One hundred twenty-six drivers signed in to compete for the third night of weekly racing at Independence Motor Speedway. Twenty-five events were run in just under four hours as the final checkered flag waved at 10:25. One driver earned his first career win in his division while another picked up his second win in as many weeks.
In the I.M.C.A. Late Models, 24 cars were on-hand and Jill George looked to run and hide at the drop of the green in the 25-lap headliner. From her pole position start, George quickly shot into the lead and began to distance herself from fellow front row starter Scott Welsh.
George built up a straightaway lead by the time she entered heavy lapped traffic a dozen laps into the event. As she was making her way through the backmarkers, she collided with Jared Fuller's ride, who had spun in turns one and two and was sitting sideways when George entered the set of turns. The heavy impact left both drivers unable to continue, an unfortunate premature end to George's run.
The two-wide restart left Welsh on the pole alongside Brian Hunter. Travis Smock and Dale Hackwell Jr. completed row two. When racing resumed, Welsh quickly jumped into the lead while Smock shot to the inside of Hunter to snag second place.
Smock remained glued to Welsh's rear bumper as the leaders stayed committed to the low groove of the speedway. Smock's numerous attempts to gain the edge on the low side were denied as Welsh drove to his first-ever win in the division. Hunter and Hackwell completed the top four.
Justin Ginther held the early lead in the 15-lap I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock feature. Ginther paced the 22-car field while Joe Sprague challenged for the top spot. Contact between the two on the third lap sent both cars into a spin, ending both of their bids for the win.
On the restart, Jeremy Floyd and Josh Irvine inherited the front row. Floyd took charge and received pressure from Irvine until he spun two laps later ending his chances for his second win of the season. Justin Hanson, who started in the fifth row, worked his way into second by the fifth lap and motored around the outside of Floyd one lap later to assume command.
One lap after Hanson took the lead, Wes Stanek followed him to the front of the pack and into second place. Stanek ran second for a handful of laps before sweeping under Hanson for the lead with only three laps to go. He went on to take the win, his second in a row, ahead of a hard-charging Vince Buchholz and Justin Lichty.
Chris Luloff came from the fourth row to score the victory in the 15-lap I.M.C.A. SportMod main event. Following a lap one caution, Luloff made his way around Russell Hesse and Curt Hilmer on just the second lap to take the lead.
Kyle Bentley, meanwhile, charged through the field from a fifth row start and settled into second place on lap five. He pressured Luloff throughout the remainder of the event, trying both the high and low grooves. All of Bentley's attempts to draw even with the leader were unsuccessful until the pair navigated the final set of turns on the final lap. Bentley pulled along the outside of Luloff exiting turn four, but Luloff held the advantage by a few feet at the line to score the exciting win. Hilmer finished third and Scott Thomas, who started deep in the field in row 10, came home fourth.
Dan Trimble left little doubt he was the man to beat at the start of the 20-lap I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature. From his outside front row start, the multi-time track champion rocketed into the lead at the drop of the green and never looked back on his way to a wire-to-wire win in the caution-free event. Phil Holtz and Shane Manson ran second and third.
Don Erger held the early advantage in the I.M.C.A. Modified feature. In an event that was slowed numerous times for caution, the minute per lap time limit was enforced with Erger taking the win ahead of Max Corporon and Darin Duffy.
It was a good night of racing at Independence as the show was smooth and efficient, despite the dry and dusty conditions. Twenty and thirty mile per hour winds throughout the course of the day made it hard for the track crew to keep moisture in the speedway, however the smooth, fast surface was to the liking of most drivers.
It was also great to see long-time promoters Jerry and Donna Blue in attendance tonight. The Blues, who promoted the speedway throughout the '80s and '90s toured the pits throughout qualifying events to catch up with drivers prior to taking in the feature events from the infield.
In addition, over $1,500 was raised for cancer research on Cancer Awareness Night.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Faler, Whalen, Stewart win caution-free events at CJ Speedway
After many of the divisions had last week off due to the Sprint Invaders special, weekly racing resumed in all five divisions at CJ Speedway on Friday night.
The Hobby Stocks opened feature action with Billy Faler assuming the early lead from his pole position start. Hot on his heels, however, were Bryar Keltnerand Lane Kauffman. The trio engaged in an enetertaining three-car battle througho ut much of the event.
Faler's pursuers tried to pull even with the race leader numerous times, however neither one was able to take away the top spot, allowing Faler to lead the event in its entirety on his way to the win. Kauffman worked under Keltner with only two laps remaining to finish second.
The Hobby Stocks opened feature action with Billy Faler assuming the early lead from his pole position start. Hot on his heels, however, were Bryar Keltnerand Lane Kauffman. The trio engaged in an enetertaining three-car battle througho ut much of the event.
Faler's pursuers tried to pull even with the race leader numerous times, however neither one was able to take away the top spot, allowing Faler to lead the event in its entirety on his way to the win. Kauffman worked under Keltner with only two laps remaining to finish second.
In Mod Lite action, Jason Masengarb jumped into the lead at the drop of the green flag. Working the high side, Justin Buchholz made his way around Daniel Keltner for second on the second lap and into the lead one lap later.
A trio of cautions throughout the first half of the event kept the field close, however Buchholz and Masengarb put a comfortable distance between themselves and the rest of the field as the second half of the event ran caution-free.
Continuing to run the high side, Buchholz held off all of Masengarb's challenges until the leaders entered lapped traffic with only two laps to go. This allowed Masengarb to sneak underneath for the lead as he drove to the victory ahead of Buchholz. Robert Guss, Darrin Norton and Gary Rossell completed the top five.
Tyler Whalen took the lead early in the 10-lap Four Cylinder feature. He quickly extended his lead and held an advantage of half of a straightaway just prior to the midway point of the event.
As Whalen led, Wayne Noble was maneuvering through traffic from a fourth row start. Sneaking under the low side of his competitors, Noble secured second place on lap six. He cut into Whalen's advantage as the leader navigated through lapped traffic, however he wasn't able to make up enough ground, allowing Whalen to lead the caution-free event in its entirety. Following Whalen and Noble to the line were Jordan Tipps, Ryan Walker and John Whalen.
In Modified action, Daniel Brockert shot into the lead at the drop of the green from his outside front row starting position. Brockert's stay out front was short-lived, however, as Steve Stewart worked under the leader one lap later.
Stewart continued to pace the field while Bruce Hanford settled into second on the third lap. Although the leaders encountered lapped traffic on just the fifth circuit, they extended their advantage over the field to a full straightaway by lap eight.
Stewart was able to pull away from Hanford by six car-lengths as the backmarkers held Hanford back. Stewart drove to the win ahead of Hanford and Brockert, who over a straightaway behind the leaders when the checkers flew. Alex Buffington and Larry Herring rounded out the top five.
The I.M.C.A. Stock Cars closed the evening with an exciting 12-lap feature. Darrin Ealy jumped into the lead early and found himself half of a straightaway ahead of his nearest pursuer by lap five, despite a lap two caution.
Working the low groove, Tad Payne made his way into second place on the third lap after starting in the fifth row. Slowly gaining ground on Ealy, Payne was able to erase the deficit entirely with the help of a lap nine caution.
On the restart, Ealy stayed committed to the high groove as Payne worked low. Another pair of cautions slowed the event with Ealy holding the edge each time. On the final restart, Trent Vrchoticky entered the mix at the front of the pack as he was glued to the tires on the low groove. Pulling even with Payne as the white flag displayed, the pair battled each other as Ealy drove to the win, his first-ever in the I.M.C.A. Stock Car division. Payne held onto second ahead of Vrchoticky. David Hemsted and Randy Phillips ran fourth and fifth.
There were a few more cars tonight than the previous points night and the show was done an hour earlier than opening night. In addition, the hard work Don and Sharon Wood and Brian and Amanda Tipps have put into the racing surface is definitely paying off as it has been smoother and smoother each passing week.
While there was a delay midway through the event to add water to the dry surface, the post-intermission features were run in impressive fashion. Three of the five events ran without a single caution and all five feature events were completed in 75 minutes.
Another side note about CJ is the quick manner in which they distribute purse money. Checks are written almost immediately following the completion of each feature event in the scoring tower and they are handed out almost by the time the next feature on the track sees checkers.
While the Hobby Stock car count was low tonight with only five cars in attendance, I understand other drivers were in the stands and they indicated they planned to support the speedway on the track in coming weeks. Car counts of 16 Mod Lites, 18 Four Cylinders, 12 Modifieds and 21 Stock Cars brought the total to 72 on the evening.
Thanks to announcer Gene Arnold and promoter Amanda Tipps for allowing me to watch the races from the tower and thanks to Gene for the special plug for http://www.positivelyracing.com/.
Tomorrow night it looks like the weather should be great for weekly racing at Independence Motor Speedway.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Stein, Murty among winners on exciting night at Benton County Speedway
Being a Vinton, Iowa, native, it was great to head home to take in the action at Benton County Speedway on Sunday night. A packed grandstand and a pit area loaded with 115 cars made for a fantastic night at the fairgrounds. My first trip to Vinton this season, it was the latest "first visit of the year" to my hometown track since it re-opened some 20 years ago.
The first feature out of the gate was for the I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks during which Jason Stringer took the early lead from his pole position start. With Stringer out front, Bill Bonnett and points leader Scott Pippert quickly worked through traffic from respective fifth and sixth row starting positions. By the time the field completed the third lap, both drivers found themselves in the top three, a couple of car-lengths behind Stringer.
Working the high side, Pippert pulled even with Bonnett the fifth time around the fast, smooth 1/4-mile oval. He swept around both Bonnett and Stringer by the time the field completed lap six.
By the ninth lap, Pippert pulled ahead of his nearest followers by half of a straightaway before entering lapped traffic one lap later. While dodging the backmarkers, Pippert extended his lead to a full straightaway by the time the checkers flew. The points leader drove to the impressive victory ahead of Bonnett, who currently sits second in the standings. Vince Buchholz came home in third followed by Stringer.
Fourth row starter Brad Chandler snagged the lead of the 12-lap I.M.C.A. Sport Compact feature after only three laps. Nathan Chandler, who started right behind him, ran the high groove and followed him into second.
The leaders pulled away from the field and made it a two-car race midway through the event. Staying committed to the high groove, Nathan Chandler made his bid for the lead following a lap six caution. He went untouched over the final half of the event to score the victory. A straightaway behind when the checkers flew, Bill Whalen crossed the line in third. Gary Peiffer and Justin Wacha completed the top five.
Ryan Coleman led the early stages of the 15-lap I.M.C.A. SportMod feature. Starting in the front row, Coleman held a comfortable early advantage until a pair of slower cars impeded his progress just four laps into the event.
Danny Dvorak and Kurt Hogan, who both started the event from row three, quickly closed the gap. With Dvorak running high and Hogan low, the three front-runners engaged in a brief wheel-to-wheel battle before Hogan spun in turn four to bring out the caution.
When racing resumed, Dvorak went back to work on the high side and made a pass for the lead one lap later. He built his lead to half of a straightaway as Chris Luloff, Kyle Bentley and Rod McDonald made their way to the front of the pack in an exciting five-car battle with Coleman and Kyle Olson.
Luloff settled into second just past the midway point and attempted to run down the race leader. With lapped cars and a straightaway margin ahead of him, Luloff settled for second as Dvorak drove to the win, his second in as many nights. Bentley finished third ahead of McDonald and points leader Austin Kaplan.
A photo finish thrilled the crowd in the I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature, but first it was Steve Meyer who made the move of the night at the start of the 15-lap event. From his fourth row start, Meyer shot to the inside of his competitors when the green flag waved, cruising into second place by the completion of the first lap. He assumed the lead one lap later, just prior to the race's first caution.
On the restart, Meyer held his line at the bottom of the speedway while Jason DeShaw tried to nose under him. DeShaw's efforts were denied as Meyer mastered the low groove. As the leaders battled, Damon Murty was making his way through traffic after starting 10th. He settled into second after a lap six caution slowed the race one final time.
When racing resumed, Meyer continued to hug the tires on the low side with Murty glued to his rear bumper. Numerous attempts by Murty to edge under Meyer's No. 94 were unsuccessful as the lead pair pulled away from the field by a near-straightaway margin.
On the final lap, Murty attempted one last time to stick his No. 99D under the left rear of Meyer. He was able to make the move stick as he pulled even with the leader as they navigated turns three and four.
Side-by-side at the checkers, Murty edged ahead at the line to steal the win by mere inches. DeShaw held onto third ahead of Bob Ahrendsen and Justin Temeyer.
While numerous caution periods generally take away from the excitement of any race, that wasn't the case in the 20-lap I.M.C.A. Modified feature. At the drop of the green, Chris Stein took command and paced the field for the first five circuits until a series of stoppages slowed the event.
When the field got settled, Stein maintained his position out front while Scott Hogan and Troy Cordes made their way through traffic. With Hogan running high and Cordes on the low side, both drivers worked into the top three just prior to the midway point.
Cordes worked under Hogan, who saw the top groove go away, on lap 10. Cordes tried to stick his nose under Stein's machine, but could not pull even with the leader, allowing Stein to drive to the win. A front-runner at both Davenport Speedway and Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, it was Stein's first win at the speedway in his second visit.
Cordes and Brian Krall completed the top three. Shawn Fisher, who made an impressive run late, came home fourth. Hogan was fifth.
The team of Steggall and Lewis led wire-to-wire to take the victory in the Cruiser feature.
As always, it was a great night of racing at BCS. Despite the struggles the Modifieds had early, 26 events were completed in just under four hours as the final checkered flag waved at 9:45.
Thanks to announcers Jim Roper and Bucky Doren for allowing me to join them in the new scoring/announcing tower in the infield. Special thanks go out to Jim for giving me a little air time on the mic to promote http://www.positivelyracing.com/!
The first feature out of the gate was for the I.M.C.A. Hobby Stocks during which Jason Stringer took the early lead from his pole position start. With Stringer out front, Bill Bonnett and points leader Scott Pippert quickly worked through traffic from respective fifth and sixth row starting positions. By the time the field completed the third lap, both drivers found themselves in the top three, a couple of car-lengths behind Stringer.
Working the high side, Pippert pulled even with Bonnett the fifth time around the fast, smooth 1/4-mile oval. He swept around both Bonnett and Stringer by the time the field completed lap six.
By the ninth lap, Pippert pulled ahead of his nearest followers by half of a straightaway before entering lapped traffic one lap later. While dodging the backmarkers, Pippert extended his lead to a full straightaway by the time the checkers flew. The points leader drove to the impressive victory ahead of Bonnett, who currently sits second in the standings. Vince Buchholz came home in third followed by Stringer.
Fourth row starter Brad Chandler snagged the lead of the 12-lap I.M.C.A. Sport Compact feature after only three laps. Nathan Chandler, who started right behind him, ran the high groove and followed him into second.
The leaders pulled away from the field and made it a two-car race midway through the event. Staying committed to the high groove, Nathan Chandler made his bid for the lead following a lap six caution. He went untouched over the final half of the event to score the victory. A straightaway behind when the checkers flew, Bill Whalen crossed the line in third. Gary Peiffer and Justin Wacha completed the top five.
Ryan Coleman led the early stages of the 15-lap I.M.C.A. SportMod feature. Starting in the front row, Coleman held a comfortable early advantage until a pair of slower cars impeded his progress just four laps into the event.
Danny Dvorak and Kurt Hogan, who both started the event from row three, quickly closed the gap. With Dvorak running high and Hogan low, the three front-runners engaged in a brief wheel-to-wheel battle before Hogan spun in turn four to bring out the caution.
When racing resumed, Dvorak went back to work on the high side and made a pass for the lead one lap later. He built his lead to half of a straightaway as Chris Luloff, Kyle Bentley and Rod McDonald made their way to the front of the pack in an exciting five-car battle with Coleman and Kyle Olson.
Luloff settled into second just past the midway point and attempted to run down the race leader. With lapped cars and a straightaway margin ahead of him, Luloff settled for second as Dvorak drove to the win, his second in as many nights. Bentley finished third ahead of McDonald and points leader Austin Kaplan.
A photo finish thrilled the crowd in the I.M.C.A. Stock Car feature, but first it was Steve Meyer who made the move of the night at the start of the 15-lap event. From his fourth row start, Meyer shot to the inside of his competitors when the green flag waved, cruising into second place by the completion of the first lap. He assumed the lead one lap later, just prior to the race's first caution.
On the restart, Meyer held his line at the bottom of the speedway while Jason DeShaw tried to nose under him. DeShaw's efforts were denied as Meyer mastered the low groove. As the leaders battled, Damon Murty was making his way through traffic after starting 10th. He settled into second after a lap six caution slowed the race one final time.
When racing resumed, Meyer continued to hug the tires on the low side with Murty glued to his rear bumper. Numerous attempts by Murty to edge under Meyer's No. 94 were unsuccessful as the lead pair pulled away from the field by a near-straightaway margin.
On the final lap, Murty attempted one last time to stick his No. 99D under the left rear of Meyer. He was able to make the move stick as he pulled even with the leader as they navigated turns three and four.
Side-by-side at the checkers, Murty edged ahead at the line to steal the win by mere inches. DeShaw held onto third ahead of Bob Ahrendsen and Justin Temeyer.
While numerous caution periods generally take away from the excitement of any race, that wasn't the case in the 20-lap I.M.C.A. Modified feature. At the drop of the green, Chris Stein took command and paced the field for the first five circuits until a series of stoppages slowed the event.
When the field got settled, Stein maintained his position out front while Scott Hogan and Troy Cordes made their way through traffic. With Hogan running high and Cordes on the low side, both drivers worked into the top three just prior to the midway point.
Cordes worked under Hogan, who saw the top groove go away, on lap 10. Cordes tried to stick his nose under Stein's machine, but could not pull even with the leader, allowing Stein to drive to the win. A front-runner at both Davenport Speedway and Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, it was Stein's first win at the speedway in his second visit.
Cordes and Brian Krall completed the top three. Shawn Fisher, who made an impressive run late, came home fourth. Hogan was fifth.
The team of Steggall and Lewis led wire-to-wire to take the victory in the Cruiser feature.
As always, it was a great night of racing at BCS. Despite the struggles the Modifieds had early, 26 events were completed in just under four hours as the final checkered flag waved at 9:45.
Thanks to announcers Jim Roper and Bucky Doren for allowing me to join them in the new scoring/announcing tower in the infield. Special thanks go out to Jim for giving me a little air time on the mic to promote http://www.positivelyracing.com/!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Dvorak, Irvine, Duffy, Stanek, Stolte take Indee checkers
Following two straight rainouts, we were finally able to get the second show of the season in at Independence Motor Speedway. A great field of cars was on-hand as 124 drivers signed in to compete.
The I.M.C.A. SportMods were up first as 26 drivers signed in to compete in that division. At the start of the scheduled 15-lapper, pole-sitter Danny Dvorak took charge. He quickly pulled away from the pack while Chris Luloff and Joel Rust battled behind him for second.
Luloff won the fight for the runner-up spot, but he could not catch Dvorak as Dvorak survived a handful of cautions to win the time-shortened event.
The I.M.C.A. Stock Cars had, hands down, the most exciting race of the night. Nineteen cars took the green flag in the 20-lapper with pole-sitter Justin Temeyer taking control early. Kevin Rose settled into second on the second lap after starting one row behind Temeyer.
While the leaders battled, Brian Irvine was making his way through the field from a sixth row start. Irvine worked his way into the top five after only five laps and then made his way into the top three by lap eight to set up an exciting race at the front of the pack.
Irvine challenged the lead pair in an exciting three-wide battle at the midway point of the event. He edged around Temeyer on lap 10 only to have Rose follow suit. Rose then worked the low groove of the speedway as the lead pair ran side-by-side for a handful of laps until the caution flag slowed the action on lap 13.
On the restart, Irvine continued to fend off the challenges of Rose while Temeyer was receiving pressure from Mike Mauer for third. Irvine held on to score the exciting win ahead of Rose while Mauer made a late run on Temeyer to steal third place honors.
If not for a handful of cautions that led to a time-shortened event, the I.M.C.A. Modifieds may have challenged the stock cars for the most exciting event of the night. Jimmy Gustin took the early lead from his pole position start as Darin Duffy and Troy Cordes worked from fifth and sixth row starts, respectively.
While Duffy and Cordes worked through traffic, Ronn Lauritzen was pressuring Gustin at the front of the pack. With the leaders battling, Duffy worked his way into contention on the eighth lap while Cordes ran fifth as the field was slowed for caution a couple of times in the early going.
By the time the caution flag waved for a fourth time on lap eight, Gustin remained out front with Lauritzen second, Duffy third and Cordes fourth. The time limit expired under the caution period, setting up one final chance to end the race under green.
When racing resumed, Duffy went to work on the high side and quickly disposed of Lauritzen. He then moved alongside of Gustin for the lead as the field completed lap 11. Duffy inched ahead of Gustin at the line just before the caution flag waved a final time, ending the event. Gustin was scored second and Cordes made his way around Lauritzen for third.
In the I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock division, the yellow flag ruled early, as well. After taking the lead from Joe Sprague on the second lap, Wes Stanek Jr. held the point through a handful of stoppages in the 15-lapper.
Staying committed to the low side, Stanek led the remainder of the race, holding off Don Arnold to take the win. Vince Buchholz made a late race pass on Quinton Miller to take third,
The I.M.C.A. Late Models lined up using the draw/redraw format throughout the night, as dictated by I.M.C.A. rules. Late Models use this format for the first two points races of the season. Dale Stolte took advantage of his pole position redraw for the 25-lapper to score the wire-to-wire win.
Fellow front row starter Tyler Bruening pressured Stolte early and late, but was never able to mount a serious challenge as Stolte was just too fast off the corners. Travis Smock came from the fourth row to take third and, Rick Wendling, who was substituting in Jill George's No. D1, fnished fourth.
Overall, it was a great night of racing. Track conditions were much improved from those on opening night. It was a very slick track on Saturday night which made it difficult for the drivers to navigate at times, however it was incredibly smooth and fast. There were some delays in realignments under caution, which will hopefully be worked out in the near future.
Due to the desire to finish the show in a more timely manner than opening night, two-wide restarts were scrapped in place of single file restarts for the features. Time will tell, but this may actually be the way to go for the duration of the season.
One quick note, the framework for the grandstands has been constructed and is now in place at the speedway. The project will hopefully be completed in the next couple of weeks. If you haven't been to Independence yet this season, you will definitely want to stop by and check out the new grandstands. I don't think there will be a bad seat in the house.
The I.M.C.A. SportMods were up first as 26 drivers signed in to compete in that division. At the start of the scheduled 15-lapper, pole-sitter Danny Dvorak took charge. He quickly pulled away from the pack while Chris Luloff and Joel Rust battled behind him for second.
Luloff won the fight for the runner-up spot, but he could not catch Dvorak as Dvorak survived a handful of cautions to win the time-shortened event.
The I.M.C.A. Stock Cars had, hands down, the most exciting race of the night. Nineteen cars took the green flag in the 20-lapper with pole-sitter Justin Temeyer taking control early. Kevin Rose settled into second on the second lap after starting one row behind Temeyer.
While the leaders battled, Brian Irvine was making his way through the field from a sixth row start. Irvine worked his way into the top five after only five laps and then made his way into the top three by lap eight to set up an exciting race at the front of the pack.
Irvine challenged the lead pair in an exciting three-wide battle at the midway point of the event. He edged around Temeyer on lap 10 only to have Rose follow suit. Rose then worked the low groove of the speedway as the lead pair ran side-by-side for a handful of laps until the caution flag slowed the action on lap 13.
On the restart, Irvine continued to fend off the challenges of Rose while Temeyer was receiving pressure from Mike Mauer for third. Irvine held on to score the exciting win ahead of Rose while Mauer made a late run on Temeyer to steal third place honors.
If not for a handful of cautions that led to a time-shortened event, the I.M.C.A. Modifieds may have challenged the stock cars for the most exciting event of the night. Jimmy Gustin took the early lead from his pole position start as Darin Duffy and Troy Cordes worked from fifth and sixth row starts, respectively.
While Duffy and Cordes worked through traffic, Ronn Lauritzen was pressuring Gustin at the front of the pack. With the leaders battling, Duffy worked his way into contention on the eighth lap while Cordes ran fifth as the field was slowed for caution a couple of times in the early going.
By the time the caution flag waved for a fourth time on lap eight, Gustin remained out front with Lauritzen second, Duffy third and Cordes fourth. The time limit expired under the caution period, setting up one final chance to end the race under green.
When racing resumed, Duffy went to work on the high side and quickly disposed of Lauritzen. He then moved alongside of Gustin for the lead as the field completed lap 11. Duffy inched ahead of Gustin at the line just before the caution flag waved a final time, ending the event. Gustin was scored second and Cordes made his way around Lauritzen for third.
In the I.M.C.A. Hobby Stock division, the yellow flag ruled early, as well. After taking the lead from Joe Sprague on the second lap, Wes Stanek Jr. held the point through a handful of stoppages in the 15-lapper.
Staying committed to the low side, Stanek led the remainder of the race, holding off Don Arnold to take the win. Vince Buchholz made a late race pass on Quinton Miller to take third,
The I.M.C.A. Late Models lined up using the draw/redraw format throughout the night, as dictated by I.M.C.A. rules. Late Models use this format for the first two points races of the season. Dale Stolte took advantage of his pole position redraw for the 25-lapper to score the wire-to-wire win.
Fellow front row starter Tyler Bruening pressured Stolte early and late, but was never able to mount a serious challenge as Stolte was just too fast off the corners. Travis Smock came from the fourth row to take third and, Rick Wendling, who was substituting in Jill George's No. D1, fnished fourth.
Overall, it was a great night of racing. Track conditions were much improved from those on opening night. It was a very slick track on Saturday night which made it difficult for the drivers to navigate at times, however it was incredibly smooth and fast. There were some delays in realignments under caution, which will hopefully be worked out in the near future.
Due to the desire to finish the show in a more timely manner than opening night, two-wide restarts were scrapped in place of single file restarts for the features. Time will tell, but this may actually be the way to go for the duration of the season.
One quick note, the framework for the grandstands has been constructed and is now in place at the speedway. The project will hopefully be completed in the next couple of weeks. If you haven't been to Independence yet this season, you will definitely want to stop by and check out the new grandstands. I don't think there will be a bad seat in the house.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Rogerson wins Sprint Invaders stop at CJ Speedway
The weather finally cooperated on a Friday night in southeast Iowa as CJ Speedway managed to get its second race in the books for the 2009 season. Prior to Friday night's Sprint Invader special, the only complete show the speedway has seen this year was the season opener earlier this month.
The Sprint Invaders were joined by the Mod Lites and 4 Cylnders to kick off the Memorial Day holiday weekend on the 4/10-mile oval.
Twenty-three Sprints signed in to compete for the second series event of the season. Following three qualifying heat races in which the top two from each event earned a starting position in the six-lap Shake-Up Pole Dash, Ben Wagoner earned his first-ever pole position start in series competition by virtue of the Dash win.
Wagoner started the Dash outside of the first row and walked away from the field to score the victory. Following the event, he rolled the dice, literally, on the front straightaway to determine his starting spot in the 20-lap A-Main. Rolling a "one," Wagoner preserved his pole start for the feature.
At the start of the 20-lapper, Wagoner assumed command, chased by Dash runner-up finisher Matt Rogerson and Bobby Mincer. Only a couple of laps into the event, series points leader Kaley Gharst went for a wild ride down the back straightaway, rolling his No. 14P numerous times to bring out the red.
When racing resumed, Rogerson dove to the inside of the race leader to take over the lead. Rogerson led the field into lapped traffic just five laps later as he built his lead to half of a straightaway.
Methodically working his way through the backmarkers, Rogerson extended his advantage to a straightaway margin just past the midway point. Rogerson then cruised to the victory in impressive fashion.
Starting toward the back of the pack, Joey Mohahn made an impressive run through the field to nip Wagoner at the line for second.
In the 12-lap Mod Lite feature, pole-sitter Darrin Norton held the early advantage. His time out front was limited, however, as Justin Buchholz dove to the inside of him for the lead following a lap one restart.
The pair battled for the lead throughout a quartet of early cautions before Buchholz pulled away to the impressive win. Norton ran second, a dozen car-lengths behind the race winner, and Todd Hansen came home third.
A missed shift couldn't slow down T.J. Garrison as he scored the victory in the 4-Cylinder feature. A trio of cautions in the early stages of the 12-lap event kept the field close together and made for a good battle between Garrison and Wayne Noble. Garrison held the point following a lap three restart, however he missed a shift when racing resumed, allowing a half-dozen cars to pass him before getting back up to speed.
Garrison quickly rebounded and worked his way back into second, behind Noble, after only one circuit. Working the low groove, Garrison made his way past Noble two laps later en route to the win. Noble and Travis Yakle completed the top three.
Although this was only my second-ever visit to the speedway (both this season), I've heard nothing but good things about the time and effort the new promoters have put into the facility in Columbus Junction, not to mention the money that has gone into improvements. Don and Sharon Wood and Brian and Amanda Tipps have done a remarkable job thus far and have dedicated themselves to their duties as promoters.
While you hear of some tracks that simply "put on races," the folks at CJ are definitely into the promoting business as evidenced by their desire to get kids involved in the fun at the speedway. Last night, for instance, the Lil' Racer Car Club had a number of activities for the young race fans to enjoy. Along with being offered free rides around the track before the races with the 4 Cylinder drivers, gunny sack races were held during intermission and free ice cream was available in the concession area.
Last night's events did run a little long due to the time taken to water in attempt to keep the dust down on the dry surface. A couple of wild flips in the Sprint races also slowed down the show a little bit, however that tends to happen when the cars are going at speeds they were seeing last night. Despite those delays, I'm certain things will come together a little more smoothly as the season continues on. One positive note, the track, aside from being dry, was in excellent shape.
It was also nice to chat with I.M.C.A. Stock Car driver Travis Finke, who was in attendance last night. Since the Stock Cars had the night off, Travis was watching from the grandstands with family and friends. He also had a lot of good things to say about the speedway under the direction of the new promoters. There was some excitement in his voice as we talked about the potential of his hometown track.
Tonight, weather permitting, we hope to be back in action at Independence Motor Speedway after two weeks off. As I write this blog at home in Waterloo, a pretty decent rain shower just passed through the area. I did, however, receive a message from promoter Cam Granger who said the track (20 miles due east of Waterloo) has yet to see any rainfall today.
The Sprint Invaders were joined by the Mod Lites and 4 Cylnders to kick off the Memorial Day holiday weekend on the 4/10-mile oval.
Twenty-three Sprints signed in to compete for the second series event of the season. Following three qualifying heat races in which the top two from each event earned a starting position in the six-lap Shake-Up Pole Dash, Ben Wagoner earned his first-ever pole position start in series competition by virtue of the Dash win.
Wagoner started the Dash outside of the first row and walked away from the field to score the victory. Following the event, he rolled the dice, literally, on the front straightaway to determine his starting spot in the 20-lap A-Main. Rolling a "one," Wagoner preserved his pole start for the feature.
At the start of the 20-lapper, Wagoner assumed command, chased by Dash runner-up finisher Matt Rogerson and Bobby Mincer. Only a couple of laps into the event, series points leader Kaley Gharst went for a wild ride down the back straightaway, rolling his No. 14P numerous times to bring out the red.
When racing resumed, Rogerson dove to the inside of the race leader to take over the lead. Rogerson led the field into lapped traffic just five laps later as he built his lead to half of a straightaway.
Methodically working his way through the backmarkers, Rogerson extended his advantage to a straightaway margin just past the midway point. Rogerson then cruised to the victory in impressive fashion.
Starting toward the back of the pack, Joey Mohahn made an impressive run through the field to nip Wagoner at the line for second.
In the 12-lap Mod Lite feature, pole-sitter Darrin Norton held the early advantage. His time out front was limited, however, as Justin Buchholz dove to the inside of him for the lead following a lap one restart.
The pair battled for the lead throughout a quartet of early cautions before Buchholz pulled away to the impressive win. Norton ran second, a dozen car-lengths behind the race winner, and Todd Hansen came home third.
A missed shift couldn't slow down T.J. Garrison as he scored the victory in the 4-Cylinder feature. A trio of cautions in the early stages of the 12-lap event kept the field close together and made for a good battle between Garrison and Wayne Noble. Garrison held the point following a lap three restart, however he missed a shift when racing resumed, allowing a half-dozen cars to pass him before getting back up to speed.
Garrison quickly rebounded and worked his way back into second, behind Noble, after only one circuit. Working the low groove, Garrison made his way past Noble two laps later en route to the win. Noble and Travis Yakle completed the top three.
Although this was only my second-ever visit to the speedway (both this season), I've heard nothing but good things about the time and effort the new promoters have put into the facility in Columbus Junction, not to mention the money that has gone into improvements. Don and Sharon Wood and Brian and Amanda Tipps have done a remarkable job thus far and have dedicated themselves to their duties as promoters.
While you hear of some tracks that simply "put on races," the folks at CJ are definitely into the promoting business as evidenced by their desire to get kids involved in the fun at the speedway. Last night, for instance, the Lil' Racer Car Club had a number of activities for the young race fans to enjoy. Along with being offered free rides around the track before the races with the 4 Cylinder drivers, gunny sack races were held during intermission and free ice cream was available in the concession area.
Last night's events did run a little long due to the time taken to water in attempt to keep the dust down on the dry surface. A couple of wild flips in the Sprint races also slowed down the show a little bit, however that tends to happen when the cars are going at speeds they were seeing last night. Despite those delays, I'm certain things will come together a little more smoothly as the season continues on. One positive note, the track, aside from being dry, was in excellent shape.
It was also nice to chat with I.M.C.A. Stock Car driver Travis Finke, who was in attendance last night. Since the Stock Cars had the night off, Travis was watching from the grandstands with family and friends. He also had a lot of good things to say about the speedway under the direction of the new promoters. There was some excitement in his voice as we talked about the potential of his hometown track.
Tonight, weather permitting, we hope to be back in action at Independence Motor Speedway after two weeks off. As I write this blog at home in Waterloo, a pretty decent rain shower just passed through the area. I did, however, receive a message from promoter Cam Granger who said the track (20 miles due east of Waterloo) has yet to see any rainfall today.
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