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Past the Pit Gate.......
by Danny Rosencrans
Aug 11, 2009 The
highest paying modified race in Quincy Raceways history did not disappoint
on Sunday at the speedway. 34 UMP Modifieds checked in, and although track
officials had anticipated a few more, the quality of cars on hand more than
made up for any more desired numbers. In fact, as is often the case, the
extra dollars on the line kept away some who likely thought they would be
unable to make the show. This is becoming more of a trend in all levels of
racing as the economy stays tight. Still the influx of St Louis area racers
coupled with some central Illinois hot shoes gave the locals a chance to see
how they measured up against some of the best. As expected, two time
defending track champion Michael Long was back after testing his new Kraft
chassis the week before. Michael spent part of the week following the
traveling USMTS modified circuit, culminating in his first ever series win
on Saturday night in Moberly, Mo. The $2,000.00 win there was just the
appetizer however, as he drew the pole position for the 40 lapper on Sunday
and survived seven caution flags to lead all the way and collect the
$3,000.00 top prize. Long was pushed for much of the race by birthday boy
Shawn Deering, who put together the best run of his career. Shawn gave up
the runner up slot to Vance Wilson after a late race caution, but still
picked up a big payday by coming home third. Steven Delonjay turned in an
amazing performance after making the show only as a track provisional
starter. The youngster started 23rd on the grid, and charged to a fourth
place run. The $200.00 hard charger bonus made him the fourth driver to take
home a four figure check on the night. Buffalo, Il. standout Jeff Leka
rounded out the top five. Leka advanced from the B-main and ran mid pack for
much of the race before rallying late. Last lap contact shuffled two other
traveling hot dogs, Rusty Griffaw and front row starter Tommie Seets Jr.
from the front pack to 14th and 15th. Dirt late model legend Kevin Weaver,
who won the first B-main, suffered a flat tire mid race, and violated track
rules by going to his trailer for repairs instead of to the " hot pit "
area, thus eliminating him from contention. Another St Louis area star, Mike
Harrison of Highland, Il. fell out during the middle part of the race. When
all was said and done, we reaffirmed what we already knew. That is that QR
has as a very good group of modified drivers running up front every Sunday
night. For the feature race, the Delaware restart was used, whereby the
leader starts out front with the remainder of the field two by two. This
keeps the cars tightly bunched and makes for exciting restarts. Of course
this would never work for weekly shows as we do not have the quality of cars
throughout the field to make it work on the short track. I thought we were
seeing the race of the night, when Delonjay and Tony Dunker were battling
for the final qualifying spot in B-main number two before announcer Doug
Mealy reminded me of the two provisionals. Dunker wound up with the
qualifying spot, while Delonjay and Trent Grotz secured the provisionals,
putting both Grotz brothers in the 40 lapper. Justin Reed came home 11th in
the points paying event to maintain his lead in the standings. Kudos to
track officials for moving the mod feature up in the running order with a
threat of rain moving in.
The first feature of the night was the hobby stocks. 13 cars signed in, and
among the missing was Wes Mayfield. His absence turned the points race from
a three to a two car battle. It was also not a real good night for the other
two top contenders. Jim Powell caught a break in the first heat when leader
Nathan Hays spun coming to the white flag. Jimbo picked up the win and the
three points it awards. Unfortunately, he experienced mechanical problems in
the feature after working his way through the field. He was forced to retire
early, garnering a ninth place finish. Meanwhile, Steve Watkins Jr. jumped
out front at the start and led through lap 17. This was even as a hood pin
came loose and his visibility on the driver’s side was impaired. On lap 18,
Jake Powers grabbed the top spot, and held on for his first ever win in the
hobby stocks after a successful run in the defunct 4 cylinder class. Steve
Carlin ran a steady race to finish third, but after the race his engine was
claimed by eighth finishing Nathan Anders. Per the rules, Carlin had to
honor the claim or lose his nights earnings and I believe his season’s
points. Steve exchanged power plants with Anders as part of the claim, the
first in a while at QR. As a result, Carlin and Powell enter the final three
nights of points racing tied for the top spot. A fourth place run vaulted
Mike Wiley to third in the points, and Hayes rounded out the top five.
14 IMCA late models checked in for the night of racing. Although there were
no new cars, there was one new driver, as modified ace Vance Wilson wheeled
the # 11 Krigbaum car. Jason Frankel once again piloted the Warner # 79, and
this week Jason was fully dialed in. Frankel took an early lead and battled
closely for the first half of the race with Matt Bailey. After a lap 14
caution, Matt seemed to lose some momentum, and Mark Burgtorf took over the
runner up slot three laps later. Mark put on a hard charge, but Jason was
not to be denied the win, his fourth of the season at QR. Denny Woodworth
drove his usual steady race to capture third, with Matt Bailey fourth. Joey
Gower recovered from a lap one spin to come back to fifth, while points
leader Lonnie Bailey came home sixth. He was never the less able to stretch
his lead, as Justin Reed had a disastrous night. Justin was involved in
three different accidents, and failed to finish the race, credited with 13th
place. It also ended his laps completed streak in weekly shows, as he fell
just short of 1000 over two seasons. It also dropped him 11 points behind
Lonnie in his quest for the championship, and left him only 10 ahead of
Burgtorf, who is only 21 points out of first despite two DNQ's to start the
points season.
The final event of the night was the IMCA stock car feature. Only 12 cars
were on hand, including newcomer Alex Blythe #00 from LaHarpe, Il.
Fortunately all were able to make the call for the 20 lap finale. Terry
Houston struggled with some overheating issues in his Ford powered machine
early in the season, but has been "hot" in the second half. He rolled to
another win on Sunday, outdistancing Aaron Brocksieck, fellow Ford Fanatic
Jerry Jansen, Brocksieck "teammate" Steve Steinkuhler, and Kevin Tomlinson.
Kevin now holds a six point lead over last seasons runnerup Chris Wibbell,
and Abe Huls, who led much of the season, but has struggled of late.
This Sunday nights added attraction will be the trophy dash championship
features. The Summy Tire late model event will feature the top 11 drivers in
trophy dash points which accumulate in the weekly trophy dash runs. The
event has a top prize of several hundred dollars. The Advance Trading
modified finale will feature the top 10 in a similar format. Sunday night
August 23 will be a late model fans delight, as the traveling UMP sanctioned
Monster Midwest tour will roll into town looking at a $ 2,000.00 top prize,
while the IMCA late models will compete in a full night of racing with extra
money on the line. we will have more on this next week.
Until then, enjoy the races!
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