Main Street in Britt Iowa is closed off for National Hobo Days, thus making navigating around this North Iowa town a logistical nightmare. However, much more importantly to us, it also means that this is the biggest week for racing at the Hancock County Speedway, just South of town. With two big races this week and as a part of IMCA TV Week , there will be a pair of five thousand dollar to win Modified races contested this week as well as extra money on the line for the other classes that race here on a weekly basis. Starting with the Harris Clash on Tuesday and continuing through the rest of the week, IMCA Modifieds from all parts of the county will convene in North Iowa for a series of big money, high visibility races.
On Wednesday night, all eyes were focused on Britt Iowa and the annual running of the Night of 10.000* Modified event with Hancock County coming right back on Friday night for the Night of 1,000* which also pays five grand to the winner. In between, drivers and crews head just West on Thursday night for another big event at the Kossuth County Speedway, also paying five grand to the winner. This series of races in marked every year on the racing calendars from teams from all parts of the country and always produces a big and varied field of drivers.
Along with the Modifieds, IMCA sanctioned Stock Cars, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts would also be racing in their own big races with anywhere from a grand to three hundred bucks in the Sport Compacts on the line.
But the Modifieds would be the main focus. Fifty three of them from many different states were on hand to race with much smaller fields in the other four classes, so small in a couple that one wonders if they should perhaps just get the night off for an event like this and focus on just a couple of classes that would help get the show completed in a slightly less lengthy manner. But more on that later.
What we would see later would be three top notch feature races that stood out as among the most interesting seen in quite awhile with the Modifieds, Sport Mods and Stock Car main events all being exceptional.
The big field of Modifieds would be divided into five large heats and a pair of B Features which would set the running order for the main event, scheduled for fifty laps. This would be a draw/redraw show and it would seem to me, a perfect night to use passing points but I guess that just isn't in the vocabulary of track officials in this area so the draw for starting positions is perhaps the key of the whole night for racing success. The two B Features would be the size of routine main events, all leading up to the big finale. The two B's would produce some very aggressive racing and seemingly several instances of hard feelings that were carried out after the final checkered waved, as track announcer Chad Meyer so elegantly pointed out.
I believe the Night of 10.000* race has always used a three wide start and such would be the case again Wednesday. The last two positions in the feature order were reserved for drivers with perfect attendance at races so far this year at Hancock County, an interesting "hook" to keep drivers showing up each week. Innovative and effective, I'm guessing. The top twelve would redraw, there is that word again, for their starting positions in the fifty lap main, which is actually twin 25's as they take a ten minute break at the halfway point of the race for fuel and other adjustments but no tire changes allowed. I believe this halfway break is also a long standing tradition of this event and I could go into a long discussion about the merits of this, but it is a fact of life for this race, so we deal with it.
The first half of the Modified feature would see about five cars racing in the lead group and changing positions quite often. While it didn't seem like they were just cruising, the intensity level would seem to ramp up for the second half of the race.
The first attempt at the start was foiled by a spin that would send one of the favorites, Jeremy Mills, to the infield for a tire change. A Jeff Aikey stall with a flat tire would be the only other slowdown in the first half of the race. Cody Thompson would lead the first twenty five laps with Tripp Gaylord, Nick Meyer and Jerry Flippo moving around in the top five while Tim Ward was drawing much attention as he raced from twelfth to sixth by the time the break happened.
Many of the drivers were interviewed during that ten minute break by Chad and while some gave the appearance that they were just cruising during the first half, all indicated that the second half of the race would be wild.
And they would be correct. Gaylord would wait only three laps to take the lead from Thompson who would slowly fade back into the pack. Flippo moved into second and would be the primary battlers that last half of the race. Flippo would really pick up the pace and with around ten laps to go, the sliders would break out with both Flippo and Gaylord crossing each other over several times as they fought for the lead. But to both of their credit, I didn't see a single "dirty" slider thrown. Flippo would finally secure the lead on lap forty three and despite Gaylord's best attempts, Flippo would lead the rest of the way in what was a very entertaining event.
Flippo, a transplanted California driver spending the Summer in North Iowa, drove a great race as he came from eleventh to take the win. Behind those two, Kollin Hibdon came from fifteenth to finish third with Meyer and Jake McBernie completing the top five. Only six drivers failed to finish the race and everyone was still on the lead lap at the finish.
And while the Modified feature was a good one, a couple of the other classes produced racing just as good. The Sport Mod feature was outstanding too with Colby Fett and brother Alec fighting it out in a great battle that saw them exchange the lead several times. Colby would take the lead from the start but Alec would make a great charge, moving up from ninth into second by the halfway point of the race.
It would then get interesting as Alec caught his brother and the slide jobs would break out. They exchange the lead at least four times during the second half of the race with Colby finally securing the top spot with just two laps to go. Alec wasn't able to counter that last move and would settle for a very close second with Keegan Nordquist outdueling Justin Klynsma for third.
And the crowd went nuts over the Stock Car feature as they were on their feet cheering for both the drivers battling for the win. Kelly Shryock would start on the outside pole and take the early lead in a race that would go green to checkers. Shryock would build up a good sized lead until Heath Tulp would drive up into second after starting ninth. And once into the runner up slot, he would start to slowly but gradually cut into Shryock's lead.
By the lap fifteen point, Tulp was on the rear bumper of Shryock and with a bold inside move, Tulp would slip past Kelly exiting turn four, to which he would receive a solid rap in the rear bumper from Shryock. But once in front, as the majority of the crowd celebrated, Tulp would pull away as Shryock had no answer and would have to settle for second with Damon Murty coming from eleventh to finish third.
Mike Smith would lead from start to finish over a small field of Hobby Stock racers in an event that would also go green to checkers. Drew Barglof would ride the rear bumper of Smith for a number of laps, hoping for a mistake. However, none was forthcoming and Smith would eventually widen his lead and drive on for the win. Brandon Nielsen, Steve Wichman and Josh Sidles would complete the top five.
A very small field of Sport Compacts would take the green and the field would be cut even more when a big collision just as the green flag was dropped would eliminate nearly half the field. The lady drivers would take the brunt of the crash with Kaytee DeVries, Brooke Osler and Arianna Prothman all eliminated before they could make a lap.
After that, Devin Jones would cruise to the win over Max Heimbuch and Charles Prime as only four cars would finish.
While Flippo was well spoken in victory lane, a couple of the winners were talking much "smack" as apparently a long Summer of racing with the same drivers has caused some rivalries to bubble up and perhaps run over.
It would be a night that would produce some of the best and most exciting racing that I have seen at Hancock County Speedway in quite some time. The only "downer" was the late hour with the final checkered not waving until 11;30 PM. which is pretty darn late for a midweek show with many in the crowd forced to leave early with work calling in the morning, There were several very long track prep sessions that took place, with lots of "farming" involved and I am not used to seeing this at Iowa tracks. However, if that's what it took to produce a track that could provide the kind of action we saw, so be it. However, I would say if this remains the plan, I would like to see a couple of the classes left home on this night which would allow more time to focus on the main show, which on this night should be the Modifieds.
As always, thanks to Trent Chinn and everyone at Chinn Promotions for their help on this night. It was a beautiful night for racing and a nice sized crowd was on hand for this traditional show.
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