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Racing at Quincy Raceways for the month of June wrapped up with the first ever Topless late model event at the Broadway Bullring. The annual Titan Wheel sponsored event, usually run as a July 4 special was moved up one week this season, and the IMCA cars ran without tops as part of a weekend in which the Donnellson, Iowa and West Burlington, Iowa speedplants also featured topless racing. The big difference, however, is that Quincy Raceways put a $3,000.00 top prize on the line, and bumped the main event up to 50 laps. A draw system for heat starting position and a passing points system for the dash and feature set the starting grid. The passing point setup is a somewhat complicated deal where cars are awarded points both for finishing position and bonus points for number of cars passed. This is a system I really like for two reasons. There is less of a disadvantage for starting in the back of a heat race, as you can pick up points for moving forward, and for that very reason, drivers tend to race harder in the preliminary events. The top six in passing points then ran a six lap dash to set the first three rows of the feature lineup. That 22 car starting grid had track veterans Mark Burgtorf and Keith Pratt on the front row, and had veteran race fans eager to bet on the outcome. Pratt had other ideas, however, and as it turned out, this race truly was won on the first lap, as Keith outran Mark into turn one, and held the lead for all 50 laps. The win was far from easy, as Burgtorf tracked the # 33 down as lapped traffic became a factor. Just as it seemed the # 7B may have a shot, one of only two caution flags flew. With an open track "Kool Kat" pulled away again, survived one more stoppage and collected the most prestigious and best paying victory of a successful career. Jason Frankel mounted a challenge early, and then spent much of the race holding back hard charging Lonnie Bailey. Track point leader Justin Reed finished fifth. Visiting Iowa drivers could do no better than eighth thru tenth, with Davenport, Iowa’s Matt Ryan, a second generation driver holding off another second generation veteran, Jay Johnson, and one time track regular Tommy Elston. Although the track was smooth and got faster as the race wore on, the preferred groove was around the top of the track, and passing was at a premium. Somewhat disappointing was the lack of visiting drivers - in fact three previous winners of the event failed to show this year. The 22 car field was still a stout one, but the cost of traveling seemed to take a toll. The outcome left Reed atop the points by eight over Bailey. Amazingly, despite two early season disasters in which Burgtorf could not start the feature, he has moved into the top five in points, 36 behind Justin. The UMP modified class, as well as the other support classes, raced for extra purse money, and 25 cars signed in to do battle. The town of Wellsville, Mo. must have been deserted, as no less than four cars made the trip over from the small hamlet! Double duty driver Justin Reed, who had parlayed a lone feature lap led into a win a few weeks back started on the front row, and must have liked the view, as he held the point for all 25 laps and his second victory. As in the late model event, his only real challenge came in lapped traffic when Donovan Lodge powered his #32 alongside Reed before a caution ended his rally. On the second attempt at a lap 23 restart, the Moline, Il. driver jumped the turn two cushion, ending his season best run. Vance Wilson then eased into the runnerup slot ahead of Steven Delonjay, Shawn Deering and Jared Schlipman. The win allowed Reed to increase his point lead to 17 over Delonjay, as he continues to chase history by perhaps winning championships in two classes in the same season. While the smooth, slick track held passing down some, the mods seemed to like it, as cautions were way down, and the enjoyment factor was up accordingly. A somewhat less than expected 13 IMCA stock cars came to play, but as always, they put on an outstanding race. Ford fanatic Terry Houston ked all 20 laps to pick up feature win number two for 2009. While I am certainly a friend to and fan of many of the stock car drivers who travel from points north to race at QR, and have been the backbone of the fledgling class here, it is special to watch drivers who moved from other classes here at the track not only become competitive, but capture feature wins this season. In 2008, many of them were mid packers at best, but the learning curve has made this a favorite class of many fans. Previous feature winner Steve Steinkuhler celebrated his anniversary with a runner up finish, and Burlington, Iowa hot shoe John Oliver Jr. ran third with Grandpa Jim in the stands. Chris Wibbell celebrated anniversary number one by coming home fourth, ahead of points leader Abe Huls. The Carthage pilot holds an 11 point spread over Wibbell. Absent from the track, but enjoying the night in the grandstand was Sarah Woodhurst. Sarah rolled her # 8 the week prior, and had not completed repairs in time to race, as dad Brian has been extra busy with his "day job". Sarah expects to be back in action this weekend. Late arriving Steve Watkins Jr. swelled the hobby stock field to 17 on Sunday. The Hannibal driver may have wished he had stayed home, as a feature altercation left him with a broken axle among other damage. Another Hannibalian, Jim Powell took over the point lead with his fifth feature win in what is shaping up to be an all or nothing season for him. Mechanical problems forced Steve Carlin, who entered the night atop the points to park his # 9c for the feature. He was able to land a ride in Justin Bartz # 15, and he brought home a seventh place finish, to stay within one point of Jimbo. Rookie Adam Scott, who started strong, but has struggled of late, rebounded to finish second, holding off veteran Larry Powell for the spot. Jake Powers took fourth ahead of James Leffew, who sits third in points. Although running the first feature, the Hobbys seemed to have the most trouble with the slick track. The race did not stay green until the third attempt, and by then it was a single file start with only 12 of the original 16 cars still on the track. As you surely know by now, this Friday, July 3 is the date for the richest race in QR history. The UMP Summernational late model tour, featuring 27 races at 27 different tracks in 31 days rolls into town for a $ 10,000.00 to win 40 lap shootout. There are no guarantees in racing, but a check of driver schedules shows, among others, national stars Billy Moyer and Brian Birkhofer heading for Quincy. In addition, defending series champion Dennis Erb Jr., and Shannon Babb are likely entrants, as well as St Louis area hot dog Randy "King Kong" Korte, the series point leader thru Monday night. The $10,000.00 to win shows have been drawing fields of 40 or more cars, and may also feature a couple of our local drivers trying their luck against the traveling stars. In addition, the IMCA stock cars are racing for a $1,000.00 to win top prize. The stock cars also have the night off at Donnellson, Iowa, so a full field plus is expected. The hobby stock will also be in action, racing for points. Don't miss this history making night, and then hang on to your ticket stub for a $ 3.00 discount for Sunday nights midseason championships here at the speedway. As a member of the Quincy Raceway faithful, I want this special event to become a yearly event, and you can do your part by just showing up and having fun while watching some great racing. See you Friday and Sunday at the races!
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