Morris, Toland, Willert and Henry Crowned Mid-Season Champs
by Ed Potter

EAST MOLINE, IL (June 25, 2006) - Despite ominous clouds roaming around the area Quad City Speedway got the entire J & J Steel Front Row Challenge Mid-Season Championships program in. The Front Row Challenge was for the front row starters in each division feature with the front row starters being asked if they would start in the rear with an added five laps. If they could win from that spot they would recieve double money for the win. In the Best Choice-Racer's Edge B Modified feature neither Mitch Morris or Brad Pershy accepted the challenge and chose to take thier front row starting spots. On the drop of the green Morris went to the front with Pershy in hot pursiut. Three cautions flew between laps eight and ten, all for debris. With a lot of cautions for debris this meant attrition was also a problem including second place runner, Pershy. By the end of the race only seven of the sixteen starters were remaining on the speedway. Morris led flag to flag for his fourth win of the season at Quad City Speedway. Jake Waterman was a close second with Craig Crawford third, Greg Durbin fourth and Dan Hahn fifth. Morris and Doug Burkhead were the heat winners.

Neither IMCA Late Model front row starter, point leader Eric Gustaf or second in points, Rob Toland would accept the Challenge and chose to stay up front. Toland grabbed the early lead with fourth place starter, Kevin Blum taking over the point on lap three. But Toland wasn't done yet as he charged back out front on lap seven. Blum wasn't done either as he came back to the front on lap sixteen. Three laps later Toland moved back by and held on the rest of the way to take his first Quad Ciry Speedway win of the year. Blum held on for second with Jim Sandusky working the high side and moving in to take a strong third. Gustaf was fourth with Mike Murphy Jr fifth. Heat wins went to Leroy Brenner, Murphy and John Freeman.

Another very exciting race was the IITI-Reynolds Ford Open Wheel Modified feature as Jeff Morris accepted the Front Row Challenge and went to the rear. Jim Willert chose to stay up front and took the early lead. Only two cautions fell during this race and they were both before lap two. On the last restart Morris had moved from eighteenth to thirteenth. At lap five Milo Veloz Jr edged out front with Willert and Ray Cox Jr in a tight battle for second. At Lap seventeen Willert got back by Veloz with Morris moving into the fourth spot. On lap twenty-one Morris moved up to second, but had to settle for that spot as he could not quite get to Willert. Willert took his first win of the season with Morris Second, Cox third, Veloz fourth and fourteenth place starter, Timmy Current rounding out the top five. Richie Smith, Current and Steve Gustaf Jr won the heats.

J & J Camper Street Stock scheduled front row starter, Buck Harmening broke his race car in his heat race and was unable to start the feature putting Rob Henry and Korey Peterson in the front row, and both drivers accepted the Front Row Challenge moving to the rear. In one of four restarts before the second lap got scored Pererson had gotten into the wall and was forced to retire from the race taking away his chance at glory. Rick Schriner led the first lap with Randy Exline taking over on the second lap restart. At this time Henry had moved from fifteenth to seventh and was on his way. Only one more caution flew in this twenty lapper and the racing kept going. By lap four Henry was up to fourth, and moved into second by lap nine. On lap thirteen Henry moved around Exline to take the lead. Henry held on for his second Quad City Speedway win of the season and to be the only driver of the night to win the double pay off. Exline held on for second with Gerald Ward third, Chris Lawrence fourth and Schriner holding on for fifth. Matt Werner, Henry and Ron Marks Jr took the heat wins.

Results from Quad City Speedway--East Moline,IL 6/25/06
B Modified
heat one: 1. Mitch Morris--McCausland,IA; 2. Greg Durbin--Silvis; 3. Craig Crawford--Moline; 4. Dan Hahn--Walnut; 5. Jerry Bailey Jr--East Moline
heat two: 1.Doug Burkhead--Stockton,IA; 2. Brad Pershy--Colona; 3. Kevin Dickey--Silvis; 4. Jimmy Comins--Silvis; 5. Jake Waterman--Milan
Feature: 1. Morris; 2. Waterman; 3. Crawford; 4. Durbin; 5. Hahn; 6. Perry Gellerstedt--Cambridge; 7. Kevin Spriet--Davenport,IA; 8. Dickey; 9. Nathan Hall--Orion; 10. Burkhead; 11. Pershy; 12. Comins; 13. Doug Curless--Davenport,IA; 14. Jason Bielema--Colona; 15. Bailey; 16. Gary Weatherington Jr--Carbon Cliff

IMCA Late Model
heat one: 1. Leroy Brenner--Aledo; 2. Kevin Blum--Colona; 3. Andy Nezworski--Buffalo,IA; 4. Fred Remley--Blue Grass,IA; 5. Eric Gustaf--Moline
heat two: 1. Mike Murphy Jr--Colona; 2. Jim Sandusky--Coal Valley; 3. Cory Goldbeck--Camanche,IA; 4. Mike Cothron--Moline; 5. Nate Beuseling--Coal Valley
heat three: 1. John Freeman--Rock Island; 2. Hershel Roberts--East Moline; 3. Rick Wages--Colona; 4. Rob Toland--Bettendorf,IA; 5. Ray Guss Jr--Milan
Feature: 1. Toland; 2. Blum; 3. Sandusky; 4. Eric Gustaf; 5. Murphy; 6. Cothron; 7. Ron Gustaf--Moline; 8. Wages; 9. Remley; 10. Roberts; 11. Bob Miller--Silvis; 12. Beuseling; 13. Jason Parrish--Geneseo; 14. Freeman; 15. Guss; 16. Goldbeck; 17. Nezworski; 18. Adam Oppendike--Silvis; 19. Brenner

Open Wheel Modified
heat one: 1. Richie Smith--Davenport,IA; 2. Daron Oberbroeckling--Davenport,IA; 3. Brandon Durbin--Colona; 4. Ray Cox Jr--Maquoketa, IA; 5. Bob Stogdell--Colona
heat two: 1. Timmy Current--Bernard,IA; 2. Troy Emerick--Geneseo; 3. Milo Veloz Jr--Colona; 4. Jim Willert--Davenport,IA; 5. Craig Crawford--Moline
heat three: 1. Steve Gustaf Jr--Moline; 2. DougCrampton--Rock Island; 3. Jason Pershy--Colona; 4. Thad Wilson--Moline; 5. Jeff Morris--McCausland,IA
Feature: 1. Willert; 2. Morris; 3. Cox; 4. Veloz; 5. Current; 6. Oberbroeckling; 7. Crampton; 8. Durbin; 9. Donovan Lodge--Andover; 10. Smith; 11. Pershy; 12. Stogdell; 13. Crawford; 14. Randy Christner--LeClaire,IA; 15. Gustaf; 16. Emerick; 17. Wilson; 18. Mike Zemo Jr--Geneseo

Street Stock
heat one: 1. Matt Werner--Geneseo; 2. Korey Peterson--Colona; 3. Dustin Spicer--Silvis; 4. Jim Hickenbottom--East Moline; 5. Ron Doolittle--Davenport,IA
heat two: 1. Rob Henry--Colona; 2. Chris Lawrence--Colona; 3. Chuck Fox--Silvis; 4. Chris Hambright--East Moline; 5. Andy Warner--Silvis
heat three: 1. Ron Marks Jr--Rock Island; 2. Randy Exline--Stockton,IA; 3. Buck Harmening--East Moline; 4. Gerald Ward--East Moline; 5. Rick Schriner--Rock Island
Feature: 1. Henry; 2. Exline; 3. Ward; 4. Lawrence; 5. Schriner; 6. Doolittle; 7. Marks; 8. Andrew Burk--Eldridge,IA; 9. Hickenbottom; 10. Fox; 11. Peterson; 12. Werner; 13. Chance Huston--East Moline; 14. Dave Wadsager--East Moline; 15. Hambright