As promised, the SLMR Hoker Trucking Super Late Model Series moved on Saturday about an hour and a half Northeast in Iowa to the Independence Motor Speedway, located at the Buchanan County Fairgrounds. When this race was first scheduled, it was a part of the annual entertainment during that Fair but two tries later and under the gun once again, the series would try and get the show completed on this Saturday night. It was another blast furnace kind of day in central Iowa with heat and humidity to match and the teams struggled to stay hydrated as they worked under a boiling sun to get their cars ready for the Saturday night show.
There would be a full night of racing planned with six other divisions also in racing action including what seems to be the standard five IMCA classes that race at most facilities along with what they call the Inde Cars which look like outlaw Mini Mods to me.
The Late Models provided a fine field of cars with thirty two signing in to race, just down slightly from Friday night's total even though the top prize on Saturday was actually larger. There were however, a few other options for the Late Model racers while the Friday night show at Marshalltown was about the only action going in eastern Iowa on that night. Car counts in the other classes were all pretty marginal but truthfully many people were plenty happy that there would be only a couple heats and main in each class, particularly when the weather became a threat and every minute counted.
Charlie McKenna was the twenty sixth driver out for Late Model qualifying but he still managed to set the quick time of the night at 14.751 seconds. Series point leader had his miserable night start early when he had troubles in qualifying and could only turn one slow lap that would ultimately give him a last place start for a heat race. Even worse was Billy Leighton Jr's luck that would see him load up and head back to Nebraska before the racing even began.
As race time approached, it became clear that weather was going to be an issue. The storm were on the way earlier than had been predicted and it looked like the program would be hard pressed to be completed. The Late Model heats were third in the running order and they produced some hard racing and some surprises. The Modifieds were last on the running order but even before they got to run their heats, the running order was really tossed up and the Late Models came out for their two B Features, shortened to six laps apiece. And the stunning outcome of this would see both Kay and second place points driver Luke Goedert both miss the main event! However, both would join the field as provisionals and have to start at the back of the pack.
The Modifieds ran their two heat races and then it was time for the Late Model feature right away as lightning flickered off in the distance. The twenty three car field was quickly assembled and away they went for thirty six laps, have the number of the #72 that Osborn drove.
Neal would start on the outside pole and he would lead all laps and never really be seriously challenged. A couple of early yellows kept the field bunched but then they ran over twenty straight green flag laps and Neal found a line that served him well as he pulled away from the field. Tad Pospisil challenged early but then he fell back but continued to maintain second. Putting on a show was "chargin" Charlie McKenna would used the top side of the track to race up from sixth to challenge Pospisil for second.
When Luke Pestka went off the track and triggered a yellow flag, there were eleven laps left in the race. Neal would again pull away but the battle for second was tough and McKenna would drive around Pospisil to take over that second spot. Neal had built up a big lead and timing was everything as the race ended just as he reached the back of the pack and would have had to deal with lapped cars. As it was, he could keep his foot planted on the floorboards and not have to worry about that and he drove home with a comfortable margin for the win. McKenna finished a nice drive in second while Jeff Aikey made up a lot of ground, coming from thirteenth to finish right behind Pospisil and ahead of Todd Cooney. Neal collected $7,200 hundred dollars for his win, making his trip to Iowa a very lucrative one.
With the Late Model part of the show completed and the rain not yet falling, track officials went back to their original running order to finish off the rest of the show and that found Sport Mods up next for their main. This was a draw/redraw show and this allowed Olson to start on the outside pole as opposed to eighth or so, given the fact that he had won six straight Sport Mod features here in a row. Well, number seven was pretty easy as he led all the way and generally maintained a full straightaway lead over the field. Even a late yellow didn't give the competition a chance to get close to him as he won by a wide margin over Cole Suckow and Kip Siems.
The Hobby Stock feature was a nice one with it going nonstop and three drivers in the lead pack fighting for the win. Justin Hanson led for the first half of the race until Benji Irvine made the low groove work and he was able to race under Hanson for the lead. The rest of the race would see Hanson and Joren Fisher trying to get back around Irvine for the lead. They finished in a close pack but no one was able to gain a position in the late race fight.
The Stock Car feature saw three different leaders in the first six laps with Chris Luloff leading the opening lap before being passed by Jason Doyle. Doyle would run in front for five more laps before Cole Mather, who started way back in eleventh, would drive by him to take over the lead. Those three remained close together as they battled and Caden Reynolds was moving up fast too. Unfortunately, Reynolds and Luloff would get together and both would end up going to the tail with Reynolds calling it night.
Mather would go on for the win over a hard charging Jarod Weepie who made a late move up to second ahead of Doyle.
The Sport Compacts once again reminded me in no uncertain terms why this is not my favorite class. While they would run their main event off nonstop, the results were less than pleasing, at least from my stand point. Justin Hempstead would start on the pole and would lead for eleven and three quarters of a lap. However, the race was twelve laps and it you think this sounds exciting that there was a last lap pass, you didn't see the circumstances.
Andrew Bieber had started seventh and despite one trip through the infield, he really started to move forward in the field in the last half of the race. He passed Spencer Roggentier in the late going and then charged after the leader. Down the back chute on the final lap, Bieber had a big run and dove low in the corner, slamming into the side of Hempstead's car and knocking him up the track and out of the groove. Bieber then drove on to victory in his best NASCAR last lap smash and run impression. Unfortunately, Independence Motor Speedway officials wear the same set of blinders that NASCAR does and they awarded the win to Bieber, therefore not only encouraging him but everyone else that races in the class to do the same thing. However, there is just one problem. That is not racing and flat out shouldn't be allowed but it happens so often and at so many different tracks in this class. Hempstead hung on for second and Roggentier was third. No word on any post race activities.
The Modifieds finished off the night as the lightning got more intense but still no rain falling. Joel Rust made a great move on the opening lap, going from third to first as he passed both Mike Burbridge and Jerry King for the lead. And once in front and with no yellow flags to slow things down, he ran away from the field, leading by a full straightaway. Jeff Aikey made a strong drive as he raced his way up to second. Arizona visitor Austin Kuehl also made a strong run, coming from seventh to third and he was catching Aikey for second when he ran out of laps.
With not a lot of yellows and everyone pushing to move things along, the final checkered flag waved at 9:45 pm which meant that they ran twenty one races in under three hours, very impressive indeed. Both series and track officials deserve much credit for moving things along and allowing all the drivers to get their feature races in and for the spectators to see a full show. Thanks to both Justin Temeyer and Mick Trier for their help and all the other officials from both the track and the SLMR for a good night's work .
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