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Past the Pit Gate.......
by Danny Rosencrans
October 25, 2009
Donnellson, Ia
A racing season I had hoped would end with a " bang " instead ended with a
crash!
As I mentioned last week, there were three good choices going into the
weekend, and I had decided that the final night of the Governers Cup at
Tipton, Iowa would be my final race of 2009. As has been the case all month,
the weather interfered, and Stuart Motorsports pulled the plug on the event,
offering up a to be determined date and place in 2010 to finish the show. By
then the two day UMP Monster Midwest show at Lincoln,Il had also been washed
out with no announced rain date. Still on tap, however, was the 11th annual
Shiverfest extravaganza at one of my favorite tracks, the Lee County
Speedway in Donnellson,Iowa.
Although the sun was out on Saturday, rain had made racing impossible, but
Terry and Jenni Hoenig do not give up easily, and the show was rescheduled
for Sunday. So with a forecast of late afternoon showers, racing buddy
Darryl and I headed to the track that i have been going to since childhood,
which stretches back now over 50 years, back to the days of the " old "
IMCA, where I watched heroes like Stott, Derr, White, Hutcherson and the
Blankenships, all from my hometown, ply their trade. A passing shower on the
way did not deter us, as we were determined to get in one more show before
packing away the racing shirts. Even as hot laps were taking place, cars
were still rolling through the pit gate. The track was smooth and fast, as
Hoenig has become a master at preparing a good track even in adverse
conditions. And even though the starting times were an hour earlier for
Sunday, the show still started on time - early, actually, a common occurence
that other area promoters could learn from.
After hot laps, more than 60 race teams brought their cars to the front
straightaway, parking three wide and passing out candy to the assembled
children, who got a chance to see the cars and drivers up close in the
daytime hours. By my unofficial count, 141 cars competed in 16 heat races in
the five class program. With clouds rolling in, the IMCA modified B-main
came to the speedway to qualify the final four cars for the main event.
A late race caution set up a dash to the finish, with New London,Mo. pilot
Craig Speigel leading the way in his # 7s. In hot pursuit was second
generation ace Brandon Banks # 22. As the field charged down the back chute,
the car that had caused the caution period came flying on to the track from
the backstretch pit gate, even though there was a no return rule in place.
Unfortunately, Speigel had no where to go, as he ran over the slower car,
vaulting him into the air and he flipped several times, landing upside down.
Banks also was involved, and all three cars suffered heavy damage.
Banks reportedly suffered some broken bones in his foot. It was just over a
year ago that Brandon was involved in one of the scariest crashes I have
ever witnessed, a two car crash at the West Liberty Raceway. While the track
was being cleared and a fuel spill burnt off, sprinkles set in, and there
was no way to make the track raceable again. Contingency plans were already
in place, and it was announced ahead of time that the show would be
considered complete after heat races ended.
The purse money was split, with the top half of qualifiers evenly dividing
the top half of the money, and the bottom qualifiers doing the same. Fans
were told to hold their ticket stubs until opening night 2010 to receive
$5.00 off a ticket. Even though the day had a disappointing end, knowing
what was going to happen ahead of time made the experience much more
pleasant. I know that both car and fan count would have been better on
Saturday, but kudos to the Hoenigs for going ahead with the show. Nearly
$2,000.00 was raised for the fight against kidney disease, a cause started
at the track and championed by part time announcer and super fan Jeff Broeg.
Although no official announcement has been made, word around the track was
that late models will be back in 2010 on a semi regular basis as part of the
Friday night program.
Although there are races scheduled the next two weekends at Oskaloosa, Iowa
and Memphis, Missouri, it looks as though my 2009 season has come to an end.
so I will sign off for now.
Hopefully I will have the chance to pen a column or two during the long
winter months, with the Quincy Raceways banquet recap coming in January.
Schedules are already starting to appear for 2010, and I have already
started to make some plans. So until next time, if you get the chance, catch
another race in 2009, have a great winter, and we will visit again in 2010!
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