I had not been back to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa since that brutally cold opener way back in April when the wind was so strong that it felt like a knife cutting through one's skin right down to the quick, so I decided that on a much nicer July night, that it was time to retrace my steps and return to the "Monster Half Mile" in Mahaska County for another night of racing.
Jerry Mackey , the track announcer, is most often way too busy to have much time to talk at the race track, but I happened to catch him on a good night and we spent a few minutes together, sharing our observations on the racing scene so far this year from both an Iowa and Wisconsin/Minnesota perspective. We find that many of our concerns are ones shared by both entities and are not uncommon to the rest of the Midwest either. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that the weather has been a huge factor in the racing in the Midwest so far this year. Car counts and diminishing crowds are also concerns shared by both of us and promoters trying to keep their heads above water by padding the pits with more and more divisions of cars, many with only a handful of entrants in each one that doesn't seem to help the situation and only exacerbates the program of shows dragging on too long. As usual, it's much easier to identify the issues than it is to come up with solutions and since it was Jerry himself that reminded the crowd that Positively Racing is indeed just that, the discussion of the good things that are happening in Midwest racing, I better knock off this thread and move on to some of the brighter things that happened on Wednesday, July 10th.
For one thing, it appears that the Southern Iowa Speedway is hanging in there this year, despite the awful weather they have had to deal with. In fact, Wednesday night would mark only their sixth race of the entire year so far! Rainouts have plagued them, along with most other tracks in the Midwest.
However, the unique partnership that exists at this speedway seems to be working well so far. There are not many tracks around any more where the fair board actually runs the race track like he at SIS with a volunteer race committee within the board making the decisions relative to the racing. They have been able to raise the purses paid to the drivers once already this year and their top prize to the winners of several of the divisions is among the highest in the entire Hawkeye state, but to be fair it must be noted that their purse does have a "Dolly Parton" structure to it; in other words, it's pretty top heavy.
They also have a very nice year end point fund that both the drivers, through their pit passes, and the fair board contribute to on a nightly basis and to add to that amount, and make up for all the lost races so far this year, the happy announcement was made on Wednesday that two more Wednesday nights have been added to the racing season this year, with season championships now scheduled for July 31st. So good for them.
Car counts remain OK but truly they could use a few more racers in all divisions on a weekly basis, but put on a good show for the numbers that they have. I remain surprised that more area drivers don't venture out and join them on Wednesdays, particularly with the draw/redraw format that doesn't punish a driver if he doesn't want to race at the track weekly but just when possible. This format is the perfect one for that driver that wants to "pop in" on a whim or when the weather is nice.
Non winged Sprints have been added to the weekly card since I was last here, in fact, Wednesday would be only their second appearance of the year after races were rained out seven days ago. Call me a "lily liver" if you like, but non winged cars, particularly on a big half mile such as this, really give me "pause" and I am always nervous for them, even if they are having fun. Later this night my worst nightmare would be affirmed with a horrendous crash on the first lap of the first race of the night, no less. But more on that later.
Racing would start right off after hot laps on move rapidly through out the evening. Perhaps because of circumstances earlier, they didn't even take a break after the completion of the heat races but moved directly into the Sprint feature.
And we were lucky enough on Wednesday to be treated to three really good feature races among the five that were held. Of course, tops on the list was the Stock Car battle between Cayden Carter and Nathan Wood that was the last race of the night and perfect from a promoter's standpoint to have the last race one that folks will be talking about all week, as they should.
Carter was looking for a double win, having already topped the Sport Mod main when he took the early lead in the Stock Car feature. The low groove on the track was the fast way around by this time, and after Carter built a narrow lead, he was challenged by Wood. Each lap Wood would get closer and when Carter left the door open on the low side, Wood dove in and it looked to be a fore gone conclusion that Nathan would then pull away.
I still don't know how Carter was able to find traction in the middle groove but when he was moved off the bottom, he somehow was able to hold on in the middle of the track and he and Wood put on a great duel, lap after lap circling the big oval door to door. Wood should be congratulated also for racing clean and giving Carter room to his outside to operate as they continued to race side by side.
The last lap saw them in the same mode and as they came to the line, it was too close for me to call. In fact, I wrote down Wood as the winner but was totally unsure and also am not quite sure where they score the finish line as. The official call was Carter by inches and it was a race where there truly shouldn't have been a winner or a loser, and we were all winners for having had the thrill of seeing this epic contest.
Carter complete what was a fantastic night, as he had just gotten done with another epic run in the Sport Mods. He was driving the DeJong #30M car and had missed his heat race while hot lapping the car twice at the back of the pack of other preliminaries. For the Sport Mod feature, he started tail back in the thirteen car field and came screaming to the front of the pack.
With the race going nonstop, Logan Anderson had built up a big lead after starting in the front row but Carter was moving to the front like a man possessed. His move to split Dylan Vanwyk and Curtis VanDerWal, who were locked in a furious battle of their own for second, was one for the books and spectacular to watch. Once in second, he still had much ground to cover to catch Anderson and few laps to do so, but he ate up the distance and with another move to the high side in turn four, a move no one else was able to accomplish all night, he drove into the lead and won the feature going away in the first Vanderbuilt Sport Mod to hit the track.
The third top notch feature was the Sport Compacts where Trent Orwig had Brandon Allison on his trunk the whole race and had to fend him off several times to get the win. Meanwhile, Dustin Griffiths and Jonathan Hughes dominated the Hobby Stock and Sprint features respectively.
Two violent flips had the crowd holding their breath. Chuck Graves III took a horrible ride on the first lap of the Sprint heat as he got high in turn two, banged off the guardrail and then had the car cartwheel and barrel roll down the back chute multiple times. It was an ugly wreck and the non winged cars always seen to go harder than those with wings.
The rescue crew was quick to the scene and exhibited their own talents getting him out of the car quickly and into an ambulance. This all happened on the back chute and because it was out of the line of vision for most fans, that makes it even worse. The sound of an ambulance siren as the vehicle races away from the track is always scary. The latest word as I type this is available on the speedway face book page where it was reported by a family member that Chuck was helicoptered to Des Moines to ICU with a preliminary diagnosis of a brain bleed and possible broken bones. You can likely stay updated through that site.
Later, the Sport Compact feature, former winner Lewie Winkleman cut too low in turn two, clipped one of the big ute tires and that sent him on a violent barrel roll of his own as he went over five or six times in quick fashion. He, however, was able to jump out of the car on his own and walk to the ambulance and did not require a transport. His car needed two wreckers to get it off the track however. It was certainly a night filled with action, drama and close finishes and their special events next week should pack the grandstands after the word gets out on this week's entertainment.
Even with the delays, including a long one as we waited for the ambulance to return after the Graves crash, the final checkered flag waved right at 10 pm. on a night of racing action for sure. Six hours later(I seem to have made really good time for some reason), I pulled into my driveway, tired but happy that I had made the choice to tour the heartland on a Wednesday night.
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