As everyone that was interested in attending dirt track racing this weekend already knows, it has been a trying time the last few days. My plans have been changed so many times by cancellations, postponements and studying the weather maps that I have lost track of where I finally decided to go(only a slight exaggeration.)
When everything settled out, I made the decision to head to Missouri and catch the opening two night show for the MLRA Late Models at Lucas Oil Speedway. Not that attending any event at Lucas Oil Speedway is a consolation prize, in fact the truth would be anything but. However, it is a long drive for me but with this being one of the few chances that I might have this year to get to Lucas Oil Speedway, I jumped at the opportunity.
Pre race planning involved lining up the warmest clothes I own and throwing on one extra layer before the races began. And in retrospect, whether it was the extra layer or the fact that with the gigantic grandstand behind me cutting the howling winds that swept across prairie helping, I was not as cold at Lucas on Friday as I had been all weekend previously at Humboldt. Of course it also helped that Lucas was done far earlier in the evening than Humboldt had for any of their three night show.
I have not been to Lucas Oil Speedway that many times previously or perhaps the fact is that I am easily dazzled. Either way, I still can't help but marvel at Lucas Oil Speedway as I walk into the pits and start roaming around the property. This still remains an amazing facility and certainly the example that other places should try to aspire to reach. From the lighting to the paved pits that extend nearly forever to the seating to the sound system to the concessions, the list could go on and on about the things that Lucas Oil sets the standard on.
Three classes were on the card for Friday night as the Street Stocks(newly renamed after being called Factory Stocks for many years) and Modifieds would join the MLRA on this night. I appreciate the fact that they didn't try to drown us with too many classes on this Spring night, such as many tracks would be guilty of. With the weather presumably cool for this time of the year, a three class program with no qualifying(thank goodness!) should be able to be run off at a prompt rate. After a late start(almost thirty minutes) caused by a wet track that was slow to come in on this cool and humid night, they did spin off the show at a quick rate. For those that were Late Model fans only, they must have appreciated the fact also that the Late Models were the second feature race run and not saved for the last event. However, for those people that wanted to visit the pits afterward, it wasn't quite so good as by the time they got there after the Modifieds were done, most of the Late Models were already buttoned up on this cool night.
An solid field of forty four Late Models were on hand for the MLRA opening event of 2016 after things got cancelled at I-80 last week. Among some of the drivers on hand that surprised me were Mars, Timms, Moyer, Gavin Landers and Chris Brown, Gundaker, Reed, Manville and a late arriving Bobby Pierce after action in Illinois was cancelled. Still, with this many cars on hand, Iowa fans must have been left wondering about the whereabouts of Gustin, the Simpsons and Utter.
I had a chance to spend a few minutes with Mars as we waited for the tech people to complete their jobs. Jimmy is on the Board of Directors at Red Cedar Speedway in Wisconsin, a club run facility at the Dunn County Fairgrounds where he first started his racing career as a fourteen year old. One of the classes they run weekly is the WISSOTA Late Models and while they field some of the toughest drivers in all of WISSOTA weekly, they have been having trouble providing even near close to a full field of cars for the past couple of years. Frankly, one of the reasons that they have trouble getting cars is that the weekly field that includes John Kaanta, Jake Redetzke, Chad Mahder, A.J. Diemel, Mike Prochnow, Rick Hanestad and Scott Gilberts along with Mars when he isn't on the road makes for some pretty tough sledding for visitors.
Mars has been working hard trying to get more drivers to move into the Late Models and for 2016, a couple of his employees at Mars Racing will be moving up from the Modifieds to the Late Models. He has also been on the phone, trying to line some eastern Wisconsin drivers for their season opening event next Friday, the Randy Buss Memorial to honor a former President of the club with a larger purse race. Jimmy reports that Nick Anvelink and a couple of other eastern Wisconsin drivers will be on hand for this race. Of interest also was the news that Mike Wedelstadt, a Modified racer from Fremont Wisconsin who will be fielding a pair of Late Models for Arizona's R.C. Whitwell. One will be for open shows and one for WISSOTA competition. I didn't ask but I would assume they will be MB Customs cars as that is what Wedelstadt races in the Modifieds for himself and Whitwell.
The track was smooth and very fast on this night. Moyer came from the third row to win his heat race and that gave him enough passing points to start on the pole. From that spot, he used the opportunity to fly away from the field as he wasn't challenged throughout the thirty lap main. His biggest job was working through the lapped traffic, as only one yellow five laps in slowed the race. But they don't call Moyer "Mr. Smooth" for no reason and he had no problems working through the traffic. Mars moved to second early but he was a straightaway behind and never closed. Drive of the night went to young Peyton Looney, who ran a strong third. One might wonder just how good this youngster could be if he had the resources that many racing far behind them had available to them. Pierce was exciting as he pounded the cushion, but that is normally his strategy. Perhaps on Saturday, if the lower groove slicks up more and the cushion remains, he could be the one to watch for the five grand top prize.
The Modified feature was a good one and even though Terry Schultz started and finished in position number one, it wasn't near that easy. Schultz and Chase Domer had a strong fight for the lead with Domer getting a nose inside Schultz several times. Johnny Fennewald and Jeff Cutshaw were also in the running and with just a few laps left, the top four were battling hard for the lead. They got into lapped traffic and a scramble saw Domer come to a halt with only one lap left.
The one lap sprint saw Schultz fight off Fennewald and a charging Logan Martin, who just might have buzzed by the entire field if he hadn't been squeezed into the front stretch wall. Schultz has been driving a very plain looking car #90 this year with no sponsors and he revealed in victory lane that the reason is that he lost his ride in the off season and he is on his own this year with no backers to this point. Perhaps an early visit to victory lane at a high visibility place like Lucas will help his search. I was expecting a bigger field than the twenty six Modifieds that signed in but perhaps that will happen on Saturday.
Twenty two of the speedway's fine looking Street Stocks signed in to race on Friday. Unfortunately, many didn't look quite so good after they got done beating on each other all night. The Street Stocks had a tough time sorting themselves out Friday and five yellow flags slowed their main event. Derek Brown started on the pole and prevailed for the entire race. As I look back through my records now, while it didn't seem so on Friday, all three winners started right on the pole of their respective mains, a product I would say was the result of the tacky track that allowed the low groove to be the fast way around the track. A little drier track might make for more racy action on Saturday.
One of the nice little things that the track provides is a very nice program that is handed out free of charge to all spectators.
Night number one of the weekend doubleheader proved to be a good one and the intensity level is expected to increase as the money offered goes up on Saturday.
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