Thompson Takes Home Big Dollars For Mark Birdsley Memorial Fair Race
by Ed Potter

EAST MOLINE, Il. (July 18, 2006) - With forty-three Modifieds and twenty-eight Street Stocks on hand Tuesday for the Rock Island County Fair races the pits were crowded and the stands were just as crowded. Milo Veloz Jr drew the lucky number one for the feature start and went immediatly to the lead with Richie Smith, Jim Sandusky and Kevin Blum hot on his tail. Ken Schrader was on hand and started in twentieth spot, against some of the best Modifieds in the area. At lap three Sandusky had to retire his car with Blume following him at lap six. This brought Ray Cox Jr and Marty Thompson up with Smith to keep the pressure on Veloz.

Thompson was soon up beside Veloz challenging for the lead. At lap fourteen Thompson inched out in front, but Veloz wasn't ready to give up yet. As the two ran side by side Veloz led lap nineteen with Thompson coming back on lap twenty. Veloz inched back out front on lap twenty-one, but once again Thompson came back on lap twenty-two. Thompson led the final three laps to take the thousand to win checkers. Doug Crampton moved in to take second with Veloz holding on for third after a bobble in turn two in the last two laps. Ray Guss Jr came from twelfth to take fourrth with Richie Smith holding on for fifth.

The twenty lap Street Stock feature was just as exciting with a lot of four wide racing going on the entire race on the narrow quarter mile. Pole sitter, Buck Harmening grabbed the early lead with a fouth lap restart for a four car pile-up keeping the field tightened up. On the restart Randy Exline started putting the pressure on Harmening. As the two raced side by side for the next five laps Exline just kept getting closer and closer and finally edged out front on lap nine. Exline went on to take the victory with Korey Peterson taking second on the last lap coming off turn four. Ron Marks Jr was third with Rob Henry fourth and Harmening holding on for fifth. Unlike some of the last Sunday night races attrition didn't mean as much this race as seventeen of the twenty-one starters were still on the track at the checkers.

Results from Quad City Speedway--East Moline,Il Rock Island County Fair Race 7/18/06

Street Stock
heat one: 1. Toby Spicer--Rock Island; 2. Rick Schriner--Rock Island; 3. Dan Glover Jr--Peoria; 4. Chuck Fox--Silvis; 5. Bruce Fosdyck--Bettendorf,IA
heat two: 1. Korey Peterson--Colona; 2. Tony Sommer--Sheffield; 3. Matt Burroughs--Milan; 4. Cary Brown--Davenport,IA--Chance Huston--East Moline
heat three: 1.Dave Wadsager--East Moline; 2. Ron Marks Jr--Rock Island; 3. Buck Harmening--East Moline; 4. Nathan Balensaiefen--Princeton; 5. Andrew Chelf--Lost Nation,IA
heat four: 1. Rob Henry--Colona; 2. Chris Lawrence--Colona; 3. Randy Exline--Stockton,IA; 4. Ron Doolittle--Davenport,IA; 5. Chris Hambright--East Moline
Consi one: 1. Balensiefen; 2. Chelf; 3. Gerald Ward--East Moline; 4. Fosdyck; 5. Jim Hickenbottom--East Moline
Consi two: 1. Doolittle; 2. Matt Werner--Geneseo; 3. Brown; 4. Hambright; 5. Danny Stewart--New Liberty,IA
Feature: 1. Exline; 2. Peterson; 3. Marks; 4. Henry; 5. Harmening; 6. Werner; 7. Spicer; 8. Wadsager; 9. Balensiefen; 10. Sommer; 11. Lawrence; 12 Ward; 13. Glover; 14. Brown; 15. Burroughs; 16. Fox; 17. Hambright; 18. Chelf; 19. Schriner; 20. Doolittle; 21. Fosdyck

Open Wheel Modified
heat one: 1. Brandon Durbin--Colona; 2. Butch Weiser--Peoria; 3. Kevin Peters--Monmouth; 4. Donovan Lodge--Andover; 5. Brad Pershy--Colona
heat two: 1. Ray Guss Jr--Milan; 2. Matt Stein--Davenport,IA; 3. Jeff Morris--McCausland,IA; 4. Troy Emerick--Geneseo; 5. Ken Schrader--Fenton,MO
heat three: 1. Richie Smith--Davenport,IA; 2. Kevin Williams--Davenport,IA; 3. Jim Willert--Davenport,IA; 4. Shaune Lewis--Kewanee; 5. Bob Stogdell--Colona
heat four: 1. Kevin Blum--Colona; 2. Marty Thompson--Mineral; 3. Jason Pershy--Colona; 4. Kelly Meyer--Big Rock,IA; 5. Brian Bushong--Colona
heat five: 1. Doug Crampton--Rock Islanld; 2. Jim Sandusky--Coal Valley; 3. Thad Wilson--Moline; 4. Ray Bollinger--Kewanee; 5. Randy Christner--LeClaire,IA
heat six: 1. Ray Cox Jr--Maquoketa,IA; 2. Milo Veloz Jr--Colona; 3. Mike Zemo Jr--Geneseo; 4. Timmy Current--Bernard,IA; 5. Don Pataska--Green Island,IA
Consi one: 1. Morris; 2. Lodge; 3. John Bull--Davenport,IA; 4. Schrader; 5. Emerick
Consi two: 1. Willert; 2. Jason Pershy; 3. Lewis; 4. Bushong; 5. Erik Close--Coal Valley
Consi three: 1. Wilson; 2. Zemo; 3. Current; 4. Christner; 5. Tim Bradley--LeClaire,IA
Feature: 1. Thompson; 2. Crampton; 3. Veloz; 4. Guss; 5. Smith; 6. Morris; 7. Cox; 8. Wilson; 9. Lodge; 10. Weiser; 11. Durbin; 12. Zemo; 13. Williams; 14. Daron Oberbroeckling--Davenport; 15. Stein; 16. Schrader; 17. Jason Pershy; 18. Blum; 19. Sandusky; 20. Willert