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After a week of - what else - rain, and a week out of town, I returned to QR Sunday night for the weekly showdown at the Bullring. The KidModz were a late addition to the show, with only five of the youngsters on hand. It turned out to be Ladies night, as Heidi Goodman, from Chillicothe, Il. captured both the heat and feature event. After a weekly show season high 19 cars the previous week, 17 IMCA late models checked in on Sunday. Burlington driver Tom Goble, who had won what I believe to be his first late model feature ever on June 14, did not come back to defend his title, and no one present had anything for defending champion Jason Frankel. Robbie Warner jumped from his front row starting spot to open up a commanding lead, but after Frankel cleared traffic, he methodically ran down the # 79. The two Quincy drivers diced through lapped traffic until making contact on lap 23. Robbie made contact with the backstretch fence, ending his night in what was the only caution of the race. Frankel checked out on the restart, winning easily for the second time in '09. Matt Bailey turned in a solid runner up finish, followed by Jerry Weisenberger, points leader Justin Reed, and Mark Burgtorf. Justin stretched his points lead over Lonnie Bailey, as he works on the possibility of becoming only the second late model driver in QR history to win a championship without winning a feature. Of course, we have not yet hit midseason, so many things can happen. The first late model heat looked like a bad omen, as pole sitter Sam Halstead was late to staging. Flagman Steve generously waved Sam to the track as the green flag flew, but Halstead killed the engine on the #84, and was then disqualified from the event, although he used it for a hot lap session. The irony is that he may have qualified for the feature invert, as a major pileup sent Keith Pratt and Denny Woodworth pitside on the wrecker. Keith, who is in the thick of the points race, scrambled to make repairs by feature time, but Denny and crew did a wholesale strip job on the 45DW, scratching from the 30 lapper. 18 hobby stocks signed in, although only 17 competed on the night. The 20 lap finale spelled heartbreak for a couple of young pilots. Steve Watkins Jr. led the bulk of the laps with his smoking #17, only to fall victim to hard charging James Leffew. Then with two laps to go, Watkins ducked to the pits with a flat tire. He was able to tag the tail on the restart, but was credited with a 13th place finish. On the restart, rookie Adam Scott was second, when a flat sent him to the trailer after the lone caution period. Steve Carlin then took over in the bridesmaid slot, holding off Travis Booher, Jim Powell, and Wes Mayfield. 14 year old Tanner Klingele turned in another impressive run, leading several feature laps before finishing sixth. Perhaps his most admirable trait is his ability to hold his line, stay out of trouble, and get a little faster each night. There were two big stories in the IMCA stock car division, which showed 14 entrants. One was the first win of the year for Steve Steinkuhler, who left QR to run with the stock cars a season or two before management wisely added the class at QR. The other was the end of the amazing streak of Chris Wibbell. Somehow, the Dallas City driver had managed to complete every lap of every points feature at QR since the class started here last April - a stretch of 27 races! and he did not do that running by himself around the bottom of the track. Because of a high point average, Wibbell usually found himself starting five or six rows deep in the field, and moving to the front. On lap four, however, the streak stopped at 543 laps, as he was caught up in a backstretch crash that appeared to leave him with a broken A-frame. The same accident saw Sarah Woodhurst leave her wheels for the second time this year, as she did a quarter roll, spilling fuel and ending her night. Sarah was running in a front of the field pack at the time. As the race wound down, previous winner Terry Houston was dogging Steinkuhler when he jumped the cushion in turn four on lap 18 of 20, creating the second caution of the race. Point leader Abe Huls took over the second spot, leading much improved Jerry Jansen, Kevin Tomlinson and visiting John Oliver Jr. to the checkers. While the hobbys, late models and stock cars produced a total of four stoppages in their features, the UMP modifieds showed again why they are relegated to last on the card. No less than eight cautions burned up a share of the 30 minute clock, and the scheduled 25 lap finale was checkered after 22 long laps. All 20 cars started the feature, and five times the yellow flew in the first five laps. Slick tracks, inexperienced drivers, and ill handling race cars make for a less than desirable situation, and while the action up front is exciting, the troubles in the back are tough to take. Wyatt Lantz must have realized I was not on hand the week prior to see his first UMP feature win at QR, so he gave me another shot, using a good draw - the modifieds are the only class to use a draw, redraw each week - to make it two wins in a row. Tony Dunker turned in a solid second, followed by Robbie Reed, Justin Reed, and Steven Delonjay. The good run by Justin in the Dunker owned # 4st kept him atop the points in the modified, as well as late model classes. This Sunday night begins a great stretch of racing at QR. This week is the Titan Wheel Topless IMCA late model shootout. The annual event pays $ 3000.00 to win and draws an outstanding group of IMCA hot shoes to challenge our local contingent. But this is the first time the cars will take off the roofs and run topless. If you have never seen a topless race, don't miss this. Being able to get a good look inside the cockpit as the drivers handle their machines is nothing short of fascinating. Extra money is also on the line for all classes. And I will have more on this later, but don't forget to mark Friday, July 3 as a must go night for QR. The UMP late model Summernational event at QR, paying a track record $ 10,000.00 to win will be one for the ages! See you Sunday for topless racing at Quincy Raceways!
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