On a very hot and steamy Tuesday, July 22nd, the Fayette County Fair in West Union Iowa opened up. Unlike many Fairs currently, this Fair does not limit motorsports activity during the Fair that is held at the track the rest of the season. Despite hosting weekly racing, many Fairs these days either restrict or rule out completely any motorsports activity during the Fair, but here they actually increase the number of races held.
Along with this Tuesday night show featuring the PRO Late Models plus three of the weekly classes, the Fair will also hold bus races in combination with Sprint Car races(an odd combination for sure) and a night featuring a IMCA Modified special, a class that doesn't even race at the track during the season along with a return engagement by the Sprint Cars. So for race fans, there are plenty of reason to attend the Fayette County Fair.
As stated, the PRO Late Models were the top attraction on this Tuesday night but along with them, there were plenty of folks that came to see the B Mods, USRA Stock Cars and hear the tunes the Tuner class provided.
The car counts were just about what you might want for a quick weeknight show where you wanted to get done early to turn folks loose on the midway or get then home early so they could come back again on Wednesday and watch the buses and Sprint Cars. Nineteen PRO Late Models, all of them from eastern Iowa or across the border into Wisconsin, signed in to race. USRA classes that race here weekly saw seventeen Tuners and Stock Cars and eighteen B Mods, just the right number for a pair of big heat races with no B Features needed.
And a quick program would be necessary as storms were building and heading toward the Fayette County area as the evening progressed. Hot laps would roll at 7 pm and by 7:22 pm it was time for racing.
It has been a while since I was last at Fayette County and quite frankly, I can't remember if the last time I was here that the wall had now been extended all the way around the track as for years the ends and back chute had no walls, just run off room for the drivers. But if not, it now has a wall all the way around the track and only one entrance off turn two, so the cars cut through the infield when done with their races and exit through the same gate they come on the track on. They are still missing one important item and that is a scoreboard as under the roof of the grandstand, it's really hard to hear the announcers when the cars are running to know laps completed etc.
This track has one of the more sandy racing surfaces in all of the state, and as such the dust does fly more often than not. However, a nice breeze from the South was appreciated on Tuesday and that both kept us clean and kept the humid air moving, thus making it not quite so miserable.
This is also one of the more vocal crowds of any around and even during the heat races they were loud in both their applause and their jeers and they waste little time letting everyone know who they like and who they don't. The heat races clicked off smoothly with few delays. The lone exception belonged to Stock Car driver Jason Schlangen who managed to spin out three times during his heat race. The first two were tagged on other drivers and he got his spot back but on the final lap he managed to spin once again without aid and saw his third place run instead end with him sitting in the infield as the rest of the heat took the checkers. He would get some revenge in the feature race though, as he did drive back up to seventh at the finish of that event.
The track was very top side dominant during the heat races and a quick watering didn't change that as the feature races rolled onto the track. The intermission was kept very short as the weather was looking more threatening by the minute.
Sixteen Tuners took to the track first for their main event and they proved to be right in pitch as their feature race saw the yellow wave only once. The all important race to the cushion where it seemed that the best speed was made was won by Nolan Lerch who beat pole sitter Josh Hills to that spot. It was then up to Hills to figure out a way past Lerch if he wanted to win.
They raced in close formation with the rest of the field funneling in behind them. While there was some battling for position, much of the field lined up single file, searching for a way to get around others.
The lap seven turn three pileup that eliminated two drivers still kept the field bunched and with the laps running down. Hills attempted to beat Lerch to the corners and slide up under him but he simply didn't have the speed needed. He made one last attempt in turn one on the final lap, it didn't work and he would settle for second as Lerch took the win. Dillon Riehle ran third the whole race and beat out Cory and Dalton Fels for that spot.
The Stock Car feature started seventeen cars and it was front row starters Brady Link and Daryl Moss that would again fight to get to the cushion first and it was Link that did so to take the early lead. He was soon joined by Mitch Hovden who started third and quickly took the second spot. Hovden put pressure on Link but as long as Brady kept his line and didn't get too high up against the block wall, it was in good shape.
However, Hovden was able to trick Link as he showed his nose low in the corners a couple times and suddenly and inexplicably, Lind changed his line and started to run low in the corners. Of course, Hovden jumped on that immediately and drove past Link, who then realized the error of his ways and got back up on the cushion but it was too late and Hovden was gone.
The rest of the race saw Link try to make up for his error but Hovden was gone and the best Link could salvage was second. Bill Scherf was running third for most of the race until he broke right near the end and this allowed Kansas visitor Rodney Schweizer to move up to third with Kevin Donlan and Lynn Panos completing the top five. Panos made a nice recovery, having wrecked on the first lap of his heat race and then being forced to start tail back in the main.
The B Mod feature has a wild finish, made even wilder by events that occurred after the checkers flew, the trophies were given out and most folks were unaware of the end result.
Kansas visitor Jake Richards started on the pole for the feature but he was beaten to the cushion on the opening lap of the feature by Tim Heins who then controlled the early laps. One of the very few drivers able to make anything happen on the low side of the track was Dan Hovden who was able to drive low in the corners, keep his speed up and actually pass others on the low side of the track.
Hovden started sixth but quickly came to the front using that rare line and while Richards was working hard on Heins for the lead, Hovden pulled up beside both of them and then drove under them down the front chute with a three wide move that saw him take over the lead.
And once in front, he pulled away to a large lead, leaving the rest to battle for second spot with Richards taking that position by mid race with Dale Schwamman moving up to third Schwamman then began to challenge Richards for second but they were far behind leader Hovden.
Things took a nasty turn for Hovden, however, as he tried to lap the slower car of John Gilson who chose to spin out right in front of the leader, with Hovden sliding into the spinner when he had no where to go. Fortunately for Hovden, his car was only slightly damaged and he was able to restart as the leader with just five laps to go.
Things proved to be tougher on the restart as Hovden had to work hard to hold off Schwamman, who had moved into second, and Richards but after a couple laps, he was able to get up to the cushion which was still the fastest line, and pull away for the apparent win despite wisps of smoke coming from his car. Drama in victory lane saw a small fire break out on his car as he parked it.
As he was interviewed in victory lane, the "leather lungs" next to me kept yelling "cheater" at Hovden. Apparently that guy was a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. Later I would check My Race Pass for the official results and I assume, based largely on the information given the tech folks by "leader lungs", Hovden was indeed disqualified from his win for a violation only Hovden and "leather lungs" know.
This elevated Schwamman to the win with Richards finishing second and Kyle Anderson receiving the third spot. All this was done after the event and no announcement was made by the track so most folks went home assuming that Hovden was the winner.
It was time for the Late Model feature was the thunder heads continued to build in the Western skies. However, much to my chagrin, it was not the Late Models that came to the track but instead the water truck and the Sorensen built track tickler to make a few laps in the low groove, apparently to try and speed up that lane and widen out the track. They did it quite quickly but I was still nervous that it might rain before we got to see the feature.
Logan Duffy and Justin O'Brien shared the front row for the twenty five lap main and it was Duffy who got the initial charge to lead after lap one. However O'Brien quickly got after Duffy and just one lap later, he was able to get under Duffy and take over the lead.
The track prep had the drivers all thinking that the low side was now the fast way around the track and Duffy kind of set the stage on that as that was the lane he was running as he pulled away.
However, back in the pack, things were changing quickly. C.J. Horn had a poor heat race and he was starting sixteenth in the main event. Perhaps out of desperation as much as anything, Horn tried the high side up against the wall as everyone else had the low line blocked. It worked immediately for him and he began a long march to the front of the pack.
The first and only yellow flew early in the race when Jeff Aikey rolled to a halt with a flat tire. At this time, Horn was not yet in the top five but was moving forward as Luke Goedert currently ran third with Ron Klein and J.D. Auringer next behind him.
Horn really picked up the pace just after the halfway point as he was noticeably faster than anyone on the track, sometimes picking off multiple cars a lap in his drive to the front. He blew past both Auringer and Klein and quickly closed on O'Brien.
With a power move off turn four, down the front chute he charged past O'Brien to take over the lead and it appeared the race was over. As O'Brien moved up the track to the cushion, it seemed that Horn had the race under control. However, lapped traffic proved to be his downfall. The two leaders caught a pair of cars that were running various lines on the track and Horn had difficultly getting past them, with O'Brien back to retake the lead and when Horn overshot the cushion and got hung up by the wall, O'Brien was able to extend his lead.
Horn's charge to the front was with risk and when he got overextended in the corners, he lost enough time that O'Brien was able to pull away and take the win. Horn certainly provided the entertainment though and he did hang on for second behind O'Brien, who's Rage chassis business is located just behind the back straightaway of this track.
Klein finished third with Auringer and Eric Pollard completing the top five.
The final checkered flag few just at 10 pm to complete an entertaining and quick show for the fans. A large crowd was on hand for the show but I would be interested to see just how many folks show for the buses and Sprint Cars on Wednesday. Thanks especially to the folks at the pit gate for their help on this night.
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