IMCA Modified driver Shawn Fisher got a late start on 2010 as his first apperance of the season didn't come until early July. In a thrilling nightcap, Fisher made it known he was back Sunday night at Benton County Speedway. Fisher, who chased leader Patrick Flannagan throughout much of the 20-lap feature, edged Flannagan and hard-charging Joe Docekal by a nose in a three-wide battle at the line to score his first win of the year.
The 16-car event started out in scary fashion as Jerry Luloff barrel-rolled his car entering turn three on the first lap. Luloff, who was in a three-wide battle with Scott Hogan and Docekal, wheel-hopped Hogan's #33D, which sent him airborn and sideways as the trio entered the third turn. When it landed, Luloff's #18 dug in to the track and violently rolled before coming to a rest on its wheels. While many may exaggerate how many times a car goes over in these situations, Luloff rolled, and I'm talking complete rolls, a minimum of four times before finally resting in the middle of the turns. Although his car suffered heavy damage, he was able to walk away from the incident.
When racing resumed, Flannagan worked the low side of the lightning-fast 1/4-mile oval from his second row starting spot. He ducked beneath pole-sitter Johnathan Thimmesch to inch ahead at the line to lead lap one. Flannagan continued to show the way as Fisher passed Thimmesch for second just prior to the race's second and final stoppage one lap later.
On the restart, Flannagan held the point as Fisher tried both high and low to make his way around the leader. As those two started distancing themselves from the pack, Docekal was working his way through traffic from a seventh row starting spot. As Fisher pulled alongside Flannagan to challenge for the lead at the midway point, Docekal worked beneath Johnathan Thimmesch to position himself in the top five.
Flannagan held onto the lead as Fisher settled in behind him once more while Docekal worked into the top four just two laps later. Over half of a straightaway behind the battling leaders when he slipped beneath Tony Olson for third with just three laps to go, Docekal quickly ran down the top two.
With Fisher working up high and Flannagan down low, Docekal pulled onto their rear bumpers with a single lap remaining. Fisher took a slight edge over Flannagan into turn three of the final lap as Docekal powered beneath both of them. The leaders exited turn four in three-wide formation with Fisher taking the checkers first by half of a car-length. Flannagan held on by a nose for second.
IMCA Modified
1. 25 Shawn Fisher
2. F7 Patrick Flannagan
3. 12D Joe Docekal
4. T23 Tony Olson
5. 85 Johnathan Thimmesch
6. 10K Ronn Lauritzen
7. 41P Keith Pittman
8. 27M Mark Schulte
9. 17 Brian Krall
10. 5 Jerry Dedrick
A first-time winner graced victory lane in the IMCA Stock Cars as Brett Mather scored his first career win in the division. Driving to the win from his outside front row starting spot, however, was anything but easy for the veteran driver.
Mather took command at the drop of the green flag while Curtis Roster gave chase. Damon Murty, who started in the fifth row, made quick work of the field, blowing past them on the low side before settling into third only two laps into the event.
Mather extended his lead to half of a straightaway before Murty snuck past Roster six laps into the 15-lap event. Murty attempted to run down the leader and received some help when the caution flag waved on lap 11. On the restart, however, Mather ran the low line to perfection and denied Murty's challenges. One final caution waved on lap 13 to set up a two-lap dash to the checkers.
On the restart, Mather gave Murty just enough room to sneak beneath him. Mather held on to the point as Murty lost his line on the white flag lap, allowing Phil Holtz and Justin Temeyer to pass. Mather led the field off turn four to drive to his first win ahead of Holtz and Temeyer. Paul Shepherd worked the outside line to nip Murty at the line for fourth.
IMCA Stock Car
1. 09M Brett Mather
2. 7H Phil Holtz
3. 56T Justin Temeyer
4. 31S Paul Shepherd
5. 99D Damon Murty
6. 8 Curtis Roster
7. 9E Austin Evens
8. 15 Norman Chesmore
9. 22K Kevin Rose
10. G1 Mike Padden
In the IMCA Hobby Stock division, Doug Laughridge assumed command at the drop of the green in that 15-lap feature. He worked the high side and paced the field for three laps before Josh Burrell made his way to the front on lap four. Just prior to a lap five caution, August Bach slide beneath both drivers to assume command.
Running the high side, Bach continued to lead the pack while points leader Scott Pippert was making some noise in a brand new race car. Pippert, who started in row five, worked into the top four prior to the lap five caution, then made his way into a challenge for the lead a couple of laps later. Pippert swept beneath Bach just past the midway point to drive to the victory. Brad Forbes made a late push to come home second ahead of Matt Brown. Vince Buchholz, who started last in the 19-car field, raced to a fourth place finish.
IMCA Hobby Stock
1. 47 Scott Pippert
2. 09 Brad Forbes
3. 78 Matt Brown
4. 55 Vince Buchholz
5. 17K Kyle Parizek
6. 19X August Bach
7. 12J Jeremy Floyd
8. 11 Al Sweerin
9. 4JR Russel Damme Jr.
10. 77 Rod Grother
Brett Vanous held the early lead in the 12-lap IMCA Sport Compact feature. He extended his advantage while Gary Peiffer was making his way through the field after starting in the fifth row. Peiffer worked into second a handful of laps into the event, just prior to a lap six caution.
Two laps after racing resumed, Peiffer worked beneath Vanous to steal the lead as the points leader cruised to victory lane. Nathan Chandler, who suffered mechanical problems in his heat and borrowed the car of Brad Chandler for the feature to remain in the points chase, finished second after starting last in the 17-car field.
IMCA Sport Compact
1. 36DD Gary Peiffer
2. 22 Nathan Chandler
3. 35 Brett Vanous
4. 00W Bill Whalen Jr.
5. 2P Cale Peterson
6. 52 Jamie Witham
7. 45 Justin Wacha
8. 33H Duane Herb
9. 07 Joe Goodenbauer
10. 16 Todd Ness
The IMCA SportMod feature provided some of the best action of the evening, despite the fact that it timed out after 12 of 15 laps. While all of the divisions offered consistent two, three and even four-wide racing throughout the night, the SportMods offered (albeit briefly) five, yes, FIVE-wide action at one point in that event.
Kyle Olson held the lead at the drop of the green and survived a trio of restarts before two laps were in the books. On the second restart, a number of cars were bunched together in turn four and, for a moment, went five-wide exiting the corner. Yeah, you can just imagine how all that turned out.
Following another stoppage (a short time later), Olson led the field to green once more. Kurt Hogan settled into the second spot until contact from his competitors while racing three-wide forced him into a spin and an early exit.
Following that caution, Olson continued to pace the field as Drew Fish made his way into a challenge for the lead after starting in the fifth row. Fish worked past Olson on lap six as Austin Kaplan entered the mix out front, following Fish to the front. Danny Dvorak made it a three-car battle as he worked the low side of Kaplan.
Running the high side, Kaplan pulled even with Fish before the yellow flag waved once more on lap eight. Fish, who held the lead by a nose before the yellow flag waved, restarted out front. He continued to work low as Kaplan went back to the top side. Although Kaplan applied persistent pressure throughout the remainder of the event, his efforts were cut short when the race timed out during a lap 12 caution, leaving Fish in victory lane. Kaplan ran second ahead of Olson, who made his way back by Dvorak to take third.
IMCA SportMod
1. 3D Drew Fish
2. 1 Austin Kaplan
3. K3 Kyle Olson
4. 3R Danny Dvorak
5. 00 Jim Buhlman
6. 18J Jake Strayer
7. 95 Mike McDonald
8. 3B Brian Anderson
9. 08 Bryan Rodman
10. 18S Doug Smith
It was a wildly entertaining night in Vinton on a track that was so smooth and fast, it may have actually been too fast at times. Thanks to Mick and crew for another great night of racing on the 1/4-mile. And, Mick, I hope this midnight blog works out better for you than the 5 a.m. blog from Independence. The hours I keep may be late at times, but your days start way too early for me! Weekly racing continues in Vinton next Sunday night before taking a week off during the IMCA Super Nationals. Season championships in Vinton are scheduled for the Sunday following Super Nationals on September 19.
Unless I get the urge to travel to Marshalltown Speedway on Tuesday for the USMTS event, my next race will be Thursday at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison. USMTS action will be on the schedule in Allison that night for the track's season finale.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Droste drives to first-ever IMCA SportMod win on championship night at Independence
Growing up, my junior bowling coach used to tell me something that has stuck with me through the years. Always speaking words of encouragement, he'd say, "Pick up your spares and the strikes will come." To a kid, it sounded like someone trying to sugar-coat the fact that I just missed the 1-3 pocket. In reality, it was someone saying that you need to practice, work on your game, be patient, take what you can get when you can get it and success will eventually become yours. On season championship night at Independence Motor Speedway, Tyler Droste threw a strike, bringing the crowd to its feet as the 14-year-old earned his first career IMCA SportMod victory.
Droste, a third generation driver - the son of IMCA Modified champion Steve Droste and grandson of Late Model legend Red Droste - made a last lap pass to earn a win that will go down as one of the greatest championship night memories in the rich 46-year history of the speedway.
Outside front row starter Josh Sherbon, and winner of four of the last five SportMod features at Independence, paced the field when the green flag waved. Points leader Austin Kaplan and Danny Dvorak gave chase while Droste worked from a fourth row starting spot. With Sherbon in control of the event, Droste worked into the top five by the fifth circuit, then settled into fourth as Kaplan tangled with a lapped car on the 11th lap to bring out the caution flag.
Sherbon led the pack when racing resumed with Dvorak in second and Droste in third after Kaplan was sent to the tail for his involvement in the caution. Droste quickly worked past Dvorak and remained in the second spot until the final caution flag waved on the 16th of 20 laps.
When the race restarted for the final time, Sherbon again held serve with Droste in tow, challenging on the low side. The top two remained unchanged until turn four of the final lap when Sherbon drifted high, allowing Droste to pull even with the leader. In a drag race to the checkers, Droste inched ahead at the line to score the victory. Chris Luloff came from an eighth row start to finish third ahead of Jim Buhlman. Kaplan raced through the pack to salvage a fifth place finish. By simply taking the green flag in the event, Kaplan locked up the track points title.
In the IMCA Stock Car division, points leader Jarod Weepie chased fellow front-row starter Sean Johnson after the drop of the green in that 15-lap event. Weepie made his way past Johnson for the lead on the third lap with Brian Irvine on his rear bumper, chasing him to the front.
With Weepie out front and Irvine close behind, Dave Stricker and Johnson remained close as those four drivers broke away from the pack in single file formation. Irvine attempted to pass the leader using both the high and low grooves, however he was unsuccessful as Weepie drove to the win, his first of the year, to wrap up his fourth division crown. Irvine, Stricker, Johnson and Norman Chesmore chased Weepie to the checkers.
Outside front row starter Jamie Whitaker took the lead at the start of the 15-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Points leader Rod Grother settled into the second spot as a trio of cautions slowed the first half of the event.
Following the final restart on lap seven, Whitaker again shot into the lead while Justin Lichty worked through traffic from his fourth row starting spot. Lichty made his way into third one lap later, then passed Grother for second just two laps later. Lichty reeled in the rear bumper of Whitaker, but was unable to advance any further as Whitaker drove to his third win of the season. Lichty ran second ahead of Grother, who locked up his first division crown at Independence. Justin Stander and August Bach completed the top five.
When Jerry Luloff gave up his outside front row starting spot of the IMCA Modified feature in attempt to double his prize money by winning from the back of the pack, Darin Duffy inherited the outside pole position start. Duffy took advantage of the opportunity and motored into the lead when the green flag waved. Points leader Troy Cordes settled into second with Vern Jackson and Justin O'Brien in pursuit.
Duffy stretched his advantage to nearly a straightaway by the time he encountered lapped traffic at the midway point of the 25-lapper. Duffy dealt with the backmarkers for only a couple of laps before the caution flag waved on lap 15.
When racing resumed, Adam Johnson rocketed from the fifth position around Jackson and O'Brien then pulled alongside Cordes by the time the field entered turns three and four. Johnson took over second one lap later as Duffy again powered away from his competitors.
O'Brien went to work on the low groove, making his way around Cordes and into a challenge for second with Johnson with only a handful of laps remaining. O'Brien inched ahead just before the final yellow flag waved on lap 21. On the restart, Duffy held off O'Brien's challenges to score the victory, the 36th of his career at Independence, ahead of O'Brien and Johnson. J.D. Auringer and Jackson rounded out the top five. By taking the green flag in the feature, Troy Cordes locked up his third career Modified title at Indee and his second in the last three seasons.
Points leader and pole-sitter Tyler Bruening took the early lead in the IMCA Late Model feature with Darren Ackerman in tow. The leaders quickly separated themselves while Dale Hackwell Jr. worked the low line into third from his third row start. The top three remained unchanged until mechanical problems brought Hackwell's #145 to a stop on the back straightaway to force a caution on lap 12.
When racing resumed, Bruening again took charge with Ackerman close behind. Bruening extended his advantage once more as he approached backmarkers on lap 20. At that time, the caution waved again, leaving Bruening with a clear track ahead of him on the restart. Bruening survived another caution late in the race to earn his second feature win of the season, locking up his first career track championship in the process. Ackerman ran second at the line. Greg Kastli, who, like Luloff in the Modifieds, took the challenge and started the event from the back of the pack, made an impressive run through the field to finish third. Luke Merfeld, who was 18th on the starting grid, raced to a fourth place finish ahead of Jon Passick.
Also present were a handful of Nostalgia cars, many of which were replicas of past competitors at the speedway. Jim Clayton took the win in that 10-lapper driving a 1971 Mustang. Jamie Huff, driving a 1966 Ford Fairlane, a Darrell Dake replica, finished second. Dan Beer, driving an Ed Sanger replica 1970 Camaro, ran third.
Along with the racing action, Karsyn's Krusaders was celebrating its first year at the speedway. It was one year ago when their crusade to "Kick Cancer's Butt" began at Independence. Five cancer survivors were invited to wave the green flag to get the championship features underway. Joining flagman Dan Hilby in the flagstand to throw the green were Cam Wilson, age four, a leukemia survivor; Wendy Irvine, wife of Stock Car driver Brian Irvine, a lymphoma survivor; Rick Studebaker, a lung cancer survivor; Ryan Young, a leukemia survivor, and five-year-old Karsyn Miller herself, a survivor of leukemia.
In addition, Doug Cue of Superior Cleaning Service, Dick and Erlene Pint of Pint Excavation and Dick and Suzy Curry of Independence Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, sponsored a candy dash for over 250 kids in attendance.
Without a doubt, it was the most action-packed and entertaining season championship night of racing I've attended anywhere. With a jam-packed grandstand and a beautiful night for racing, it was the perfect way to conclude the 2010 season. Thank you to all of the drivers, crews, sponsors and fans for another successful season at Independence!
While weekly racing may be done at Independence, I've been working on a slew of new numbers and other information to provide here at positivelyracing.com. Along with a season-ending Stats Blitz sometime in the coming week, also be on the look-out for a composite list of weekly capsules and recaps from the 2010 season. It will include driver milestones and track records that were set in 2010 presented "as they happened" throughout the course of the season. I anticipate that will be posted sometime Monday night followed by the final Stats Blitz later on in the week.
Saturday night was my 50th race night of the season and I plan for night 51 to be at Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Sunday as three weekly points races remain on its 2010 schedule.
Droste, a third generation driver - the son of IMCA Modified champion Steve Droste and grandson of Late Model legend Red Droste - made a last lap pass to earn a win that will go down as one of the greatest championship night memories in the rich 46-year history of the speedway.
Outside front row starter Josh Sherbon, and winner of four of the last five SportMod features at Independence, paced the field when the green flag waved. Points leader Austin Kaplan and Danny Dvorak gave chase while Droste worked from a fourth row starting spot. With Sherbon in control of the event, Droste worked into the top five by the fifth circuit, then settled into fourth as Kaplan tangled with a lapped car on the 11th lap to bring out the caution flag.
Sherbon led the pack when racing resumed with Dvorak in second and Droste in third after Kaplan was sent to the tail for his involvement in the caution. Droste quickly worked past Dvorak and remained in the second spot until the final caution flag waved on the 16th of 20 laps.
When the race restarted for the final time, Sherbon again held serve with Droste in tow, challenging on the low side. The top two remained unchanged until turn four of the final lap when Sherbon drifted high, allowing Droste to pull even with the leader. In a drag race to the checkers, Droste inched ahead at the line to score the victory. Chris Luloff came from an eighth row start to finish third ahead of Jim Buhlman. Kaplan raced through the pack to salvage a fifth place finish. By simply taking the green flag in the event, Kaplan locked up the track points title.
Fourteen-year-old Tyler Droste earned his first-ever win in the IMCA SportMod division. Droste became the third straight different championship night winner in the division. Independence Motor Speedway promoter Cam Granger presents Droste with the trophy and checkered flag. (all photos courtesy of Scott Tjabring/ Action Track Photography/ http://www.actiontrackphotos.com/)
Austin Kaplan (1) drove to the IMCA SportMod track championship at Independence.
With Weepie out front and Irvine close behind, Dave Stricker and Johnson remained close as those four drivers broke away from the pack in single file formation. Irvine attempted to pass the leader using both the high and low grooves, however he was unsuccessful as Weepie drove to the win, his first of the year, to wrap up his fourth division crown. Irvine, Stricker, Johnson and Norman Chesmore chased Weepie to the checkers.
Jarod Weepie assured himself of his fourth IMCA Stock Car points championship in six years by scoring the feature win on championship night, his only win of the season. He became the first driver in over 30 years at the speedway to win a track championship after winning only the season championship feature. Ironically, it was also the first time Weepie won on championship night during a year he won the track title.
Following the final restart on lap seven, Whitaker again shot into the lead while Justin Lichty worked through traffic from his fourth row starting spot. Lichty made his way into third one lap later, then passed Grother for second just two laps later. Lichty reeled in the rear bumper of Whitaker, but was unable to advance any further as Whitaker drove to his third win of the season. Lichty ran second ahead of Grother, who locked up his first division crown at Independence. Justin Stander and August Bach completed the top five.
Jamie Whitaker's third IMCA Hobby Stock win of the season came during season championship action.
Rod Grother gets a shower of soda after clinching his first IMCA Hobby Stock track championship. Grother became the 20th different track champion in the Hobby Stocks in the 22 years the division has competed at Independence.
Duffy stretched his advantage to nearly a straightaway by the time he encountered lapped traffic at the midway point of the 25-lapper. Duffy dealt with the backmarkers for only a couple of laps before the caution flag waved on lap 15.
When racing resumed, Adam Johnson rocketed from the fifth position around Jackson and O'Brien then pulled alongside Cordes by the time the field entered turns three and four. Johnson took over second one lap later as Duffy again powered away from his competitors.
O'Brien went to work on the low groove, making his way around Cordes and into a challenge for second with Johnson with only a handful of laps remaining. O'Brien inched ahead just before the final yellow flag waved on lap 21. On the restart, Duffy held off O'Brien's challenges to score the victory, the 36th of his career at Independence, ahead of O'Brien and Johnson. J.D. Auringer and Jackson rounded out the top five. By taking the green flag in the feature, Troy Cordes locked up his third career Modified title at Indee and his second in the last three seasons.
Darin Duffy (19D) won the battle, but Troy Cordes (71) won the war... Duffy earned the IMCA Modified victory on championship night, while Cordes earned his third career track title in the division at Independence.
When racing resumed, Bruening again took charge with Ackerman close behind. Bruening extended his advantage once more as he approached backmarkers on lap 20. At that time, the caution waved again, leaving Bruening with a clear track ahead of him on the restart. Bruening survived another caution late in the race to earn his second feature win of the season, locking up his first career track championship in the process. Ackerman ran second at the line. Greg Kastli, who, like Luloff in the Modifieds, took the challenge and started the event from the back of the pack, made an impressive run through the field to finish third. Luke Merfeld, who was 18th on the starting grid, raced to a fourth place finish ahead of Jon Passick.
Tyler Bruening's second IMCA Late Model win of 2010 propelled him to his first career track championship.
Dan Beer drives a 1970 Camaro replica of Ed Sanger's ride during Nostalgia action at Independence.
Prior to feature action, cash dashes were held in all five weekly divisions. Rusty Horn, the son of longtime speedway supporter Bill Horn who died earlier this summer, offered $500 of bonus money for the special dash races. Joel Brasch (Late Models), Adam Johnson (Modifieds), Norman Chesmore (Stock Cars), Danny Dvorak (SportMods) and Quinton Miller (Hobby Stocks) each earned $100 in respective winner-take-all dashes in their divisions.
Along with the racing action, Karsyn's Krusaders was celebrating its first year at the speedway. It was one year ago when their crusade to "Kick Cancer's Butt" began at Independence. Five cancer survivors were invited to wave the green flag to get the championship features underway. Joining flagman Dan Hilby in the flagstand to throw the green were Cam Wilson, age four, a leukemia survivor; Wendy Irvine, wife of Stock Car driver Brian Irvine, a lymphoma survivor; Rick Studebaker, a lung cancer survivor; Ryan Young, a leukemia survivor, and five-year-old Karsyn Miller herself, a survivor of leukemia.
In addition, Doug Cue of Superior Cleaning Service, Dick and Erlene Pint of Pint Excavation and Dick and Suzy Curry of Independence Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, sponsored a candy dash for over 250 kids in attendance.
Without a doubt, it was the most action-packed and entertaining season championship night of racing I've attended anywhere. With a jam-packed grandstand and a beautiful night for racing, it was the perfect way to conclude the 2010 season. Thank you to all of the drivers, crews, sponsors and fans for another successful season at Independence!
While weekly racing may be done at Independence, I've been working on a slew of new numbers and other information to provide here at positivelyracing.com. Along with a season-ending Stats Blitz sometime in the coming week, also be on the look-out for a composite list of weekly capsules and recaps from the 2010 season. It will include driver milestones and track records that were set in 2010 presented "as they happened" throughout the course of the season. I anticipate that will be posted sometime Monday night followed by the final Stats Blitz later on in the week.
Saturday night was my 50th race night of the season and I plan for night 51 to be at Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Sunday as three weekly points races remain on its 2010 schedule.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Kurt Kile collects Corn Belt Clash cash at Highway 3 Raceway
Kurt Kile started outside of the front row, took charge at the drop of the green flag and led all 30 laps on his way to victory in Corn Belt Clash Late Model Series action at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison on August 26. Kile first fended off the challenges of Jason Rauen, then held a late-charging Chad Simpson at bay to take home the $2,000 top prize.
Kile assumed command from his outside front row start as he rocketed past his brother and polesitter, Kevin Kile, at the drop of the green. Jason Rauen, who started outside of row two, moved to the inside and made his way into second by the time the first caution flag waved on lap three. The yellow flag waved twice more in the 30-lapper, on laps seven and eight, with the top three remaining unchanged.
By the time the caution flag was put away for the night, series points leader Chad Simpson worked the low groove into the top five after starting 10th. On the final restart following the lap eight stoppage, Simpson went to work on the low side, making his way past Jake Meier a short time later for fourth. By lap 11, he made his way below Kevin Kile and settled into third.
Out front, Jason Rauen was working the low groove to challenge Kurt Kile for the lead, however Kile was too fast in the higher groove and held him off while Simpson closed on the lead pair. He reeled in the leaders as the top three broke away from the field just past the midway point of the race.
As the leaders dueled, Chris Simpaon was making noise of his own, racing from his eighth starting spot into fourth. After clearing Meier and Kevin Kile, he pulled to within five car-lengths of the lead trio with only 10 laps to go.
With only a handful of laps left, Chad Simpson cleared Rauen and set his sights on Kurt Kile as the leader came upon lapped traffic. Although Simpson closed on the leader and made a brief bid to his inside for the top spot, Kile held on for the victory by a few car-lengths at the line. Chris Simpson made his way past Rauen to finish third. Meier completed the top five.
Heat winners were Kevin Kile, Chad Simpson and Jason Rauen.
Corn Belt Clash
1. 77 Kurt Kile
2. 25 Chad Simpson
3. 32 Chris Simpson
4. 98 Jason Rauen
5. 20 Jake Meier
6. 88 Kevin Kile
7. 77A Jeff Aikey
8. 33 Nick Marolf
9. 85 John Kaanta
10. 31 Jason Utter
11. 3 Kevin Sather
12. 22 Jill George
13. 15C Curt Schroeder
14. 22M Charlie McKenna
15. 7 Dennis Hillson
16. 50 Denny Eckrich
17. 99D Darrel DeFrance
18. 33L Joe Ludemann
19. 15K Justin Kay
20. H2O Paul Watters
21. 60 Kevin Pittman (DNS)
In companion action, a pair of drivers continued their hot streaks at the speedway as Mike Van Genderen and Danny Sacquitne picked up wins in the Stock Car and Hobby Stock features, respectively.
For Van Genderen, it was his fourth straight win in the Stock Cars as he took the lead with only six laps remaining in that 15-lapper. When the green flag waved, it was pole-sitter Loren Kuennen sprinting into the lead. Van Genderen quickly made his way into second after starting in the second row.
Running the middle of the track, Kuennen paced the field throughout the first half of the event while Van Genderen attempted to get a run on his low side through the corners. Repeated attempts on Van Genderen's part failed throughout the first half of the race as Kuennen proved too fast off the corners.
While the leaders battled, Larry Portis closed the gap and appeared poised to challenge. Finally, however, on lap nine, Van Genderen went into turn one a little higher than he had done previously, then rocketed to the inside of the leader. He and Kuennen emerged from turn two in side-by-side formation with Van Genderen taking a slight advantage into turn three. He led the remainder of the event to take the victory. Portis ran third ahead of a late-charging Kevin Donlan in fourth. Shay Curtin completed the top five.
In the Hobby Stocks, Chris Hovden assumed the early command from his pole-position start. Dan Hovden and Danny Sacquitne, who both started in the second row, battled behind him for the second spot. The top three broke away from the pack and entered a three-car battle out front. Both Sacquitne and Dan Hovden reeled in the leader with only three laps to go as the trio went three-wide for the lead. Sacquitne inched ahead of his competitors to take the exciting win, his third straight at the speedway. Chris Hovden ran second and Dan Hovden finished third. Kyle Anderson, who entered the battle out front late in the event, raced to a fourth place finish.
Jimmy Broszeit led the entirety of the 15-lap B Mod headliner. From his outside pole starting spot, Broszeit took the lead at the drop of the green while Brandon Hare and Troy Hovden raced for second. Four stoppages slowed the middle stages of the event with Broszeit leading the way to the green flag on each restart and Hare and Hovden behind him.
Finally, Nate Whitehurst broke into the battle among the leaders with five laps remaining. His charge to the front, however, came up short as Broszeit led the event in its entirety to take the win. Hare worked past Whitehurst late to steal second. Kip Siems finished fourth ahead of Ryan Ashton, who dodged spinning cars in turn four on the final lap to come home fifth.
Blake Fosaaen took the early lead in the 4-Cylinder feature to drive to the win in that six-lapper. Irv Fosaaen came out on top in a battle with Adam Gates for second. Bill Whalen Jr. and Kelly Miller completed the top five.
H3R Notes: It was a good night of racing in Allison as the final checkered flag waved shortly after 9:30, despite a late start due to late arrivals for the weeknight show. The Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks opened the night's feature action and both events went caution-free. In fact, the first yellow flag to wave during the features came on the fifth lap of the B Mod feature - 32 straight laps of feature racing without a yellow. A total of 65 cars signed in to the pits and a few more folks were in the grandstands than the most recent two shows. That will almost certainly keep improving when the USMTS tour pays a visit next Thursday for the season finale at the speedway.
Chad Simpson locked up the points title of the Corn Belt Clash Series. His dominance in the series this past spring and earlier this summer is paying off in the later stages of the schedule as he does not even have to make the trip to Chateau Raceway tomorrow or Deer Crreek Speedway next weekend to be assured of the outright title. The battle for second, however, is still very much up for grabs. Jason Rauen currently leads Chris Simpson by only two points (1 position on the track) in the overall standings. While each driver's worst two showings are removed from the 15-race schedule toward the final points, both drivers are currently positioned to remove the same finishes from their overall points. If the season ended today, both Rauen and Chris Simpson would get to throw out a "0" and a "32" from their overall totals. That battle will undoubtedly be undecided until the final checkered flag waves next weekend.
Up next for me is season championship night at Independence this Saturday. Along with championship features in all five weekly divisions, a number of cash dashes are planned, along with a kids' candy dash and Legends cars. In addition, Karsyn's Krusaders will be celebrating its first full year and the final results of the season-long Fantasy Race Night of Champions will be revealed. The schedule is going to be loaded for one final night of weekly racing at Independence so be sure to stop out and say hi! Hope to see you there!
Kile assumed command from his outside front row start as he rocketed past his brother and polesitter, Kevin Kile, at the drop of the green. Jason Rauen, who started outside of row two, moved to the inside and made his way into second by the time the first caution flag waved on lap three. The yellow flag waved twice more in the 30-lapper, on laps seven and eight, with the top three remaining unchanged.
By the time the caution flag was put away for the night, series points leader Chad Simpson worked the low groove into the top five after starting 10th. On the final restart following the lap eight stoppage, Simpson went to work on the low side, making his way past Jake Meier a short time later for fourth. By lap 11, he made his way below Kevin Kile and settled into third.
Out front, Jason Rauen was working the low groove to challenge Kurt Kile for the lead, however Kile was too fast in the higher groove and held him off while Simpson closed on the lead pair. He reeled in the leaders as the top three broke away from the field just past the midway point of the race.
As the leaders dueled, Chris Simpaon was making noise of his own, racing from his eighth starting spot into fourth. After clearing Meier and Kevin Kile, he pulled to within five car-lengths of the lead trio with only 10 laps to go.
With only a handful of laps left, Chad Simpson cleared Rauen and set his sights on Kurt Kile as the leader came upon lapped traffic. Although Simpson closed on the leader and made a brief bid to his inside for the top spot, Kile held on for the victory by a few car-lengths at the line. Chris Simpson made his way past Rauen to finish third. Meier completed the top five.
Heat winners were Kevin Kile, Chad Simpson and Jason Rauen.
Corn Belt Clash
1. 77 Kurt Kile
2. 25 Chad Simpson
3. 32 Chris Simpson
4. 98 Jason Rauen
5. 20 Jake Meier
6. 88 Kevin Kile
7. 77A Jeff Aikey
8. 33 Nick Marolf
9. 85 John Kaanta
10. 31 Jason Utter
11. 3 Kevin Sather
12. 22 Jill George
13. 15C Curt Schroeder
14. 22M Charlie McKenna
15. 7 Dennis Hillson
16. 50 Denny Eckrich
17. 99D Darrel DeFrance
18. 33L Joe Ludemann
19. 15K Justin Kay
20. H2O Paul Watters
21. 60 Kevin Pittman (DNS)
In companion action, a pair of drivers continued their hot streaks at the speedway as Mike Van Genderen and Danny Sacquitne picked up wins in the Stock Car and Hobby Stock features, respectively.
For Van Genderen, it was his fourth straight win in the Stock Cars as he took the lead with only six laps remaining in that 15-lapper. When the green flag waved, it was pole-sitter Loren Kuennen sprinting into the lead. Van Genderen quickly made his way into second after starting in the second row.
Running the middle of the track, Kuennen paced the field throughout the first half of the event while Van Genderen attempted to get a run on his low side through the corners. Repeated attempts on Van Genderen's part failed throughout the first half of the race as Kuennen proved too fast off the corners.
While the leaders battled, Larry Portis closed the gap and appeared poised to challenge. Finally, however, on lap nine, Van Genderen went into turn one a little higher than he had done previously, then rocketed to the inside of the leader. He and Kuennen emerged from turn two in side-by-side formation with Van Genderen taking a slight advantage into turn three. He led the remainder of the event to take the victory. Portis ran third ahead of a late-charging Kevin Donlan in fourth. Shay Curtin completed the top five.
In the Hobby Stocks, Chris Hovden assumed the early command from his pole-position start. Dan Hovden and Danny Sacquitne, who both started in the second row, battled behind him for the second spot. The top three broke away from the pack and entered a three-car battle out front. Both Sacquitne and Dan Hovden reeled in the leader with only three laps to go as the trio went three-wide for the lead. Sacquitne inched ahead of his competitors to take the exciting win, his third straight at the speedway. Chris Hovden ran second and Dan Hovden finished third. Kyle Anderson, who entered the battle out front late in the event, raced to a fourth place finish.
Jimmy Broszeit led the entirety of the 15-lap B Mod headliner. From his outside pole starting spot, Broszeit took the lead at the drop of the green while Brandon Hare and Troy Hovden raced for second. Four stoppages slowed the middle stages of the event with Broszeit leading the way to the green flag on each restart and Hare and Hovden behind him.
Finally, Nate Whitehurst broke into the battle among the leaders with five laps remaining. His charge to the front, however, came up short as Broszeit led the event in its entirety to take the win. Hare worked past Whitehurst late to steal second. Kip Siems finished fourth ahead of Ryan Ashton, who dodged spinning cars in turn four on the final lap to come home fifth.
Blake Fosaaen took the early lead in the 4-Cylinder feature to drive to the win in that six-lapper. Irv Fosaaen came out on top in a battle with Adam Gates for second. Bill Whalen Jr. and Kelly Miller completed the top five.
H3R Notes: It was a good night of racing in Allison as the final checkered flag waved shortly after 9:30, despite a late start due to late arrivals for the weeknight show. The Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks opened the night's feature action and both events went caution-free. In fact, the first yellow flag to wave during the features came on the fifth lap of the B Mod feature - 32 straight laps of feature racing without a yellow. A total of 65 cars signed in to the pits and a few more folks were in the grandstands than the most recent two shows. That will almost certainly keep improving when the USMTS tour pays a visit next Thursday for the season finale at the speedway.
Chad Simpson locked up the points title of the Corn Belt Clash Series. His dominance in the series this past spring and earlier this summer is paying off in the later stages of the schedule as he does not even have to make the trip to Chateau Raceway tomorrow or Deer Crreek Speedway next weekend to be assured of the outright title. The battle for second, however, is still very much up for grabs. Jason Rauen currently leads Chris Simpson by only two points (1 position on the track) in the overall standings. While each driver's worst two showings are removed from the 15-race schedule toward the final points, both drivers are currently positioned to remove the same finishes from their overall points. If the season ended today, both Rauen and Chris Simpson would get to throw out a "0" and a "32" from their overall totals. That battle will undoubtedly be undecided until the final checkered flag waves next weekend.
Up next for me is season championship night at Independence this Saturday. Along with championship features in all five weekly divisions, a number of cash dashes are planned, along with a kids' candy dash and Legends cars. In addition, Karsyn's Krusaders will be celebrating its first full year and the final results of the season-long Fantasy Race Night of Champions will be revealed. The schedule is going to be loaded for one final night of weekly racing at Independence so be sure to stop out and say hi! Hope to see you there!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Aikey earns second Corn Belt Clash win of 2010 during visit to Cedar County Raceway
Jeff Aikey took over on the third lap, then ran away from the pack and hid in lapped traffic to earn his second Corn Belt Clash Late Model Series win of the year when the tour made its second appearance of the season at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton.
Pole-sitter Denny Eckrich paced the field for the first two laps while Aikey quickly made his way past Jason Rauen from his second row start. Working the low side, Aikey worked under the race leader on lap two as the two battled side-by-side before Aikey cleared for the lead one lap later.
Aikey remained glued to the tractor tires on the low side of the speedway while Eckrich went to work up high with Rauen in third and Kurt Kile fourth. The top four remained unchanged throughout the first half of the event as Aikey pulled away from the pack.
From a fourth row start, Justin Kay worked the high groove of the lightning fast, smooth, 1/4-mile oval. He made his way into the top five after the 10th of 35 laps while Aikey continued to extend his advantage.
Aikey built up nearly a straightaway lead by the time he encountered lapped traffic on the 12th circuit. He flawlessly made his way through the backmarkers leaving the field to do battle behind him. Kay, continuing to run up high, gained ground on the leaders as he made his way into the top three a handful of laps later.
With around 10 laps to go, Aikey was holding on to his straightaway lead as Kay swept to the outside of Eckrich for second. Kay securely took away that position, but was unable to chip away further at the leader's big margin as Aikey drove to the $2,000 win. Kay came home second ahead of Eckrich and Rauen. Series points leader Chad Simpson, who was unable to start his heat and was relegated to a 24th place starting spot, roared through the pack to come home fifth. For Aikey, it was his second series win in the last three events, his first coming last month at Fayette County Speedway in West Union.
Corn Belt Clash
1. 77A Jeff Aikey
2. 15K Justin Kay
3. 50 Denny Eckrich
4. 98 Jason Rauen
5. 25 Chad Simpson
6. 77 Kurt Kile
7. 32 Chris Simpson
8. 20 Jake Meier
9. 56 Andy Eckrich
10. 78 Dale Stolte
11. 38 Colby Springsteen
12. 31 Jason Utter
13. 58 Dave Eckrich
14. M2 Wayne Hora
15. 33 Nick Marolf
16. 60 Kevin Pittman
17. 74A Russ Adams
18. 5M Mike Fryer
19. 74 Ron Boyse
20. 18 Brian Beaudry
21. 69 Todd Hormel
22. 28X Justin Mitchell
23. 88 Kevin Kile
24. 4 Joe Dirks
A stellar field of 30 Modifieds signed in to do battle for the $700 top prize. Mark Schulte drew the #1 chip for the feature and took advantage of it to lead that 25-lapper from flag-to-flag.
From his pole position start, Schulte immediately went to work on the high side of the speedway as Bill Butteris gave chase. Dan Chapman and John Bull followed while local hotshoe Ryan Dolan worked the high groove from his third row start.
After just two laps, Dolan motored into second place and quickly worked to run down Schulte. Running the high line as well up until that point, Dolan was forced to work the low groove to get around the leader. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, Schulte pulled away to score the victory.
Numerous terrific battles for position behind the leader were common throughout the 25-lap event. Mike Burbridge, who started alongside Dolan, was the lone driver willing to try the low groove early on. Those efforts proved successful as he crossed the line third behind Dolan. Dan Chapman, who ran both high and low throughout the event, came home fourth ahead of Steve Stewart.
Modified (top 10)
1. 27M Mark Schulte
2. 7 Ryan Dolan
3. 11B Mike Burbridge
4. 1 Dan Chapman
5. 17 Steve Stewart
6. 27 John Bull
7. 61 Bruce Hanford
8. 2B Bill Butteris
9. 26 Scott Fridley
10. 61C Noah Coppess
Brad Chandler took charge of the 19-car 4-Cylinder feature just prior to a lap three caution to drive to victory in that 12-lapper. From his second row starting spot, Chandler worked beneath leader Steve Miedke to assume command early on his way to the dominant win. Jarrod McMichael raced through the field and into the second spot with only a handful of laps remaining to take second ahead of Nathan Chandler.
4 -Cylinder (top 10)
1. 2 Brad Chandler
2. 5 Jarrod McMichael
3. 22 Nathan Chandler
4. 8 Chuck Hanson
5. 11R Steve Miedke
6. 6 Brannon Bechen
7. 72 Jacob Ellithorpe
8. 33D Darren Hartman
9. 52 Jamie Witham
10. 17 Mitchell Bielenberg
It was a great night of racing at CCR, my first visit there since the spring of 2002. The track was one of the smoothest and fastest I've seen anywhere all summer, which provided for outstanding racing all night.
While Aikey was the big winner of the night, Chad Simpson proved why he's been the man to beat in the series this year. Simpson, who was not only unable to start his heat due to mechanical problems, briefly left the track during a first-lap caution of the Late Model feature. It was the first night behind the wheel of a new car for Simpson, who is closing in on his first CBC series title.
Denny Eckrich's night may have been determined by the thrilling finish of his heat. Eckrich, who was running fifth in the late stages of that event, squeeked by brother Andy at the line to steal one of the four redraw spots. He then received the pole position start for the feature after the "1" was the lone remaining number in the bag at the end of the redraw. Andy, who missed out on the redraw, started the Late Model feature in 15th.
There were six drivers making their first Corn Belt appearances this season. Russ Adams, Todd Hormel, Dale Stolte and Colby Springsteen were among the newcomers. Other newcomers included Wayne Hora, who is normally seen driving a Street Stock around the Tipton oval, and Kevin Pittman, who was piloting the #60 normally driven by Dean Wagner. For Pittman, it was his first time behind the wheel of a Late Model in many years. He indicated he hadn't driven in that division since his track championship run at Independence... in 1998.
Thank you to Al and Kathy Dlouhy for being exceptional hosts and putting on a well-run, efficient mid-week show. While hot laps didn't start until the 7 p.m. hour, the final checkered flag waved just after 9:30.
The series continues its three-day swing on Thursday night at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison. If the cards fall in the right direction, Simpson may lock up the series title despite two races remaining on its schedule. The third and final race of the three consecutive nights of racing for the CBC boys will be Friday at Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minnesota. It wraps up in September at Deer Creek Speedway.
While I won't make it to Friday's show, I will be calling the action in Allison on Thursday night. Come on up to see the final appearance for the Late Models this season on the fast 1/2-mile. A full report will be right here at positivelyracing.com early Friday morning.
Pole-sitter Denny Eckrich paced the field for the first two laps while Aikey quickly made his way past Jason Rauen from his second row start. Working the low side, Aikey worked under the race leader on lap two as the two battled side-by-side before Aikey cleared for the lead one lap later.
Aikey remained glued to the tractor tires on the low side of the speedway while Eckrich went to work up high with Rauen in third and Kurt Kile fourth. The top four remained unchanged throughout the first half of the event as Aikey pulled away from the pack.
From a fourth row start, Justin Kay worked the high groove of the lightning fast, smooth, 1/4-mile oval. He made his way into the top five after the 10th of 35 laps while Aikey continued to extend his advantage.
Aikey built up nearly a straightaway lead by the time he encountered lapped traffic on the 12th circuit. He flawlessly made his way through the backmarkers leaving the field to do battle behind him. Kay, continuing to run up high, gained ground on the leaders as he made his way into the top three a handful of laps later.
With around 10 laps to go, Aikey was holding on to his straightaway lead as Kay swept to the outside of Eckrich for second. Kay securely took away that position, but was unable to chip away further at the leader's big margin as Aikey drove to the $2,000 win. Kay came home second ahead of Eckrich and Rauen. Series points leader Chad Simpson, who was unable to start his heat and was relegated to a 24th place starting spot, roared through the pack to come home fifth. For Aikey, it was his second series win in the last three events, his first coming last month at Fayette County Speedway in West Union.
Corn Belt Clash
1. 77A Jeff Aikey
2. 15K Justin Kay
3. 50 Denny Eckrich
4. 98 Jason Rauen
5. 25 Chad Simpson
6. 77 Kurt Kile
7. 32 Chris Simpson
8. 20 Jake Meier
9. 56 Andy Eckrich
10. 78 Dale Stolte
11. 38 Colby Springsteen
12. 31 Jason Utter
13. 58 Dave Eckrich
14. M2 Wayne Hora
15. 33 Nick Marolf
16. 60 Kevin Pittman
17. 74A Russ Adams
18. 5M Mike Fryer
19. 74 Ron Boyse
20. 18 Brian Beaudry
21. 69 Todd Hormel
22. 28X Justin Mitchell
23. 88 Kevin Kile
24. 4 Joe Dirks
A stellar field of 30 Modifieds signed in to do battle for the $700 top prize. Mark Schulte drew the #1 chip for the feature and took advantage of it to lead that 25-lapper from flag-to-flag.
From his pole position start, Schulte immediately went to work on the high side of the speedway as Bill Butteris gave chase. Dan Chapman and John Bull followed while local hotshoe Ryan Dolan worked the high groove from his third row start.
After just two laps, Dolan motored into second place and quickly worked to run down Schulte. Running the high line as well up until that point, Dolan was forced to work the low groove to get around the leader. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, Schulte pulled away to score the victory.
Numerous terrific battles for position behind the leader were common throughout the 25-lap event. Mike Burbridge, who started alongside Dolan, was the lone driver willing to try the low groove early on. Those efforts proved successful as he crossed the line third behind Dolan. Dan Chapman, who ran both high and low throughout the event, came home fourth ahead of Steve Stewart.
Modified (top 10)
1. 27M Mark Schulte
2. 7 Ryan Dolan
3. 11B Mike Burbridge
4. 1 Dan Chapman
5. 17 Steve Stewart
6. 27 John Bull
7. 61 Bruce Hanford
8. 2B Bill Butteris
9. 26 Scott Fridley
10. 61C Noah Coppess
Brad Chandler took charge of the 19-car 4-Cylinder feature just prior to a lap three caution to drive to victory in that 12-lapper. From his second row starting spot, Chandler worked beneath leader Steve Miedke to assume command early on his way to the dominant win. Jarrod McMichael raced through the field and into the second spot with only a handful of laps remaining to take second ahead of Nathan Chandler.
4 -Cylinder (top 10)
1. 2 Brad Chandler
2. 5 Jarrod McMichael
3. 22 Nathan Chandler
4. 8 Chuck Hanson
5. 11R Steve Miedke
6. 6 Brannon Bechen
7. 72 Jacob Ellithorpe
8. 33D Darren Hartman
9. 52 Jamie Witham
10. 17 Mitchell Bielenberg
It was a great night of racing at CCR, my first visit there since the spring of 2002. The track was one of the smoothest and fastest I've seen anywhere all summer, which provided for outstanding racing all night.
While Aikey was the big winner of the night, Chad Simpson proved why he's been the man to beat in the series this year. Simpson, who was not only unable to start his heat due to mechanical problems, briefly left the track during a first-lap caution of the Late Model feature. It was the first night behind the wheel of a new car for Simpson, who is closing in on his first CBC series title.
Denny Eckrich's night may have been determined by the thrilling finish of his heat. Eckrich, who was running fifth in the late stages of that event, squeeked by brother Andy at the line to steal one of the four redraw spots. He then received the pole position start for the feature after the "1" was the lone remaining number in the bag at the end of the redraw. Andy, who missed out on the redraw, started the Late Model feature in 15th.
There were six drivers making their first Corn Belt appearances this season. Russ Adams, Todd Hormel, Dale Stolte and Colby Springsteen were among the newcomers. Other newcomers included Wayne Hora, who is normally seen driving a Street Stock around the Tipton oval, and Kevin Pittman, who was piloting the #60 normally driven by Dean Wagner. For Pittman, it was his first time behind the wheel of a Late Model in many years. He indicated he hadn't driven in that division since his track championship run at Independence... in 1998.
Thank you to Al and Kathy Dlouhy for being exceptional hosts and putting on a well-run, efficient mid-week show. While hot laps didn't start until the 7 p.m. hour, the final checkered flag waved just after 9:30.
The series continues its three-day swing on Thursday night at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison. If the cards fall in the right direction, Simpson may lock up the series title despite two races remaining on its schedule. The third and final race of the three consecutive nights of racing for the CBC boys will be Friday at Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minnesota. It wraps up in September at Deer Creek Speedway.
While I won't make it to Friday's show, I will be calling the action in Allison on Thursday night. Come on up to see the final appearance for the Late Models this season on the fast 1/2-mile. A full report will be right here at positivelyracing.com early Friday morning.
Monday, August 23, 2010
How many times does 124 go into 209?
While chatting with IMCA Modified driver Joe Docekal following his feature win in Vinton last night, in so many words he referred to me as his good luck charm this season. Well, not really, but he did say he thought I was in Vinton for each of his three feature wins this season. Since they were the first three wins of his career in the division, I think he was going to promote me to mascot status for his racing team.
That got me thinking. I know... dangerous. No, not what costume was he going to put me in during his travels around eastern Iowa for the rest of the season, rather how many different drivers have I seen win features this season? How many wins does each of those drivers have?
Of course, realizing I not only wanted to know this, but needed to know this given my very troubling desire to eat, sleep and breathe numbers, I decided to talk to my friend Excel and figure up exactly what I've seen so far this summer.
In the end, I determined I've seen 209 feature races that produced 124 different winners through 47 nights of racing. That means I have seen a lot of different faces in victory lane. In fact, 78 of the names below are one-time winners. Mr. Kaplan, you're in rare company and just plain fast no matter where I go. Those winners and the divisions in which they compete, along with the number of features I've seen them win in 2010, follow below. Keep in mind, some drivers run multiple tracks that run similar divisions under different/no sanction and different names. The division listed with each driver is the division in which he was competing the night I witnessed his first win (to me) this season. So, all of you Sport Compacts/4-Cylinders/Wild Things/Hornets and the like may or may not appear here, but we still know who you are.
By the way, Joe, you'll notice I wasn't there for all three. In fact, I missed your first career win. Apparently, you needed me to be far away to get the ball rolling. Now, we just need to give a kickstart to that Hilmer guy...
Driver, Division, Wins
Austin Kaplan, SportMod, 7 wins
Dan Trimble, Stock Car, 6
Josh Sherbon, SportMod, 6
Justin Temeyer, Stock Car, 5
Bill Whalen Jr., Sport Compact, 4
Brian Irvine, Stock Car, 4
Damon Murty, Stock Car, 4
Jeff Aikey, Late Model, 4
Kurt Hogan, SportMod, 4
Nathan Chandler, Sport Compact, 4
Scott Hogan, Modified, 4
Sean Johnson, Stock Car, 4
Darin Duffy, Modified, 3
Josh Foster, Modified, 3
Justin O'Brien, Modified, 3
Max Corporon, Modified, 3
Richie Gustin, Modified, 3
Vern Jackson, Modified, 3
Vince Buchholz, Hobby Stock, 3
August Bach, Hobby Stock, 2
Brandon Hare, B Mod, 2
Chad Simpson, Late Model, 2
Chris Hovden, Hobby Stock, 2
Dale Hackwell Jr., Late Model, 2
Danny Dvorak, SportMod, 2
Danny Sacquitne, Hobby Stock, 2
Dave Stricker, Stock Car, 2
Derek Kirkland, Hobby Stock, 2
Gary Peiffer, Sport Compact, 2
Greg Kastli, Late Model, 2
Jamie Whitaker, Hobby Stock, 2
Jason Rauen, Late Model, 2
Jeff Mueller, Stock Car, 2
Jerry Luloff, Modified, 2
Joe Docekal, Modified, 2
Justin Lichty, Hobby Stock, 2
Justin Wacha, Sport Compact, 2
Kyle Parizek, Hobby Stock, 2
Mark Burgtorf, Late Model, 2
Mike Van Genderen, Stock Car, 2
Mitch Hovden, Stock Car, 2
Nathan Wood, Stock Car, 2
Phil Holtz, Stock Car, 2
Ray Lundry, SportMod, 2
Scott Pippert, Hobby Stock, 2
Scott Spilde, Hobby Stock, 2
Adam Bell, Modified, 1
Adam Johnson, Modified, 1
Al Sweerin, Hobby Stock, 1
Alex Buffington, Hobby Stock, 1
Austin Lucas, SportMod, 1
Ben Moudry, B Mod, 1
Bobby Mincer, 305 Sprint, 1
Brad Chandler, Sport Compact, 1
Brad Forbes, Hobby Stock, 1
Bryan Webb, Stock Car, 1
Bryce Bailey, 4 Cylinder, 1
Cassidy Kirkpatrick, 4 Cylinder, 1
Cayden Carter, B Mod, 1
Chad Louk, B Mod, 1
Chris Luloff, SportMod, 1
Chris Webb, Stock Car, 1
Chris Wiltse, Hobby Stock, 1
Colt Mather, Modified, 1
Corey Dripps, Modified, 1
Curt Hilmer, SportMod, 1
Darren Ackerman, Late Model, 1
Darren Miller, Late Model, 1
Dennis Elliott, Modified, 1
Derek Coleman, SportMod, 1
Dillon Anderson, Hobby Stock, 1
Dusty Kraklio, Modified, 1
Geoff Olson, SportMod, 1
Greg Rossell, Mod Lite, 1
Jacob Keiser, Hobby Stock, 1
Jacob Waterman, Modified, 1
Jake Wenig, Hobby Stock, 1
Jason Cook, Stock Car, 1
Jason Hartman, Hobby Stock, 1
Jason McDaniel, B Mod, 1
Jeff Waterman, Modified, 1
Jerrod Hull, 360 Sprint, 1
Jimmy May, Mod Lite, 1
Joel Brasch, Late Model, 1
John Watson, Hobby Stock, 1
Josh Irvine, Hobby Stock, 1
Josh May, Mod Lite, 1
Junior Boyer, B Mod, 1
Kent Kositzky, SportMod, 1
Kevin Pittman, Modified, 1
Kyle Brown, SportMod, 1
Lance Matthees, Late Model, 1
Lucas Lundry, SportMod, 1
Lynn Panos, Stock Car, 1
Matt Brown, Hobby Stock, 1
Matt Lettow, B Mod, 1
Matt Werner, Street Stock, 1
Max Leonard, Hobby Stock, 1
Mike Fisher, 4 Cylinder, 1
Mike Nichols, Stock Car, 1
Mike Robinson, Stock Car, 1
Milo Veloz Jr., Modified, 1
Nick Murty, Hobby Stock, 1
Norman Chesmore, Stock Car, 1
Paul Hallett, Mod Lite, 1
Quinton Miller, Hobby Stock, 1
Randy Wachter, Hobby Stock, 1
Ray Guss Jr., Late Model, 1
Rick Dralle, Late Model, 1
Rick Wendling, Late Model, 1
Ricky Kay, 4 Cylinder, 1
Rob Toland, Late Model, 1
Rod Grother, Hobby Stock, 1
Russel Damme Jr., Hobby Stock, 1
Scooter Dulin, Stock Car, 1
Scott Simatovich, Modified, 1
Steve Holthaus, Hobby Stock, 1
Todd Inman, Dirt Truck, 1
Travis Smock, Late Model, 1
Tyler Bruening, Late Model, 1
Tyler Groenendyk, B Mod, 1
Tyler McClure, Stock Car, 1
Wayne Noble, 4 Cylinder, 1
William Michel, Wild Things, 1
That got me thinking. I know... dangerous. No, not what costume was he going to put me in during his travels around eastern Iowa for the rest of the season, rather how many different drivers have I seen win features this season? How many wins does each of those drivers have?
Of course, realizing I not only wanted to know this, but needed to know this given my very troubling desire to eat, sleep and breathe numbers, I decided to talk to my friend Excel and figure up exactly what I've seen so far this summer.
In the end, I determined I've seen 209 feature races that produced 124 different winners through 47 nights of racing. That means I have seen a lot of different faces in victory lane. In fact, 78 of the names below are one-time winners. Mr. Kaplan, you're in rare company and just plain fast no matter where I go. Those winners and the divisions in which they compete, along with the number of features I've seen them win in 2010, follow below. Keep in mind, some drivers run multiple tracks that run similar divisions under different/no sanction and different names. The division listed with each driver is the division in which he was competing the night I witnessed his first win (to me) this season. So, all of you Sport Compacts/4-Cylinders/Wild Things/Hornets and the like may or may not appear here, but we still know who you are.
By the way, Joe, you'll notice I wasn't there for all three. In fact, I missed your first career win. Apparently, you needed me to be far away to get the ball rolling. Now, we just need to give a kickstart to that Hilmer guy...
Driver, Division, Wins
Austin Kaplan, SportMod, 7 wins
Dan Trimble, Stock Car, 6
Josh Sherbon, SportMod, 6
Justin Temeyer, Stock Car, 5
Bill Whalen Jr., Sport Compact, 4
Brian Irvine, Stock Car, 4
Damon Murty, Stock Car, 4
Jeff Aikey, Late Model, 4
Kurt Hogan, SportMod, 4
Nathan Chandler, Sport Compact, 4
Scott Hogan, Modified, 4
Sean Johnson, Stock Car, 4
Darin Duffy, Modified, 3
Josh Foster, Modified, 3
Justin O'Brien, Modified, 3
Max Corporon, Modified, 3
Richie Gustin, Modified, 3
Vern Jackson, Modified, 3
Vince Buchholz, Hobby Stock, 3
August Bach, Hobby Stock, 2
Brandon Hare, B Mod, 2
Chad Simpson, Late Model, 2
Chris Hovden, Hobby Stock, 2
Dale Hackwell Jr., Late Model, 2
Danny Dvorak, SportMod, 2
Danny Sacquitne, Hobby Stock, 2
Dave Stricker, Stock Car, 2
Derek Kirkland, Hobby Stock, 2
Gary Peiffer, Sport Compact, 2
Greg Kastli, Late Model, 2
Jamie Whitaker, Hobby Stock, 2
Jason Rauen, Late Model, 2
Jeff Mueller, Stock Car, 2
Jerry Luloff, Modified, 2
Joe Docekal, Modified, 2
Justin Lichty, Hobby Stock, 2
Justin Wacha, Sport Compact, 2
Kyle Parizek, Hobby Stock, 2
Mark Burgtorf, Late Model, 2
Mike Van Genderen, Stock Car, 2
Mitch Hovden, Stock Car, 2
Nathan Wood, Stock Car, 2
Phil Holtz, Stock Car, 2
Ray Lundry, SportMod, 2
Scott Pippert, Hobby Stock, 2
Scott Spilde, Hobby Stock, 2
Adam Bell, Modified, 1
Adam Johnson, Modified, 1
Al Sweerin, Hobby Stock, 1
Alex Buffington, Hobby Stock, 1
Austin Lucas, SportMod, 1
Ben Moudry, B Mod, 1
Bobby Mincer, 305 Sprint, 1
Brad Chandler, Sport Compact, 1
Brad Forbes, Hobby Stock, 1
Bryan Webb, Stock Car, 1
Bryce Bailey, 4 Cylinder, 1
Cassidy Kirkpatrick, 4 Cylinder, 1
Cayden Carter, B Mod, 1
Chad Louk, B Mod, 1
Chris Luloff, SportMod, 1
Chris Webb, Stock Car, 1
Chris Wiltse, Hobby Stock, 1
Colt Mather, Modified, 1
Corey Dripps, Modified, 1
Curt Hilmer, SportMod, 1
Darren Ackerman, Late Model, 1
Darren Miller, Late Model, 1
Dennis Elliott, Modified, 1
Derek Coleman, SportMod, 1
Dillon Anderson, Hobby Stock, 1
Dusty Kraklio, Modified, 1
Geoff Olson, SportMod, 1
Greg Rossell, Mod Lite, 1
Jacob Keiser, Hobby Stock, 1
Jacob Waterman, Modified, 1
Jake Wenig, Hobby Stock, 1
Jason Cook, Stock Car, 1
Jason Hartman, Hobby Stock, 1
Jason McDaniel, B Mod, 1
Jeff Waterman, Modified, 1
Jerrod Hull, 360 Sprint, 1
Jimmy May, Mod Lite, 1
Joel Brasch, Late Model, 1
John Watson, Hobby Stock, 1
Josh Irvine, Hobby Stock, 1
Josh May, Mod Lite, 1
Junior Boyer, B Mod, 1
Kent Kositzky, SportMod, 1
Kevin Pittman, Modified, 1
Kyle Brown, SportMod, 1
Lance Matthees, Late Model, 1
Lucas Lundry, SportMod, 1
Lynn Panos, Stock Car, 1
Matt Brown, Hobby Stock, 1
Matt Lettow, B Mod, 1
Matt Werner, Street Stock, 1
Max Leonard, Hobby Stock, 1
Mike Fisher, 4 Cylinder, 1
Mike Nichols, Stock Car, 1
Mike Robinson, Stock Car, 1
Milo Veloz Jr., Modified, 1
Nick Murty, Hobby Stock, 1
Norman Chesmore, Stock Car, 1
Paul Hallett, Mod Lite, 1
Quinton Miller, Hobby Stock, 1
Randy Wachter, Hobby Stock, 1
Ray Guss Jr., Late Model, 1
Rick Dralle, Late Model, 1
Rick Wendling, Late Model, 1
Ricky Kay, 4 Cylinder, 1
Rob Toland, Late Model, 1
Rod Grother, Hobby Stock, 1
Russel Damme Jr., Hobby Stock, 1
Scooter Dulin, Stock Car, 1
Scott Simatovich, Modified, 1
Steve Holthaus, Hobby Stock, 1
Todd Inman, Dirt Truck, 1
Travis Smock, Late Model, 1
Tyler Bruening, Late Model, 1
Tyler Groenendyk, B Mod, 1
Tyler McClure, Stock Car, 1
Wayne Noble, 4 Cylinder, 1
William Michel, Wild Things, 1
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