Kelly Shryock, Brayton Carter, Ethan Braaksma and Cory Probst. All four have been big winners this year so far in Iowa and adjoining states racing action. All have won special events and big money races even though it is only the first week of June. So when I tell you that these for drivers were the winners in feature racing action on Wednesday night for night four of the IMCA Summer Nationals at the Clay Co. Fair Speedway in Spencer, you would not be surprised. All four continue to roll on what looks to be banner seasons for them.
Wednesday was night number three of what was supposed to be a four night spectacular put on by Chinn Promotions along with Mike VanGenderen but a soaking rain that started on Monday night and lasted until around Noon on Tuesday took care any racing action proposed for that night.
Most everybody came back strong however, for the Wednesday finale that was paying the highest purses for the Modifieds, Stock Cars and Sport Mods. After consulting with the affected drivers, the Hobby Stocks were added to the Wednesday night show which was originally supposed to be for just three classes.
However, the Hobbies had supported the event with strong numbers and put on good races so the decision was made to add them to the Wednesday night show. And although some of them had other plans for Wednesday or weren't prepared to race one more night and had already headed home, a solid field of them were present on Wednesday to add to the show. In all, one hundred and twenty five drivers signed in to race in the four classes offered, including twenty five that had not been on hand earlier during the week. The Stock Car field, not surprisingly since they were racing for the highest dollars, had the biggest field with forty two of them signing in.
One who wanted to be a part of the field on Wednesday was Travis Hatcher but he had to jump through a number of hoops to get that accomplished. He hurt the motor in his Stock Car on Monday night so crews from him along with Jesse Sobbing took the motor out of Sobbing's car and transplanted it under the hood of Hatcher's car. This left Sobbing with no car to race. No problem as Hatcher got his brother-in-laws Modified brought to the track and Sobbing would drive that car. All that hard work was not rewarded however, as neither driver made it into a main event, but they tried.
The rains of the last twenty four hours left a much different track to race on Wednesday and then a scre with clouds and a few sprinkles mixed in put a scare in everyone just before race time. However, the clouds drifted past and the sun burst back out. The track was heavy to begin with but gradually slicked off as it normally does here. However, there was a large berm that built up and reappeared several times during the night, forcing the drivers to adjust for what turned out to be bumpy ride for some of the Modified drivers who chose to ride the cushion.
It was quick paced and speedy show on Wednesday. Again the drivers cooperated by putting on some very good racing battles in the heats while not triggering much in the way of yellow flags. In fact, the yellow was waved only three times during eighteen qualifying races that led to the four feature races.
Correction, that was two yellows and one red flag as Luke Silber went for a wild ride when his Modified hit the barriers protecting the exit off the back chute and he flew widely in the air before flipping and then being slammed by a couple of other drivers that couldn't avoid the flying Modified. It took a few minutes for Silber to climb out of his car and he will likely be sore tomorrow, and they did give a lift back to his pit area in the ambulance in what was likely the wildest ride of the week.
Two of the feature races were "walk overs" with the winners building up big leads while the other two came right down to the wire before a winner could be declared. Let's cover the easy wins first.
Back to back wins in the Stock Cars against a stout field are not easy to gain, but Kelly Shryock was more than up for the task on Wednesday. Again, Shryock used for what to me is a different way of getting to the front of the pack after he started eighth in the twenty four car field.
Jeffrey Abbey took the early lead but Shryock was on the move immediately as a large group of drivers raced hard behind Abbey. Two yellow flags slowed the action after just one lap was completed and by the third restart, Shryock was up to fifth. He continued to charge and got by Levi Feltman to move into second.
After the show start, this race would go green all the way to the checkers with twenty nine consecutive green flag laps. Shryock sized up Abbey for a few laps, then blew by him on the outside exiting turn four to take the lead and after that, he was gone.
With the race staying under the green, Kelly just gradually built up his advantage and near the end, until he had to back off some as he drove past some slower cars, his advantage was a full straightaway over Abbey.
Abbey was along by himself in second but there were some drivers charging to the front. Cole Czarneski used a higher line than most as he worked his way up to third but in the closing laps he got nipped for that spot by Braden Richards who had started in the seventh row with Jay Schmidt completing the top five. Shryock would earn five grand for his win.
Ethan Braaksma started on the pole for the Modified feature and his win was also a dominating one, as he led all thirty laps and was never seriously challenged for the lead. Most of the Modifieds were running the cushion for their main event which was last on the card and while it was fast up top, it was also tricky and as the race progressed, the drivers found themselves bucking around more and bouncing through the heavy berm with several losing ground after they got steered too high.
Braaksma had no such trouble however, as he maintained his lead over Brandon Beckendorf for nearly the whole race with Beckendorf comfortably in second but no challenge. Cody Laney was one of the few to make the low groove work and he was able to drive up to third from the fifth row. Jerry Flippo and Tim Ward followed him home.
Carter has been very fast this year with perhaps over twenty feature wins to his total so far this year already. And he would become the second repeat winner from Monday, although it was a difficult task for him and while fast, it again required a fortuitous yellow to help his charge.
Zach Davis led the opening lap of the feature but Jake Sachau was very fast, moving from the third row to drive past Davis and take over the lead. Meanwhile, Carter, who started eleventh, was mired in traffic and his low line, his preferred groove on this night, was badly blocked and he was having a tough time finding racing room. He was finally able to clear traffic and get to the outside, where he found some open track and he drove forward, but still not in the top five.
Here's where the gigantic break fell his way. A spinning car in turn four triggered the yellow flag, even though it got moving again almost immediately. At this point, Sachau had a comfortable lead over Davis and Josh Barnhard while Carter would line up sixth for the restart.
But my oh my, did Carter take advantage of that break. When the green flag dropped he roared to the outside and before one lap was completed, he was up to third. He dismissed Davis and then closed in on Sachau.
These two produced the best side by side racing of the night, with Carter low and Sachau pounding the cushion. They exchanged the lead at least three times with each running their own distinctive line around the track. Carter was best on the bottom in turn one and he would get a great boost shooting down the back chute. Sachau was best on the banking off turn four and each lap, he would roar up beside Carter down the main stretch. The lead varied from a car length, to two and then back to side by side.
Carter had a very small lead as the white flag was waved and Sachau knew he had to hit the cushion just right on both ends to have a chance. Unfortunately for him, he jumped the berm in turn three and it was "lights out" as Carter was then home free in what was a very entertaining event. Matthew Looft was no slouch either as he drove up from seventeenth to finish third, although he was a considerable distance behind the top two.
The Hobby Stock feature was also a good one with Kalyb Brunssen taking the early lead from the pole. He led the opening half of the race and just laps into it, the race turned into a three car battle with Probst and Blake Luinenburg battling behind him. As the race neared the halfway point, Probst was up beside Brunssen with Luinenburg literally banging on the rear bumper of Probst.
What would like have been a three car battle to the finish was ruined just at the halfway point of the race when Brunseen rolled a tire off the rim in turn one and was done as he limped to the pits. That left it to Probst to try and hold off Luinenburg who was providing a stiff challenge.
A yellow for a slowing car set up a five laps dash to the checkers and Probst got away smoothly as Luinenburg seemed to be having trouble catching him at this point. We were all expecting a wild finish with slide jobs breaking out but Probst was just fast enough that Luinenburg couldn't set him up with the duo crossing the line with Probst ahead by several car lengths. Austin Jahnz ended up third, ahead of Brandon Nielsen and Justin Frederick.
It was another smoothly run program with all cooperating and the final checkers waved just a couple minutes after 10 pm. Thanks to Trent Chinn, MVG and their assembled crew as they did a great job all week running off the programs and providing the drivers with two excellent tracks to race on.
A note on the proceedings: The Clay Co. Fair Speedway does not have any kind of scoreboard so it is difficult to provide a totally accurate report on the racing action, as occasionally I have to guess at the lap count without a board and not always able to hear J Van under the yellow.
For such a first class facility, could I implore the Clay Co. Fair Board to go out and find a sponsor that would be willing to put up a lap board? It doesn't have to be a big , fancy scoreboard but just a simple board that counts down the laps would so handy and helpful to not just me , but to the other spectators and the drivers themselves?
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