34 Raceway Last week¹s winner repeat; season championship for late models and sprints this week
By Dana Royer/34 Raceway

BURLINGTON, IA (8/18/07) ­ It was a great night for racing at Burlington¹s 34 Raceway with a full pit area and a large crowd in the stands. A total of 107 cars were on hand for fifteen heat races, a b-main and five features. Fans enjoyed the special $5 admission and the $1 Beer and $1 pop while the kids got free Fun City gift cards, school supplies and five lucky winners got new bikes. An added event included the current point leaders racing bicycles down the front stretch in full racing attire. Todd Holsteen took the win.

With season championships here its serious business for the racers. It was a full night of racing and when the action was completed all five of the winners got their second wins in the last two events. Getting wins Saturday were Lonnie Bailey (late models), Quincy, Il.; Dennis LaVeine (modifieds), Burlington; Jeff Mueller (stock cars), New London; Jayson Ditsworth (sprints), Gladstone, Il. and Alex Buffington (hobby stocks), Wapello. Season championship night for IMCA Late Models and 305 Sprints will be this Saturday, August 25 sponsored by Olson Brothers Custom Shop.

Lonnie Bailey gained four points with his seventh place finish over Tom Bowling who finished ninth in the IMCA Late Model feature. Bailey now leads in the points stands with 556 points followed by Bowling with 541. But taking the win in the twenty four car field was Jason Frankel coming off a win last week. Frankel took the lead from Kevin Tomlinson on lap five and never looked back. Matt Strassheim was on the move coming from his fifth row start to take over the second spot by lap fourteen, but Frankel couldn¹t be caught as he took the checkered flag for the second time.

Ninteen modifieds took the the track for their feature race with Dennis LaVeine getting win number three, his second straight. LaVeine led from start to finish taking the checkered flag by several car lengths. Point leader Rich Smith was involved in a three car crash as was Darin Thye, who was in third in the points standings. With Smith out of the race Bill Roberts¹ second place feature finish narrowed the gap in the point standings. Roberts trails Smith by ten points with to weeks left.

Jeff Mueller won his third straight ICMA Stock Car feature in three weeks of action. Shawn Whiting took the early lead. He and Nick Fenton went back and forth for the first four laps before Mueller began to challenge. Mueller took the lead on lap six while Jason Cook and Todd Holsteen raced bumper to bumper, side by side for second for several laps. Mueller went on to take the checkered flag with Holsteen beating Cook to finish second. Holsteen leads the points over Cook 545 to 524 with two weeks remaining in the point races.

Jayson Ditsworth took the win in the Zaiser Fabrication 305 sprint feature for the third time this year. Ditsworth took the lead at the drop of the green and never looked back. Brian Hetrick finished second and Justin Newberry took third. During heat race action, Dustin Whiting and Kevin Hetrick both flipped several times coming out of turn one ending Whitings racing action for the evening. Hetrick was able to make repairs and run in the feature. In the sprint points races, Ditsworth holds a twelve point lead
(533-521) over Donnie Steward with the sprint season championship this Saturday.

An outstanding 32 hobby stocks competed in 4 heats and a B-feature for the twenty four positions in the Pepsi Hobby Stock feature. Wapello¹s Brian Holmes looked set to get his first hobby stock feature win at 34 Raceway this year. Holmes took the early lead in the fifteen lap feature pulling away from the field. With one lap to go a caution came out and Holmes had to work to hold off fellow Wapello racer, Alex Buffington, for the lead on the restart. Again Holmes would take the lead as Buffington and Ray Raker stayed close. Then another caution on the final lap and again Holmes would have to work to hang on but this time hard luck struck. With Holmes in the lead coming out of turn one, he would get tapped sending him sideways, just as a yellow came out for Eric Rowley back in the field. A disappointed Holmes had to go to the pits with a flat tire and Buffington went on to get his second win in two weeks. In the points race for hobby stocks, Luke McLaughlin leads with 528 points, a nine point lead over Tanner Thomann with two weeks left.

34 Raceway results from 8/18/07

J & J STEEL/IDEAL READY MIX IMCA LATE MODELS FEATURE: 1. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Il., 2. Matt Strassheim, Burlington, Ia., 3. Kevin Tomlinson, New London, Mo., 4. Rob Toland, Bettendorf, Ia., 5. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Il., 6. Jeremy Grady, Story City, Ia., 7. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Il., 8. Sam Halstead, New London, Ia., 9. Tom Bowling, Danville, Ia., 10. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Ia., 11. Hershel Roberts, East Moline, Il., 12. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Ia., 13. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis, Ia., 14. Jack Ahlers, Muscatine, Ia., 15. Keith Pratt, Mendon, Il., 16. Gary Russell, Biggsville, Il., 17. Ron Elbe, Augusta, Il., 18. Tom Goble, Burlington, Ia., 19. Colby Springsteen, Morning Sun, Ia., 20. Cory Richards, Burlington, Ia., 21. Adam Helmick, Fort Madison, Ia., 22. Nick Ingalls, Quincy, Il., 23. Matt Bailey, Quincy, Il., 24. Johnny Johnson, Burlington, Ia. HEAT WINNERS: Goble, Grady, Frankel.

PEPSI HOBBY STOCKS

FEATURE: 1. Alex Buffington, Wapello, Ia., 2. Jake Wenig, Burlington, Ia 3. Ray Raker, Danville, Ia., 4. Rob Wilsey, Keokuk, Ia., 5. Dean Kratzer, Montrose, Ia., 6. Chuck Underwood Burlington, Ia., 7. Cale Samberg, Burlington, Ia., 8. Jason Gerdes, Lomax, Il., 9. Luke McLaughlin, Mediapolis, Ia., 10. Matt Gavin, Kirkwood, Il., 11. Tanner Thomann, West Burlington, Ia., 12. Dan Wenig, West Burlington, Ia., 13. Sky Griffith, Wapello, Ia., 14. Michael Larsen, Hannibal, Mo., 15. Roger Krieger, Burlington, Ia., 16. Brodie Dopler, Wapello, Ia., 17. Blaine Dopler, Wapello, Ia., 18. Tony Witte, Danville, Ia., 19. Chad Witte, Burlington, Ia., 20. Allen Johnston, Burlington, Ia., 21. Eric Rowley, Burlington, Ia 22. Randy Wachter, Burlington, Ia., 23. Brian Holmes, Wapello, Ia., 24.
Brandon Peitz, Burlington, Ia. HEAT WINNERS: Holmes, Wilsey, Gavin,
McLaughlin. B-main-D. Wenig.

MILLER LITE MODIFIEDS

FEATURE: 1. Dennis LaVeine, Burlington, Ia., 2. Bill Roberts, Jr., Burlington, Ia., 3. Dusty Krakilo, Durant, Ia., 4. Bill Parks, Colchester, Il., 5. Mike Weikert, Jr., Muscatine, Ia., 6. Andy Krieger, West Burlington, I., 7. David Goble, Burlington, Ia., 8. Elmer Arnold, Sperry, Ia., 9. Kevin Goben, Sherrard, Il., 10. Jim Roach, Kahoka, Mo., 11. Phillip Cossel, Montrose, Ia., 12. Dave Cloke, Burlington, Ia., 13. Dave Anderson, Burlington, Ia., 14. Chris Larson, Keokuk, Ia., 15. Darin Thye, Burlington, Ia., 16. Dean McGee, Galesburg, Il., 17. Rich Smith, Davenport, Ia., 18. Adam Swanson, Burlington, Ia., 19. Sean Wyett, Danville, Ia. HEAT WINNERS: Parks, Roberts, Thye.

IMCA STOCK CARS

FEATURE; 1. Jeff Mueller, New London, Ia., 2. Todd Holsteen, Burlington, Ia., 3. Jason Cook Mt. Pleasant, Ia., 4. Nick Fenton, Mt. Pleasant, Ia., 5. Chris Webb, Biggsville, Il., 6. Rod Staats, Columbus Jct., Ia., 7. Greg Johnson, Burlington, Ia., 8. Derek Coleman, New London, Ia., 9. Kirk Kinsley, Wapello, Ia., 10. Chris Wibbell, Dallas City, Il., 11. Brandon Rothzen, Media, Il., 12. Cole Simmons, Morning Sun, Ia., 13. Shawn Whiting, West Burlington, Ia., 14. John Oliver, Jr, Danville, Ia., 15. John Brockway, Morning Sun, Ia., 16. Shane Watts, Burlington, Ia., 17. Abe Huls, Carthage, Il., 18. Derek Goble, Burlington, Ia., 19. Joe Dopler, Wapello, Ia., 20. Corey Strothman, New London, Ia., 21. Tim Breuer, Burlington, Ia., 22. Darin Thye, Burlington, Ia., 23. Aaron Summy, Muscatine, Ia., 24. Patrick Mincer, Columbus Junction, Ia., HEAT WINNERS: Whiting, Mueller, Cook.

ZAISER FABRICATION 305 SPRINTS

FEATURE; 1. Jayson Ditsworth, Gladstone, Il., 2. Brian Hetrick, Stronghurst, Il., 3. Justin Newberry, West Burlington, Ia., 4. Donnie Steward, West Burlington, Ia., 5. Kevin Hetrick, Gladstone, Il., 6. Scott Boles, New London, Ia., 7. Seth Wilke, Burlington, Ia., 8. Dustin Whiting, Burlington, Ia. HEAT WINNERS: Newberry, B. Hetrick.