turns one and two after the leaders had taken the white flag. Happel powered into the corner and made contact with Anderson, sending them both spinning. When the dust settled, Happel was disqualified for questionable driving, while Anderson made his way back to the pit area.
By the time the leaders made their exits, Luloff worked his way back into third and inherited the lead for a green, white, checkered finish. He raced to the checkers ahead of Kyle Parizek to steal the win, the 18th of his career in weekly points racing in Vinton. The victory moved him into a tie with Brad Forbes for third on the all-time list. It will be a while before Luloff moves up any further as Scott Pippert ranks second with 47 wins.
In the other Hobby Stock main, BCS newcomer Paul Nagle started on the pole and led all 15 laps to take his first-ever win in Vinton. Anderson challenged throughout that event, but came up a car-length short at the line. With the win, Nagle became the 82nd Hobby Stock winner in the track's history. He is the most recent newcomer to victory lane since Cale Petersen's first win on July 14, 2011. That span of 647 days is the longest between new winners in Hobby Stock history at the speedway.
In separate incidents, Luloff and Happel got upside down in the second Hobby Stock feature. Both drivers walked away uninjured.
Nick Roberts was looking to become just the third IMCA Northern SportMod driver in track history to win the first two points events of the season. Following last week's opening night win, Roberts once again made the haul from Des Moines to try his luck on the quarter-mile.
It was pole-sitter Brady Graham showing the way early in the 15-lap event as his #44G paced the field through the first five laps and the first caution. On the restart, Danny Dvorak, who started in row four, was on the leader's rear bumper.
Dvorak raced the low side past Graham one lap after racing resumed while Roberts was making his way through traffic from a fifth row starting spot. Roberts made his way into second just past the midway point, then went work on cutting into Dvorak's sizable lead.
A pair of late cautions assisted those efforts as Roberts shot to the low side of the leader in turn one following a restart on lap 11. Roberts was unable to make the move stick as Dvorak raced past him on the outside.
Roberts buried his #23JR deeper into the same set of turns after the field took the flying green. He cleared the leader into turn two until Dvorak returned the favor and shot to the inside of the Roberts as they exited the corner. The leaders battled wheel-to-wheel for position off the corner until the two came together, sending Roberts into a spin to bring out the final caution.
With Roberts sent to the back for the stoppage, Dvorak went on to hold off Brett Lowry for the victory. Dvorak's 47 SportMod wins in weekly racing history at the speedway are 23 more than his nearest competitor.
All-time BCS IMCA Sport Compact wins leader and opening night winner Nathan Chandler was looking to go two-for-two Sunday night. Although he quickly settled into second from a second row starting spot, Chandler had a hard time making his way around leader Bill Whalen Jr.
Whalen paced the field for the entirety of the 12-lapper, denying Chandler his second win of the season, as he made his way to victory lane. His eighth career points win in the division in Vinton, Whalen is now tied with Merv Chandler and Brad Chandler for fifth on that list.
Early start times remain in effect for next Sunday night. Gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps scheduled for 4:30 and racing to follow.
My next event is scheduled to be Saturday night for the season opener at Independence Motor Speedway. I hope to see you there. Have a great week!
APRIL 14 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 2. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 3. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 4. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 5. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 6. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 7. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 8. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids); 9. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 10. 17 Mike Krall (Waterloo); 11. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 12. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 13. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); 14. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 15/DNS. 8S Josh Star (Tipton).
Heat one: 1. Auringer; 2. Cordes; 3. Jackson; 4. Flannagan; 5. Brown; 6. Krall; 7. Star.
Heat two: 1. Lauritzen; 2. Gustin; 3. Banks; 4. Docekal; 5. Burbridge; 6. Olson; 7. Luloff; DNS Dedrick.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 99D Damon Murty (Chelsea); 2. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 3. K17 Rick Kriegel (Brooklyn); 4. 4 Jerry Miles (Bernard); 5. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon); 6. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); 7. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 8. 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids); 9/DNS. 8 Curtis Roster (Vinton).
Heat: 1. Murty; 2. Emerson; 3. Kriegel; 4. Roster; 5. Pippert; 6. Miles; 7. Galli; 8. Beauregard; 9. Ahrendsen.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 2. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 3. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 4. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 5. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 6. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 7. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 8. 10S John Schaefer (LaPorte City); 9. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 10. CH19 Colby Heishman (Brooklyn); 11. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 12. 10 Mike Knapp (Cedar Rapids); 13. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 14. 44G Brady Graham (Brooklyn); 15. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 16. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 17/DNS. Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 18/DNS. 1X Steve Streeter (Vinton); DNS. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart).
Heat one: 1. Roberts; 2. McDonald; 3. Sellers; 4. Burrell; 5. Anderson; DNS Kitner; DNS Knapp.
Heat two: 1. Schulze; 2. Buhlman; 3. Hilmer; 4. Olson; 5. Graham; 6. Streeter.
Heat three: 1. Rust; 2. Dvorak; 3. Schaefer; 4. Heishman; 5. Heil; 6. King.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature (completed April 21): 1. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 2. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine); 3. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 4. 99JR Nick Murty (Chelsea); 5. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 6. 96R Jamie Songer (Ankeny); 7. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 8. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 9. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 10. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 11. 78X Shannon Anderson (Atlantic); 12. 46 Brian Happel (Vinton); 13. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 14. 29 Nathan Ballard (Marengo).
Heat one: 1. Parizek; 2. Songer; 3. Happel; 4. Ball; 5. Wacha; 6. Ballard; 7. Stander.
Heat two: 1. Luloff; 2. Brown; 3. Nagle; 4. Murty; 5. Anderson; 6. Keiser; 7. Vanous.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 22 Nathan Chandler (Norway); 2. 21 Mike Barten (Maquoketa); 3. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 4. 99J Jeremy Lerch (Vinton); 5. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 6. 2 Merv Chandler (Vinton); DQ 111 Buster Pate (Hiawatha); DNS 9 Toby Denning (Mt. Auburn).
Heat: 1. M. Chandler; 2. N. Chandler; 3. Barten; 4. Whalen; 5. Pate; 6. Lerch; 7. Cooney; DNS Denning.
APRIL 21 RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED
Feature: 1. 21K Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 2. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 3. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 4. 92 Tyler Droste (Waterloo); 5. 71 Troy Cordes (Dunkerton); 6. 18 Jerry Luloff (Independence); 7. 00J J.D. Auringer (Waterloo); 8. 64 Vern Jackson (Waterloo); 9. 11B Mike Burbridge (Delhi); 10. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 11. 12D Joe Docekal (Dysart); 12. F71 Dennis Betzer (Central City); 13. 10K Ronn Lauritzen; 14. 17 Mike Krall (Waterloo); 15. 80 Jerry Dedrick (Vinton); 16/DNS. 22 Brandon Banks (Washington); DNS. T23 Tony Olson (Cedar Rapids).
Heat one: 1. Brown; 2. Burbridge; 3. Flannagan; 4. Cordes; 5. Schulte; 6. Docekal; 7. Krall; DNS Olson.
Heat two: 1. Luloff; 2. Auringer; 3. Gustin; 4. Droste; 5. Jackson; 6. Lauritzen; 7. Dedrick; 8. Banks; 9. Betzer.
IMCA STOCK CAR
Feature: 1. 99D Damon Murty (Chelsea); 2. 15 Norman Chesmore (Rowley); 3. 4 Jerry Miles (Dubuque); 4. 47 Scott Pippert (Elberon); 5. 4W John Watson (Des Moines); 6. 87 John Emerson (Waterloo); 7. 8B Scott Beauregard (Center Point); 8. 76 Mike Galli (Urbana); 9. 6X Bob Ahrendsen (Cedar Rapids); 10. 77T Trent Jeanes (Chariton); 11. 3 Jarod Weepie (Dunkerton); 12. K17 Rick Kriegel (Brooklyn).
Heat one: 1. Miles; 2. Watson; 3. Beauregard; 4. Emerson; 5. Weepie; 6. Ahrendsen.
Heat two: 1. Murty; 2. Kriegel; 3. Chesmore; 4. Galli; 5. Jeanes; 6. Pippert.
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMOD
Feature: 1. 3R Danny Dvorak (Vinton); 2. 72 Brett Lowry (Montezuma); 3. 7M Kurt Moeding (Mason City); 4. 8B Brad Iverson (Grinnell); 5. 26J Joel Rust (Grundy Center); 6. 00 Jim Buhlman (Cedar Falls); 7. 44G Brady Graham (Brooklyn); 8. 10S John Schaefer (LaPorte City); 9. 7D Dakoda Sellers (Vinton); 10. 23JR Nick Roberts (Des Moines); 11. J2 Dave Schulze (Keystone); 12. 10 Mike Knapp (Cedar Rapids); 13. 57R Ryan King (Marshalltown); 14. 4 Ryan Maitland (Waterloo); 15. 93 Josh Burrell (Dysart); 16. 22H Curt Hilmer (Dysart); 17. 95 Mike McDonald (Cedar Rapids); 18. 35C Casey Heil (Cedar Rapids); 19. K3 Kyle Olson (Cedar Rapids); 20. 3B Brian Anderson (Garrison); 21. 7P Jordan Peters (Des Moines); 22/DNS. CH19 Colby Jeishman (Brooklyn); 23/DNS. 57K Ross Kitner (Dysart); 24/DNS. 21 Brennen Chipp (Waterloo).
Heat one: 1. Roberts; 2. Lowry; 3. Maitland; 4. Graham; 5. Heishman; 6. Buhlman; 7. Olson; 8. Kitner.
Heat two: 1. Rust; 2. Anderson; 3. Iverson; 4. Hilmer; 5. Moeding; 6. Heil; 7. Sellers; 8. Burrell.
Heat three: 1. King; 2. McDonald; 3. Schulze; 4. Dvorak; 5. Schaefer; 6. Peters; 7. Knapp; 8. Chipp.
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
Feature: 1. 05 Paul Nagle (Nevada); 2. 78X Shannon Anderson (Atlantic); 3. 67 Justin Stander (Vinton); 4. 78 Matt Brown (Dysart); 5. 45 Justin Wacha (Vinton); 6. 7B Jim Ball (Independence); 7. 500 Garrett Eilander (Newton); 8. 07 Jacob Keiser (Marengo); 9. 17K Kyle Parizek (Belle Plaine); 10. 99JR Nick Murty (Chelsea); 11. 35 Brett Vanous (Quasqueton); 12. 99 Erick Knutsen (Center Point); 13. 46 Brian Happel (Vinton); 14. 96R Jamie Songer (Ankeny); 15. 18 Chris Luloff (Independence); 16/DNS. 2 Nick Welch (Cedar Falls).
Heat one: 1. Anderson; 2. Nagle; 3. Ball; 4. Brown; 5. Stander; 6. Knutsen; 7. Luloff; 8. Vanous.
Heat two: 1. Happel; 2. Songer; 3. Keiser; 4. Parizek; 5. Wacha; 6. Eilander; 7. Murty; 8. Welch.
IMCA SPORT COMPACT
Feature: 1. 00W Bill Whalen Jr. (Riverside); 2. 22 Nathan Chandler (Norway); 3. 2 Merv Chandler (Vinton); 4. 11 Steve Miedke (Shellsburg); 5. 22T Travis Losenicky (Garrison); 6. 30 Shawn Cooney (Des Moines); 7. 21 Mike Barten (Maquoketa); 8. 3S Craig Streeter.
Heat: 1. M. Chandler; 2. N. Chandler; 3. Barten; 4. Whalen; 5. Losenicky; 6. Miedke; 7. Cooney; 8. Streeter.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Both feast and famine for Simpsons at 34 Raceway
Chris Simpson appeared to be on his way to a $4,000 payday at 34 Raceway Saturday night. That ended in sudden heartbreak when rear end problems forced the leader to the infield after 37 of 40 laps in Late Model action for the co-sanctioned Corn Belt Clash, MARS, ALMS special.
Outside front row starter Kevin Weaver took the early lead and put a few car-lengths over the pack while Terry Phillips and Simpson gave chase. Simpson and Phillips engaged in an exciting battle for second as the leader pulled away and entered heavy lapped traffic 10 laps into the event.
The lapped traffic immediately stalled Weaver's progress, allowing both Phillips and Simpson to pull to within a car-length of the front-runner. Phillips shot to the low side of Weaver to take over the lead, while Simpson also made his way past for second.
Two laps later, Simpson slipped by Phillips and quickly pulled away from the pack while Simpson's brother, Chad, was making his way through traffic. Chad Simpson, who was 15th on the starting grid, was running fourth when his brother took charge.
Following a pair of cautions on laps 14 and 17, the race went green the rest of the way. Chris Simpson continued his stay out front while Chad Simpson went to work on the high side following the last restart. At that time, he swept past Phillips for second, however Chris Simpson was again pulling away.
Enjoying a straightaway lead, the leader seemed destined for a trip to victory lane when he pulled into the infield off the back stretch following the completion of lap 37.
Chad Simpson, who had broken away from a hard-charging Jesse Stovall, went on top score the victory. Stovall, who started fifth, beat fifth row starting Brian Shirley to the line for second. Making an impressive run from 26th, youngster Tyler Reddick came home fourth ahead of Phillips.
Late Model Feature Results - 1. 25 Chad Simpson; 2. 00JS Jesse Stovall; 3. 3S Brian Shirley; 4. 11T Tyler Reddick; 5. 75P Terry Phillips; 6. 56J Tony Jackson Jr.; 7. B12 Kevin Weaver; 8. 75 Billy Drake; 9. 15K Justin Kay; 10. 21BR Rich Bell; 11. 24U Ryan Unzicker; 12. M14 Brandon Thirlby; 13. 20 Jake Meier; 14. 25L Steve Lance Jr.; 15. 45DW Denny Woodworth; 16. 58 Dave Eckrich; 17. 14W Dustin Walker; 18. 32 Chris Simpson; 19. 93J Jay Johnson; 20. 10S Scott Schmitt; 21. 27P Jason Perry; 22. 50 Denny Eckrich; 23. 85D Mark Dotson; 24. 77JA Justin Asplin; 25. 7MB Mark Burgtorf; 26. 15R Brian Harris; 27. B5 Brandon Sheppard.
In other action, the 305 Sprint division opened its points season at the speedway as 14 drivers signed in to compete.
Pole-sitter Andy Huston led the field through a handful of early cautions with Donnie Steward in tow. Huston opened a sizable lead as Steward tried to stay within striking distance when the leaders came upon lapped cars midway through the 20-lapper.
After the final stoppage on lap 13, Steward challenged for the lead running the high groove of turns one and two. After two consecutive attempts in that set of turns to steal the lead, Steward broke free with two to go as he drove to the win. Huston finished second ahead of Jayson Ditsworth, who made an impressive run through traffic after an early caution sent him to the back of the field. John Schulz and Ryan Jamison completed the top five.
A strong field of 30 Four Cylinders took the green in that division's 12-lap feature. Pole-sitter Michael Grossman led that event in its entirety to earn the victory. He survived a trio of cautions to take the win ahead of Steve Miedke, who came from a sixth row start. Sixteen-year-old Dayton Racer, who made the trip from Apple Valley, Minnesota, started alongside Miedke and came home third. John Whalen and Wayne Noble rounded out the top five.
For another take on the night's action, along with a few extra tidbits, be sure to check out Jeff Broeg's column on the Back Stretch right here at Positively Racing. Brian Neal was also at the event. Check out his thoughts, and a few photos at Midwest Racing News.
I've enjoyed the first four events on 34 Raceway's schedule this season, but I'm hoping I'll be able to start spending my Saturday nights at Independence Motor Speedway. We hope to get our season underway next Saturday with our first weekly points race.
Thanks to the staff at 34 for their hospitality through the early weeks of the season. Special thanks to track announcer Rich Adams for his always entertaining off-mic commentary. It's been a pleasure, Rich. You're a real gas.
Tonight, double features in three divisions are in store at Benton County Speedway following last week's rain shortened program. After the completion of last week's Hobby Stock, Stock Car and Modified features, a complete program will be run for all five weekly divisions. It promises to be a great night in Vinton. I hope to see you there!
Outside front row starter Kevin Weaver took the early lead and put a few car-lengths over the pack while Terry Phillips and Simpson gave chase. Simpson and Phillips engaged in an exciting battle for second as the leader pulled away and entered heavy lapped traffic 10 laps into the event.
The lapped traffic immediately stalled Weaver's progress, allowing both Phillips and Simpson to pull to within a car-length of the front-runner. Phillips shot to the low side of Weaver to take over the lead, while Simpson also made his way past for second.
Two laps later, Simpson slipped by Phillips and quickly pulled away from the pack while Simpson's brother, Chad, was making his way through traffic. Chad Simpson, who was 15th on the starting grid, was running fourth when his brother took charge.
Following a pair of cautions on laps 14 and 17, the race went green the rest of the way. Chris Simpson continued his stay out front while Chad Simpson went to work on the high side following the last restart. At that time, he swept past Phillips for second, however Chris Simpson was again pulling away.
Enjoying a straightaway lead, the leader seemed destined for a trip to victory lane when he pulled into the infield off the back stretch following the completion of lap 37.
Chad Simpson, who had broken away from a hard-charging Jesse Stovall, went on top score the victory. Stovall, who started fifth, beat fifth row starting Brian Shirley to the line for second. Making an impressive run from 26th, youngster Tyler Reddick came home fourth ahead of Phillips.
Late Model Feature Results - 1. 25 Chad Simpson; 2. 00JS Jesse Stovall; 3. 3S Brian Shirley; 4. 11T Tyler Reddick; 5. 75P Terry Phillips; 6. 56J Tony Jackson Jr.; 7. B12 Kevin Weaver; 8. 75 Billy Drake; 9. 15K Justin Kay; 10. 21BR Rich Bell; 11. 24U Ryan Unzicker; 12. M14 Brandon Thirlby; 13. 20 Jake Meier; 14. 25L Steve Lance Jr.; 15. 45DW Denny Woodworth; 16. 58 Dave Eckrich; 17. 14W Dustin Walker; 18. 32 Chris Simpson; 19. 93J Jay Johnson; 20. 10S Scott Schmitt; 21. 27P Jason Perry; 22. 50 Denny Eckrich; 23. 85D Mark Dotson; 24. 77JA Justin Asplin; 25. 7MB Mark Burgtorf; 26. 15R Brian Harris; 27. B5 Brandon Sheppard.
In other action, the 305 Sprint division opened its points season at the speedway as 14 drivers signed in to compete.
Pole-sitter Andy Huston led the field through a handful of early cautions with Donnie Steward in tow. Huston opened a sizable lead as Steward tried to stay within striking distance when the leaders came upon lapped cars midway through the 20-lapper.
After the final stoppage on lap 13, Steward challenged for the lead running the high groove of turns one and two. After two consecutive attempts in that set of turns to steal the lead, Steward broke free with two to go as he drove to the win. Huston finished second ahead of Jayson Ditsworth, who made an impressive run through traffic after an early caution sent him to the back of the field. John Schulz and Ryan Jamison completed the top five.
A strong field of 30 Four Cylinders took the green in that division's 12-lap feature. Pole-sitter Michael Grossman led that event in its entirety to earn the victory. He survived a trio of cautions to take the win ahead of Steve Miedke, who came from a sixth row start. Sixteen-year-old Dayton Racer, who made the trip from Apple Valley, Minnesota, started alongside Miedke and came home third. John Whalen and Wayne Noble rounded out the top five.
For another take on the night's action, along with a few extra tidbits, be sure to check out Jeff Broeg's column on the Back Stretch right here at Positively Racing. Brian Neal was also at the event. Check out his thoughts, and a few photos at Midwest Racing News.
I've enjoyed the first four events on 34 Raceway's schedule this season, but I'm hoping I'll be able to start spending my Saturday nights at Independence Motor Speedway. We hope to get our season underway next Saturday with our first weekly points race.
Thanks to the staff at 34 for their hospitality through the early weeks of the season. Special thanks to track announcer Rich Adams for his always entertaining off-mic commentary. It's been a pleasure, Rich. You're a real gas.
Tonight, double features in three divisions are in store at Benton County Speedway following last week's rain shortened program. After the completion of last week's Hobby Stock, Stock Car and Modified features, a complete program will be run for all five weekly divisions. It promises to be a great night in Vinton. I hope to see you there!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Rain cuts short points opener at Benton County Speedway
A light steady rain shower put a halt on the season points opener while the third of five feature events was underway at Benton County Speedway.
The IMCA Hobby Stock division had just completed the fifth of 15 laps when the caution flag waved for a rain delay. Although the shower briefly stopped, a heavier band of showers fell before racing resumed, putting the kibosh on the remainder of the program.
Prior to the rainfall, the IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sport Compacts completed their portion of the program.
Nick Roberts took the drop of the green in the 15-lap Northern SportMod main and quickly pulled away from the pack. He led the event in its entirety to take the opening night win.
Danny Dvorak came from a fourth row starting spot and ran the low groove to second shortly after the green flag waved. He remained nearly a straightaway behind Roberts throughout the event to come home second. Joel Rust rocketed from a fifth row starting spot and chased Dvorak across the checkers to take third.
In the Sport Compact 12-lapper, Mike Barten challenged all-time BCS Sport Compact wins leader Nathan Chandler at the front of the pack. The leaders swapped the lead in an entertaining event before Chandler pulled away for his 36th career win in weekly points racing at BCS.
Prior to the stoppage in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature, Frostbuster winner Shannon Anderson came from the fifth row to take the lead from front row starter Matt Brown. Anderson was leading when action was suspended.
Complete results of the finished events were not available at the end of the rain-shortened program, but will be included in next week's wrap-up. You can also check speednetdirect.com later this week for results of the completed events.
As for next week, the program will start right where Sunday night's show left off. The final 10 laps of the Hobby Stock feature will be completed followed by make-up features in both the IMCA Modified and IMCA Stock Car divisions. Following those events, a complete show for all five divisions will round out the program.
If you were there Sunday night, rain checks will not be honored since qualifying was completed, however if you return next week, you'll certainly get your money's worth. If you weren't in attendance Sunday night, be sure to make plans to visit Vinton next weekend for double features in the Modifieds and Stock Cars, plus nearly two full features for the Hobby Stocks. It promises to be a great night of racing!
A big thank you to Don Burkey for working all day on preparing the track. Although the recent weather has been far from helpful when it comes to track prep, Don worked his tail off to get the track race ready for Sunday's show. Despite the negative Internet postings from those claiming to be race fans, Don dedicates himself week in and week out to provide a track for drivers and fans. He puts his heart and soul into the track and doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
My next event will be this coming Friday for the Sprint Invaders at Independence Motor Speedway. If Mother Nature cooperates, we'll have 360 Sprints at the speedway for the first time since the 1990s, along with Modifieds and SportMods for our season opener.
The weather forecast isn't looking the greatest for the week, but the track crew will do what it can to get the show in. Should the weather force us to cancel, you can rest assured we've already been looking at possible make-up dates.
Have a great week!
The IMCA Hobby Stock division had just completed the fifth of 15 laps when the caution flag waved for a rain delay. Although the shower briefly stopped, a heavier band of showers fell before racing resumed, putting the kibosh on the remainder of the program.
Prior to the rainfall, the IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sport Compacts completed their portion of the program.
Nick Roberts took the drop of the green in the 15-lap Northern SportMod main and quickly pulled away from the pack. He led the event in its entirety to take the opening night win.
Danny Dvorak came from a fourth row starting spot and ran the low groove to second shortly after the green flag waved. He remained nearly a straightaway behind Roberts throughout the event to come home second. Joel Rust rocketed from a fifth row starting spot and chased Dvorak across the checkers to take third.
In the Sport Compact 12-lapper, Mike Barten challenged all-time BCS Sport Compact wins leader Nathan Chandler at the front of the pack. The leaders swapped the lead in an entertaining event before Chandler pulled away for his 36th career win in weekly points racing at BCS.
Prior to the stoppage in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature, Frostbuster winner Shannon Anderson came from the fifth row to take the lead from front row starter Matt Brown. Anderson was leading when action was suspended.
Complete results of the finished events were not available at the end of the rain-shortened program, but will be included in next week's wrap-up. You can also check speednetdirect.com later this week for results of the completed events.
As for next week, the program will start right where Sunday night's show left off. The final 10 laps of the Hobby Stock feature will be completed followed by make-up features in both the IMCA Modified and IMCA Stock Car divisions. Following those events, a complete show for all five divisions will round out the program.
If you were there Sunday night, rain checks will not be honored since qualifying was completed, however if you return next week, you'll certainly get your money's worth. If you weren't in attendance Sunday night, be sure to make plans to visit Vinton next weekend for double features in the Modifieds and Stock Cars, plus nearly two full features for the Hobby Stocks. It promises to be a great night of racing!
A big thank you to Don Burkey for working all day on preparing the track. Although the recent weather has been far from helpful when it comes to track prep, Don worked his tail off to get the track race ready for Sunday's show. Despite the negative Internet postings from those claiming to be race fans, Don dedicates himself week in and week out to provide a track for drivers and fans. He puts his heart and soul into the track and doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
My next event will be this coming Friday for the Sprint Invaders at Independence Motor Speedway. If Mother Nature cooperates, we'll have 360 Sprints at the speedway for the first time since the 1990s, along with Modifieds and SportMods for our season opener.
The weather forecast isn't looking the greatest for the week, but the track crew will do what it can to get the show in. Should the weather force us to cancel, you can rest assured we've already been looking at possible make-up dates.
Have a great week!
Madsen has a g'day in MOWA action at 34 Raceway
The Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprint Car Series saw its first action of the season Saturday night at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Twenty-two 410 Sprint Car drivers signed in to compete on the lightning-fast 3/8-mile oval.
After winning the fast dash, Ian Madsen of Knoxville, formerly of New South Wales, Australia, started the 30-lapper from the pole position.
Before the race even went green, the drama unfolded as third row starter Terry McCarl made a quick run to the pit area. As he reported after the race, McCarl was forced to replace the mag box on his ride earlier in the night, however a bolt apparently came loose prior to the start of the feature. Fearing the box would break loose, McCarl made an early exit to the pits for some quick repairs, then returned before the race went green to start at the tail of the 22-car field.
The race went two laps before second row starter Jerrod Hull was sidelined with a flat left rear tire. He made the quick tire change and rejoined the tail of the field for the ensuing restart.
Madsen, like he did on the initial start, quickly distanced himself from the field when racing resumed. He built a straightaway lead by the time he encountered lapped traffic on the sixth circuit. Fellow front row starter Lucas Wolfe was his nearest pursuer until Wolfe brought out the caution on lap 11 for a flat tire of his own.
On the restart, Madsen paced the field with AJ Bruns and Jimmy Hurley in pursuit. McCarl, meanwhile, blistered his way through the pack to restart the event seventh.
When the green flag waved, Madsen again powered away from traffic, putting a straightaway over the field in just two laps. His progress was slowed when he encountered lapped traffic on the 16th lap, allowing Bruns to close the gap. Just as Madsen hit the backmarkers, McCarl swept past Ben Wagoner to make his way into the top five.
With 11 laps to go, Madsen's advantage was a mere car-length over Bruns while McCarl pulled to within a straightaway after making his way around Hurley for third.
McCarl reeled in the leaders and dove to the inside of Bruns for second in turn two just before the final caution slowed action on lap 23.
Per MOWA rules, on restarts, all lapped cars realign where they were running at the time of the caution. That rule benefited Madsen as the lapped cars of Logan Faucon and Chris Urish were placed squarely between Madsen and second-running McCarl for what would be the event's final restart.
McCarl ran the low side quickly past the backmarkers before setting his sights squarely on Madsen's #18. The front-runners again encountered traffic with three laps to go as they pulled a straightaway ahead of the pack.
McCarl's charge to the front came up a few car-lengths short at the line as Madsen led the thriller in its entirety to take the win. Meanwhile, Wolfe made an impressive run through the pack following his lap 11 tire change to come home third ahead of Bruns.
In other action, a three-car battle at the front of the IMCA Stock Car feature kept the fans entertained in that 20-lapper.
Jim Lynch took the early lead over the 22-car field while Jason Cook pursued on the low side of the fast, smooth oval. The leaders exchanged the top spot numerous times while John Oliver Jr. joined the battle midway through the event.
The top three broke away from the field and ran in side-by-side and nose-to-tail formation throughout the latter stages of the event before Cook pulled away at the end to take the win. Oliver, Lynch and Brett Timmerman completed the top four.
A nice field of 26 Four Cylinders signed in and 25 of them took the green in the 12-lap feature.
Pole-sitter Chuck Fullenkamp enjoyed the early lead while second row starter Skip Dunker gave chase. Dunker worked the low side of Fullenkamp at the four lap mark, then squeezed ahead at the line to take the lead. He survived a pair of late cautions to take the win ahead of a hard-charging John Whalen. Fullenkamp and Wayne Noble rounded out the top four.
The Mod Lite feature also remained undecided until the final corner of that 15-lapper. Greg Rossell held the early lead while Chase Flatt ran the low groove into contention. Flatt took charge on the second circuit as Daniel Keltner chased him to the front.
The leaders remained unchanged until Keltner shot to the inside of the leader just past the midway point. He maintained the lead until Flatt returned the favor just prior to a lap 12 stoppage.
After Rossell snuck back ahead with two to go, Flatt powered around the leader as the white flag waved to drive to victory. Keltner crossed the line second ahead of Rossell, who made contact with the back stretch wall on the final lap. Evan Epperson ran fourth.
In addition to the circle track events, pit bikes and four-wheelers were also part of the night's action. They used the front straightaway, plus parts of the apron area and infield as their course. A great field of 40 quads and nearly 20 bikes were on-hand to add a unique twist to the event. Last year's event winners, Tanner Gipple in four-wheelers and Jody Steward in the pit bike division, both won Saturday night's opener.
Nick and Kali Eastin have put a lot of work into the pit bike and quad program, which is set to appear a few more times at 34 Raceway this summer. The addition provides a nice mix to the circle track events.
Up next for me is tonight's season points opener at Benton County Speedway. Although the weather has been questionable the past week, the races for tonight are on as scheduled. Here's hoping Mother Nature allows for a few more hours of dry conditions before she unleashes on us again.
I'll be filling in tonight for track announcer Bucky Doren, who is spending part of his spring and summer coaching his son's youth baseball team. Remember, due to the spring weather, gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 4:30 and racing to follow. I'll provide a complete recap of tonight's event right here at Positively Racing. I hope to see everyone there!
After winning the fast dash, Ian Madsen of Knoxville, formerly of New South Wales, Australia, started the 30-lapper from the pole position.
Before the race even went green, the drama unfolded as third row starter Terry McCarl made a quick run to the pit area. As he reported after the race, McCarl was forced to replace the mag box on his ride earlier in the night, however a bolt apparently came loose prior to the start of the feature. Fearing the box would break loose, McCarl made an early exit to the pits for some quick repairs, then returned before the race went green to start at the tail of the 22-car field.
The race went two laps before second row starter Jerrod Hull was sidelined with a flat left rear tire. He made the quick tire change and rejoined the tail of the field for the ensuing restart.
Madsen, like he did on the initial start, quickly distanced himself from the field when racing resumed. He built a straightaway lead by the time he encountered lapped traffic on the sixth circuit. Fellow front row starter Lucas Wolfe was his nearest pursuer until Wolfe brought out the caution on lap 11 for a flat tire of his own.
On the restart, Madsen paced the field with AJ Bruns and Jimmy Hurley in pursuit. McCarl, meanwhile, blistered his way through the pack to restart the event seventh.
When the green flag waved, Madsen again powered away from traffic, putting a straightaway over the field in just two laps. His progress was slowed when he encountered lapped traffic on the 16th lap, allowing Bruns to close the gap. Just as Madsen hit the backmarkers, McCarl swept past Ben Wagoner to make his way into the top five.
With 11 laps to go, Madsen's advantage was a mere car-length over Bruns while McCarl pulled to within a straightaway after making his way around Hurley for third.
McCarl reeled in the leaders and dove to the inside of Bruns for second in turn two just before the final caution slowed action on lap 23.
Per MOWA rules, on restarts, all lapped cars realign where they were running at the time of the caution. That rule benefited Madsen as the lapped cars of Logan Faucon and Chris Urish were placed squarely between Madsen and second-running McCarl for what would be the event's final restart.
McCarl ran the low side quickly past the backmarkers before setting his sights squarely on Madsen's #18. The front-runners again encountered traffic with three laps to go as they pulled a straightaway ahead of the pack.
McCarl's charge to the front came up a few car-lengths short at the line as Madsen led the thriller in its entirety to take the win. Meanwhile, Wolfe made an impressive run through the pack following his lap 11 tire change to come home third ahead of Bruns.
In other action, a three-car battle at the front of the IMCA Stock Car feature kept the fans entertained in that 20-lapper.
Jim Lynch took the early lead over the 22-car field while Jason Cook pursued on the low side of the fast, smooth oval. The leaders exchanged the top spot numerous times while John Oliver Jr. joined the battle midway through the event.
The top three broke away from the field and ran in side-by-side and nose-to-tail formation throughout the latter stages of the event before Cook pulled away at the end to take the win. Oliver, Lynch and Brett Timmerman completed the top four.
A nice field of 26 Four Cylinders signed in and 25 of them took the green in the 12-lap feature.
Pole-sitter Chuck Fullenkamp enjoyed the early lead while second row starter Skip Dunker gave chase. Dunker worked the low side of Fullenkamp at the four lap mark, then squeezed ahead at the line to take the lead. He survived a pair of late cautions to take the win ahead of a hard-charging John Whalen. Fullenkamp and Wayne Noble rounded out the top four.
The Mod Lite feature also remained undecided until the final corner of that 15-lapper. Greg Rossell held the early lead while Chase Flatt ran the low groove into contention. Flatt took charge on the second circuit as Daniel Keltner chased him to the front.
The leaders remained unchanged until Keltner shot to the inside of the leader just past the midway point. He maintained the lead until Flatt returned the favor just prior to a lap 12 stoppage.
After Rossell snuck back ahead with two to go, Flatt powered around the leader as the white flag waved to drive to victory. Keltner crossed the line second ahead of Rossell, who made contact with the back stretch wall on the final lap. Evan Epperson ran fourth.
In addition to the circle track events, pit bikes and four-wheelers were also part of the night's action. They used the front straightaway, plus parts of the apron area and infield as their course. A great field of 40 quads and nearly 20 bikes were on-hand to add a unique twist to the event. Last year's event winners, Tanner Gipple in four-wheelers and Jody Steward in the pit bike division, both won Saturday night's opener.
Nick and Kali Eastin have put a lot of work into the pit bike and quad program, which is set to appear a few more times at 34 Raceway this summer. The addition provides a nice mix to the circle track events.
Up next for me is tonight's season points opener at Benton County Speedway. Although the weather has been questionable the past week, the races for tonight are on as scheduled. Here's hoping Mother Nature allows for a few more hours of dry conditions before she unleashes on us again.
I'll be filling in tonight for track announcer Bucky Doren, who is spending part of his spring and summer coaching his son's youth baseball team. Remember, due to the spring weather, gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 4:30 and racing to follow. I'll provide a complete recap of tonight's event right here at Positively Racing. I hope to see everyone there!
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