A long and somewhat trying weekend ended on a positive note late Sunday afternoon with some outstanding feature events that highlighted the Thaw Brawl at the LaSalle Speedway in northern Illinois.
What was a scheduled doubleheader of racing for the Late Models, Ethanol Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds and Sport Mods was condensed into one Sunday afternoon show after rain overnight Friday turned the LaSalle Speedway into a mud bowl, something that the racers and fans had to deal with the rest of the weekend.
Sunday was no bargain either, with the cold temperatures and a strong biting wind that made it feel a good ten degrees colder than the low forties high that was finally manufactured. It truly was not a pleasant day to be sitting outside at the races. But a surprisingly large contingent of dirt fans, anxious to start a new season, was on hand to see the four classes in action.
Car counts showed thirty two Late Models on hand along with twenty one Ethanol(UMP) Modifieds, nineteen IMCA Mods and only six Sport Mods(one of which never did get on the track either). The two Ethanol classes qualified while the other two classes drew pills and the first race hit the track shortly after 3 pm. Qualifying saw Bobby Pierce and Frank Marshall set quick times but with the three car invert, they would not be finding themselves on the pole for their heats, unlike normal UMP events.
The qualifying heats moved by fairly smooth, the Late Models were all thrown into one sixteen car B Feature that took five, and just like that we were ready for the Late Model seventy five lap main after some track prep work.
Speaking of the track, the surface had been brutalized all weekend by the rain and wind, and now on Sunday we threw a lot of sun at it too for an afternoon show and given all those factors, I thought that the track held up pretty darn well. Sure, there were some ruts and dips but the drivers in all four classes were able to adjust and race well and there were certainly multiple grooves to race on. Keep in mind that this was also the first race of 2019 at the track and many race tracks have to deal with some opening issues with their surface, no matter how ideal the pre race conditions had been and on this weekend they had certainly been far less than ideal.
But we had a top notch field of highly decorated Late Model drivers on hand and they usually find a way to race and put on a show no matter what the conditions and that was certainly the case here on Sunday as the Late Model feature was a dandy, with much passing, side by side racing and plenty of drama that played out right until the end of the event.
There were five different leaders during the seventy five lapper, that was slowed six times by yellow but saw the last twenty nine laps go green to checkererd. Kyle Bronson led early as he pounded the cushion with Brian Shirley then taking over the top spot. Gradually working their way to the front were T. Erb, Pierce and Chris Simpson who never got off the bottom but gradually took spots as other, perhaps more flashy drivers made surges and then fell either back or out of the race.
The last thirty or so laps were a slugfest after Simpson inherited the lead when Shirley suffered a flat tire. Erb and Pierce were all over him. Simpson caught the back of the pack and then things really started getting interesting. Simpson got repeatedly hung up running low and Erb was able to shoot by him. However, Erb then jumped the cushion and Pierce took advantage to take over the lead. But then he had his share of trouble as the lower risk low side of the track also produced another back marker that slowed up Pierce with Erb blowing by him on the top side.
Erb then tucked back low for the last couple of laps and Pierce wasn't able to mount a charge on him. It turned out to be an excellent feature race with many drivers showing up some exciting moves, some which also caused them to head for the pits including Bronson and Jason Feger. Simpson ended up a close third with Dennis Erb and a steady Ricky Weiss completing the top five in a race that could have ended up with a lot of different conclusions, just depending on how things broke during the race. To this point I have not been a huge Tyler Erb fan, feeling that he was just a "throttle jockey" who wrecked more than he won but he showed some good patience and "smarts" in this race, not just a heavy right foot.
Following up the Late Model feature was a tough act but the other three features had some good moments of their own. The Ethanol main saw Frank Marshall and Allen Weisser battle it out during the opening laps until Weisser was able to take control. Once in front, he led the rest of the way in a race that was slowed six times early but they managed to race the final half of the race nonstop. Weisser, who I thought would have been a strong choice in the Late Models too, given the strong runs he had early this season but struggled with car problems and missed his heat which buried his efforts for the day, also continued his strong early season runs in the Modified too, becoming another successful Lethal chassis driver. Tommy Sheppard Jr came from mid pack to finish third ahead of John McClure and Bob Pohlman Jr. My Wisconsin friend, Paul Niznik, pulled all the way down from Medford Wisconsin for the one day show and finished sixth.
Can there be a hotter open wheel Modified driver in the country than Ricky Thornton Jr. It doesn't seem to matter what the sanctioning body and what type of motor he has under the hood, he just goes out and wins. And I most like the fact that he works the race track for everything it can give him, moving where ever on the track he can gain an advantage, whether it be high or low on the track surface.
Travis Denning was the early leader of the race while Thornton Jr moved up steadily from the third row. He settled on the high side to gain an edge and then he closed in on the leader. Just as he was ready to make the pass on the high side in turn four on lap ten, Denning pushed too hard and spun out, which pretty much ended his effort.
Thornton Jr was taking some pressure from Jeff "Bone" Larson near the end but a good move in lapped traffic gave him the advantage he needed to take yet another feature win. Justin Kay was next in line sporting a car with a roof line that the IMCA inspectors will be salivating over, I suspect.
It sounds impressive that there were drivers from three states on hand for the Sport Mod feature but then when it becomes known that there were only five of them, perhaps not so much. However, this race produced the biggest upset of the night in my mind anyway.
Tyler Soppe is a former national champion and when he came from the second row to take the lead before the field hit turn one, the rest of the race seemed to be just a mere formality. He did build up a substantial lead in a race that saw the last seventeen laps go green. However, Skyler Woods started to pick up the pace and cut into Soppe's lead gradually.
I thought maybe Soppe was cruising but soon Woods was just a few car lengths behind and still no response from Soppe to pick up the pace. Woods was soon challenging and he blew right by Soppe to take over the lead. I thought at this point, there would be a response from Tyler, but Skyler pulled away in the final laps and I can only assume that Soppe was having a mechanical issue that was holding him back.
Nevertheless, Woods drove the wheels off his car and never gave up, even when the lead was a big one and he was fully deserving of the win. Brad Salisberry finished third of the five, all of which made the full twenty laps.
So, racing was completed about 7:30 pm and those of us still around lumbered back to our vehicles, wondering among other things why our limbs weren't operating as they should. Several minutes later I finally was able to ascertain that yes indeed, I did still have feet but the number of toes was still uncertain. I was a cold, cold day and those fans that braved the cold deserve a lot of credit.
But the most credit should go to the track crew that spent the better part of three days riding graders and packing vehicles and slogging around in the cold mud, dealing with all the problems associated with the rain and yet still putting on a show on Sunday, and as a bonus for everyone that was on hand, one that will be remembered for quite some time and perhaps one of the most competitive and entertaining races of the year.
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