Fennewald Repeats, Solander and King Also KOA Feature Winners

 Night number two of the fifteenth annual King of America took place at the Lucas Oil Speedway on Friday night, March 27th. Again in the limelight for the second straight night would be the USMTS Modifieds along with the USRA B Mods and Stock Cars. 

Some early morning rain rolled through the mid Missouri region leaving sunny skies and winds that had switched from the much more comfortable Southwest to howling right out of the North. Temperatures had dropped at least forty degrees from Thursday's Summer like feel and everyone was left scrambling for their heavier wear. 

One hundred and seventy one drivers would sign in to race on Friday, surprising in that just a single lone new entrant entered the B Mod racing with any other changes the result of a few drivers opting out of Friday night racing due to perhaps mechanical issues or wrecks that put them on the sidelines. 

The first repeat winner of the weekend was crowned when Johnny Fennewald won the Stock Car feature for the second straight night as much speed and perhaps just a bit of racing luck sent him to victory lane for the second straight night. 

The Hodges Team out of Kansas continued their hot pursuit of a KOA title but on Friday night it was Reece Solander, runner up on Thursday, that would win the Modified feature . 

In the B Mods, Oklahoma driver Cody King showed the rest of the field where the cushion was as he quickly moved to the lead and then drove on for the feature win. 

Other than the perhaps dramatically changeable weather, the topic of most discussion was the new format used by the USMTS to line up their heat races. Honestly though, I really didn't hear much talk from the fans about it but it was certainly by far the biggest topic of discussion by the announcing trio who covered the topic in the prerace action extensively. 

Truthfully, most fans don't care what format is used to line the cars up, they are more concerned about the races starting on time than anything. Sure, they would like to see exciting heat races and passing, but most don't have any idea how such a combination could be produced and neither do most of the "experts" either for that matter. 

And anyone that thinks that fans like time trials is really very misled. Once glance at the grandstand should answer that question quickly as virtually no one is even paying any attention to time trials and many folks, knowing that time trials are leading off the program, simply wait in their vehicles in the parking lot until time trials are over and racing is ready to start. 

Any promoter or sanctioning body that thinks they are adding to the show by offering time trials is sadly mistaken in my opinion. Time trials are strictly for the drivers, either to satisfy them or appease them in most cases. And the drivers most vocal about having time trials are the fast ones, following the human way of wanting to win as much as they can as easy as they can and to them, that means starting in front and having to pass as few cars as possible in order to take home their prize money. And if that doesn't always produce an exciting show, oh well. 

A real fan will show up for a race no matter what the format is, but they would like to see the show run off in a reasonable amount of time. If fans really didn't show up if there was no heat race passing, there would never be a fan in the stands for any big time Late Model event because we all know what their heat races look like. 

I have not seen the time trial, heat race and passing charts so I don't know exactly what the numbers are but a quick look at who started in the front of the USMTS feature on Friday night lets me make some quick observations. 

For the four cars starting in the front two rows, all timed within the top eight of the field. All four then opted to start in the back of their heat races and while all four passed at least five cars, no one finished their heat any higher than fourth. 

This lends me to believe that time trial points are very key and that passing points in the heats are much more important than the finishing points in those heats. So the formula to start up front in the features is to qualify very well, opt for the back of a heat race and then pass as many cars as possible, not worrying so much about just where you finish. 

Clearly heat race wins alone don't help much. I don't think I've ever seen a situation like occurred on Friday night before. Zack VanderBeek had a battery go bad while he was waiting to time trial and he couldn't get his car to fire. He took a push to the pits and didn't get a qualifying effort completed. So with the new format where everyone wants to start in the back of a heat race and get passing points, he ended up starting on the pole for his heat because no one else wanted that spot! He went on to win that heat but without time trial points he ended up starting in the seventh row of a B Feature and never made the main event. 

When infield announcer Trenton Berry made the point that he wasn't sure that he liked the new format because it didn't guarantee the heat winners a spot in the feature, one of the other announcers, Jeff Broeg, made an even better point when he said that with circumstances like VanderBeek's, there is no way that a heat winner in that situation should be guaranteed a feature starting spot. 

One thing not even mentioned by the announcers but I believe to be the case for the upcoming Saturday night finale where the big bucks are distributed is that I don't believe time trials will even be held as the points earned by the drivers through the first two nights of racing will determine who is automatically in the main event and where everyone else will start their qualifying events. We will now have to see if that is indeed the case or if some changes have been made in the program, which would not be unheard of. 

Friday night's format was identical to the previous night until a certain point. Promoter Todd Staley must have decided at the certain point that it was getting cold and to help out the suffering fans in the stands, the running order was changed with the Modifieds set to run their main event first. 

 Twenty five drivers started the thirty three lap USMTS feature race with provisional starter Trevor Hughes missing the race after he had trouble in his B Feature. Solander, who had the second quickest time trial run plus went from eleventh to fourth in his heat race, started on the pole and took the immediate lead. He was challenged early by Tyler Stevens and those two gradually pulled away from the field. 

Stormy Scott moved into third with Brandon Davis starting to reel him in. The race continued under the green unabated and by the halfway point, Solander had opened up some space on Stevens. Davis was on the march as he got by Scott for third and was starting to reel in Stevens for second. 

Solander caught the back of the packk and did have a bit of difficulty getting by a couple of the tail end cars. Davis continued his grind to the front and passed Stevens for second and actually started to catch up to Solander who was still struggling with one particular slower car that proved to be tough to get past. 

Finally Solander was able to clear that slower car and he was able to put just a bit of distance between himself and Davis. The race could continue under the green and go nonstop for the distance. Solander still had a comfortable lead over Davis at the finish but Brandon had showed that he was perhaps the quickest car at the end. Stevens hung on for third with Talon Willis making a steady charge from the fourth row to finish fourth. Tanner Mullens completed the top five. Only one driver failed to finish the race and only two were a lap behind. 

Cayden Stacye and Chad Clancy battled for the lead on the opening lap of the B Mod feature, the next main event to be held. Stacye was able to edge into the lead but the two continued to battle hard for the top spot. 

However, they didn't see Cody King coming as after starting in the third row, he moved to the cushion more than the others and found it to be very fast. He came flying forward and on lap four passed both the race lead challengers to sweep past them and move into the top spot. 

And once in front, he was gone, opening up a considerable distance over the field as no one was able to match his pace or make his part of the track work as well as he did. But while King was long gone, the battle for second proved to be a good one as Stacye and Clancy swapped that spot back and forth on nearly every lap, with Clancy securing the position at the halfway point. Stephen Clancy had moved up to fourth at this point with J.T. Carroll also running in the top five. 

The best battle continued to be for second as King continued to motor away from the field. However, the only yellow of the race came with just three laps to go for a spinning trio of drivers and the race restarted for a three lap dash to the finish. 

Once again King pulled away and there would be no challenging his run to the finish as he took the win. However, the battle for second continued and in fact, now included three drivers and at the line, on the final lap, Stacye came back to take secone with Stephen Clancy edging out Chad for third. Andy Bryant came from tenth to complete the top five. This was another smooth race with only two drivers not finishing in the one yellow event. 

Johnny Fennewald earned the pole position for the finale of the night, the Stock Car feature and it appeared that he would have an easy route to victory lane. And that was the case early as he took the lead after a brief battle with Rodney Schweizer who then settled into second. Kyle Falck raced up to third in the early going as the pack remained quite tight. 

A spinning car triggered the first yellow with six laps complete and Fennewald regained the lead once racing resumed. Bad luck struck Schweizer when he clipped a ute tire on the inside of the track, broke his front end and eventually called it a night. 

This moved Falck into second but meanwhile, Jeffrey Abbey and Justin Carter were putting on a show. Both had won B Features and as such, started in the seventh row of the feature but they were hard charging to the front and by the halfway point, Abbey was up to second with Carter still having some cars to pass. 

Eleven straight green flag laps would see Abbey catch up to Fennewald who was starting to adjust his racing line as Abbey closed up on him. Jeffrey then changed his own line and was just ready to make a pass on the leader when the yellow flew for a spinner with just three laps to go. 

To his credit, Fennewald then had a great restart as he put several car lengths on the field. Abbey, meanwhile, didn't get away near as well and had Carter to contend with as they raced hard for second. 

Fennewald used his good restart to control the field the last three laps and he drove home for the second time in two nights as the winner. Abbey was able to fight off Carter but had to settle for second while Falck ended up running fourth. Shayne Bailey  completed the top five in what was the third straight smoothly run feature race. 

And while things went smoothly on the track, for some it wasn't quite so smooth in the tech building as five drivers , all B Mod drivers, were disqualified during the night and this list included Thursday night runner up Jon Sheets and NASCAR legend Ken Schrader. Incorrect pull bar location and deck height seemed to be the "problem of the week" but I can't say just what tripped up those listed above. 

On Saturday night, the KoA concludes with the largest prize money of the weekend awarded including fifteen thousand dollars to the winner of the Modified feature. 

Hodges Upset Winner at KOA Wheatland Opener

 The fifteenth annual USMTS King of America race began on Thursday night, March 26th and for the second consecutive year, it was again held at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland Missouri. 

This three night event will showcase USMTS Modifieds, along with USRA Stock Cars and B Mods with those two classes beginning their Iron Man Series which will see them visit a number of tracks across the Midwest this summer, racing their own point series for prize money and point fund money. 

This would also be the first time that the USMTS season began with the KOA race as an earlier even last month was rained out in Texas, thus making the KOA even more important than ever for point chasing drivers. 

It was a spectacular March day on Thursday with the unbelievable weather from last weekend carrying over to Thursday. The rest of the weekend, however, promised a return to reality with much cooler temperatures and wind. 

Ever since this race moved to Lucas Oil last year, the car counts for this event have been very strong and such was the case again this year. Interestingly, the total car count along with car counts in each class ended up being extremely close to last year's event. One hundred and seventy six drivers representing eleven states in the three classes offered signed in to race on Thursday, three less than last year. The Modified count at sixty six was six less than last year but the B Mods were up one to sixty one and the Stock Cars up two to forty nine. It made for plenty of racing action for the fans on hand along with the tv audience on RacinDirt. 

Each night would offer a separate show with the driver's highest point total for the two preliminary nights determining their starting positions in either the feature or one of the qualifying events on Saturday night. Therefore, it made each race important for points as well as cash offered each night. 

The USMTS will again be qualifying each night with the results of the time trials setting up a new format for the heat races. Starting in order with the quickest qualifier of each flight of two, the drivers themselves pick their own starting positions for their heat races, bearing in mind that passing points from the heats would be half of the determining factor, along with the qualifying, as to who moved directly into the mains rather than running a B Feature. Strategy, luck and who is also in the same heat all play a factor in where a driver decided to line up and this will be an ongoing story as the USMTS season develops. The drivers must also hustle to the draw area to select their position as time is of the essence because racing is ready to begin and those that were tardy had a position drawn for them by management. Thursday night's heats ended up providing some surprise winners with passing at a premium due to the balance of the field and those kinds of strategy, track conditions etc. will all play a part in decisions made for upcoming races. In fact, points were so tight on Thursday that four of the six USMTS heat winners had to still run B Features and one ended up not even making the main. 

Other format changes included no redraw of the top point earners in any class so the driver earning the most passing points in the heats would start on the pole for a feature race. The "Choose Cone" is now a thing of the past, and that is something I kind of enjoyed watching to see the strategy it offered played out, but apparently management didn't like it and it got ash canned. After a couple of weeks of watching the "no fault" rule in play, it was good to see race management send drivers to the tail for over aggressive driving and move the offended drivers back to their previous running positions, such as I see at home all the time. 

Multiple heat races for all three classes plus at least two or three B Features for the big fields were required to set the running order for the three main events and as usual for such a big race, there were plenty of excellent drivers and teams that had to watch the feature races from the sidelines as the competition was brutal. 

The Stock Car feature would roll out as the first of the three main events after the track had been refreshed after the completion of the B Features. The track was in good shape all night, smooth and becoming black slick as the events added up on its surface. Most drivers were using the low and middle lines in the corners with not much rim riding on Thursday. Track officials were touting the newly redesigned turn three and four area where the banking now carries right up to the wall with no "shelf" on the outside of the track but we didn't see much wall banging so it was hard to tell just what kind of factor the new corner will be. 

Andrew Inman earned the pole for the Stock Car feature but it was William Garner who came off the top side of the track to take the early lead. Debris on the track stopped the action before one lap could be completed so it was a "do over" which Garner again led. 

However, on the move after starting third was Johnny Fennewald and he quickly closed in on Garner and indeed, swept past him on lap four to take over the top spot. Fennewald then began to pull away from the field, opening up a strong margin and adding to it as the laps ran off. Garner got passed by Shayne Bailey for second but he didn't give up and in fact fought his way back past Bailey by the halfway point for second. 

After the first lap slowdown, the race settled in and in fact, the last nineteen laps of the race stayed under the green which was a benefit to Fennewald who got in a groove and just pulled away from the pack. At the finish, he had considerable distance on runner up Garner with the other #7 driver Bailey running a close third. Mason Martin started seventh and drove up to fourth with Jeffrey Abbey putting on a show as the Texas driver came from sixteenth to complete the top five. Only two drivers failed to finish the feature and all were on the lead lap at the finish. 

It was interesting to note that when this class was first started at Lucas several years ago, the local drivers were, quite frankly, not too good and generally got beaten up by the travelers but not so much any more as the top four finishers were all drivers from the local area that put laps in here on a regular basis. 

The B Mod feature proved to be a good three car battle for the win that started right from the beginning of the race and carried all the way to the final checkered flag. And it again was two local drivers that battled it out for the win. 

Jon Sheets and Kris Jackson shared the front row and Jackson drove deep into turn three to take the early lead. Sheets was right on his tail and pressuring hard for the lead with Tim Karrick slipping into third. 

Jackson continued to hold the top spot but Sheets was all over him, trying on each lap to slip under Jackson and then beat him to the cushion where Jackson seemed most comfortable. Meanwhile, Karrick rode on the low side while looking for an opening. The lone yellow of the race broke up the action one lap past the halfway point. 

On the restart, Sheets selected the high side but got a terrible restart as he slipped back with Karrick moving into second and Sheets driving hard just to maintain a spot behind him. As Jackson moved away, Sheets really got up on the wheel and repassed Karrick who preferred to continue to run the low side. 

The last few laps saw Sheets again pressure Jackson, looking to his inside on every corner and trying to slide up the track and beat him to the cushion but Jackson always fought him off and Sheets didn't get carried away and try something wild. 

Sheets made one last run on the final lap but again, Jackson had him covered as he drove on for the win with Sheets and Karrick both close behind him. 

Meanwhile, Josh Cain had made a strong drive of his own, coming from thirteenth to race up to a close fourth place finish, edging out Dawson David who had run in the top five throughout the race. 

The USMTS Modified feature turned out to be a great event for the Hodges Farms and Dredging Team as then managed to finish back to back for the win. Even more significantly, the drive to victory by Gabe Hodges was his first ever USMTS feature win and he earned it with a tough drive over his team mate Reece Solander and Tyler Davis. 

Davis earned the pole and led the first three laps of the race with Hodges and Harley Dais his early challengers. Davis was running the middle groove and Hodges up one lane and that proved to be the fast route as he drove around Davis on lap four for the lead. Shortly thereafter, the race got bogged down with three yellows for minor spins that kept the field bunched. 

By the halfway point of the contest, Hodges continued to lead while Solander had worked his way up to second and the driver on the move was Tanner Mullens who had started eleventh but was up to third as Davis fell back slightly. 

Those were the top three as the race moved into its second half with a lap seventeen yellow for a spinning Stormy Scott slowing the action once again. On the restart, Mullens made a great move as he used the low side of the track to drive under both Solander and Hodges and take over the lead. The yellow again packed the field and to Hodges' credit, he made his own charge that saw him move back and challenge Mullens for the lead. 

In fact, right before the yellow waved one last time with twenty two laps completed, he edged past Mullens to again be scored the leader. The eight lap sprint to the finish saw Hodges have to battle off the charge of Solander lap after lap. The yellow hurt Mullens deeply and he didn't get up to speed after the restart, lost several spots and eventually pulled off the track. 

Solander drove up the track off each corner, trying to slip past Hodges but he gave him room, as team mates should do and Hodges had enough speed to fend him off. They finished in close formation but Hodges brought home the important win for himself. Davis fought his way back up to third at the finish and Rodney Sanders, who seemed to be fighting his way from the back all night, charged up from twentieth to finish fourth with Brandon Davis coming from twenty fourth to complete the top five. Only five drivers failed to complete the race and all drivers were on the lead lap at the finish. It was an excellent night for Kansas drivers with them occupying the top three positions at the finish. 

Head Tech Inspector Darlo Mulder announced that the inspections, despite it being early in the year, would be thorough and in fact, four drivers, two in each open wheel class, lost qualifying spots for the main when they failed post race inspections. 

It was a long night of racing but there were no delays except for the track prep for the features that was deemed necessary. The races came out in prompt fashion and there truly weren't many yellows all night except for the Modified feature. The first race hit the track at 7:31 pm ( no matter how smoothly they run, time trials do take valuable time) and the final checkered waved at just about Midnight. It was great to hear out own Jeff Broeg as one of the three announcers for the show on this night and he did a fine job with it sounding like he will be expanding his announcing duties this year beyond just the Sprint Invaders Series. 

Inman Impressive In Park Jeff Modified Victory

 Someone please slap me! I must be in dreamland. It is just after 4 pm on Saturday afternoon, March 21st and I am sitting in the grandstands at the Park Jefferson International Speedway near Jefferson South Dakota. They are ready to drop the first green flag on day two of the Battle at the Park and it is 94 degrees, the wind is blowing like a hurricane, the sun in blazing down and I am sweating like a pig! This can't be real!

But in fact, it was. Who in their right mind would expect that these kinds of weather conditions would be prevailing at any track across much of the country on this day? And while my body and mind are not prepared to properly handle this kind of warmth so early in the season, I refuse to complain. I suspect when I look back at this event later, I will marvel the fact that I was able to sit for a full racing program in mid March in South Dakota and never even consider putting a coat on. This was truly one for the record books. 

Day two of the Battle at the Park brought out a great crowd of fans to partake in the early season program and a much larger field of drivers was also on hand for Saturday. The combination of Saturday being a little easier for some to get to the track plus extra money and great weather saw forty two drivers added to the sign in sheet for Saturday and well over one hundred and sixty different teams participate in the two night show. It was a very good turn out for this first time event and a good start to the racing season here in the Siouxland area. 

A full program in all five classes that raced on Friday night would again be held with extra money on the line for all classes and a few extra feature laps for all classes too. It was an eventful day(early start) and night of racing with some surprises, some excellent drives, some hard feelings and a disqualification all thrown in to stir the pot. The running order was changed up for night two with the Sport Compacts racing first instead of last and the Hobby Stocks being booted to the tail of the running order. 

Heat races started off the afternoon with the draw/redraw format used once again. The fields were large enough that B Features were required for both the Sport Mods/B Mods and Hobby Stocks. All other classes started all cars still running after the heats. 

Nineteen Sport Compacts started off the feature parade of events with Justice Limoges taking the lead for only one lap before he was passed by Justin Best for the lead. Those two continued to race hard for the top spot, remaining tightly battling as Travis Roush, Drake Bohlmeyer and Tyler Thompson moved into the top five runners by the halfway point. 

One lap past the halfway signal, Limoges made a repass to take over the lead and just one more lap later, the first yellow of the race came out when Best slowed with mechanical issues. Bohlmeyer had gradually worked his way forward and he moved into second as the race was restarted. 

Leader Limoges got all crossed up on the front chute when racing resumed and while he bailed out his car, several other drivers tangled, the race was slowed again and this time it was Bohlmeyer that was scored as the leader. 

With only two laps left, Levi Volkert became the big challenger as after finally cracking the top five on lap thirteen, he continued to charge forward and was up to the rear bumper of Bohlmeyer for the final sprint to the finish. He gave it a shot but Bohlmeyer maintained the inside line and drove on for the win. Roush hung on for third with Jackson Black and Brooke Osler completing the top five. 

The Sport Mod/B Mod field was the largest of all the classes and it took a good run just to make the twenty four car starting field. Geoff Olson started on the pole and led the opening four laps. Jonathan Jensen was trying hard to keep up with Olson in the early going but the driver on the move was Chris Abelsen. 

After getting DQ'd last night from his second place finish, he was back in a Rusty Montague back up car again on Saturday and looking to do some damage. He started seventh but was making the low line work and by lap five, he slipped under Olson to take over the lead. From that point on, the race was for second as Abelsen pulled away from the pack. 

Jensen continued to hold second but Tim Bergerson was having a strong run. He started seventeenth on the grid but by the halfway point was up to third. He was making the low side also work for him and with only two yellows to aid him, he was passing a lot of cars. 

The last eighteen laps of this race ran green to checkers and Abelsen was comfortably in front. Late in the contest, Bergerson made the pass for second and that proved to be a very important gain. Because long after the fact and with few fans on the grounds even aware of the situation, Abelsen scored a perfect weekend as for the second straight night, he was again disqualified, this time losing the win. 

Bergerson, the Minnesota driver, went home with twelve hundred dollars for his efforts and the official finish saw Jensen second, followed by Hunter Poston who started twelfth, Jake Smith and Brayden Shepherd. 

The Stock Car feature saw the track start to lane up on the inside and pole starter Travis Barker took full advantage of this fact, leading all twenty two laps for the win. After a first lap spin, the rest of the race was run off with just a single yellow and the running order did not change much for the whole contest. 

Barker was guarding the inside line with Mike Albertsen right behind him, waiting for a mistake. Several times Albertsen was able to get a nose inside Barker off the corners but Travis had enough speed to fight off "Wahoo" down the chutes. Albertsen continued to pressure right up to the finish but Barker was making no mistakes and he drove on for the win. 

Albertsen played it clean, took what he could and settled for second. Late in the race, Dan Mackenthun moved up to third and Curt Lund got as much out of the track as he could, moving up to fourth after starting in the sixth row with Kaden Reynolds completing the top five. 

The Modifieds got a reworked track but it still raced much like it had earlier with the inside line still the way to go for most. Tyler Inman drew the pole and the Altoona Iowa driver then led all twenty two laps to score the victory and take twelve hundred and fifty bucks back to central Iowa. He was under the gun the whole race with much of the pressure applied by last night's winner Jesse Dennis. Dennis continually tried to get under Inman but he held sway through three yellows that slowed the pace.

Matt Bonine had the crowd fired up as he chose to try and ride the cushion to the front after starting in the fourth row. He almost made it happen until he got just a bit high and almost went off the end and after that, the top dried out and than lane was no longer viable. 

Late in the contest, Izac Mallicoat, who had patiently worked his way to the front, found himself second for the final restart and he gave it his best effort, but Inman made no mistakes and gave no opportunities as he drove on for the win. Dennis settled for third with Brian Mahlstedt and Jason Schneiders following. 

I believe Inman to be a rookie driver in the Modified class and if so, he is off to a great start after having also had solid runs last weekend in Beatrice. 

The Hobby Stock feature completed the racing show and this was a wild one with multiple yellows, much slamming and banging, black flags waving and upset competitors after the race. 

Kalyb Brunssen got a wrap on his car overnight to change it's looks and he the led the opening lap of the twenty lap finale for the Hobby Stocks. However, he could only hold off Zach Ankrum for a single lap before Zach snuck past him for the lead. Eric Knutson was on the charge with what appeared to be a new car he was debuting until he spun and triggered the second of what would be five yellows. 

Ankrum continued to lead but on the move was last night's hard luck competitor Cody Malacek as he moved into second ahead of Brunssen. On lap seven, Malacek drove past Ankrum to take over the lead while at the same time, a driver to watch was Nick Ronnebaum who had started way back in row six. He was up to fifth by the halfway point of the race and still moving forward. He had found a second line around the track that allowed him to pass cars on the tall side of the track and after a lap twelve yellow, he made a bold move on the outside and drove past Malacek to take over the lead. 

But wait a second, the yellow flew and the pass was disallowed. And things went far downhill on the restart as Ronnebaum, who selected the outside line, was moved up to the wall by overaggressive driving on the green by Brunssen that triggered a multicar wreck and slowed the action once again. Brunssen was shown the black flag and he and Ronnebaum exited the track banging into each other. 

The last six laps saw Malacek turn smooth laps and not give any openings as the fourteen year old drove on for the win. Joel Magee, who was pretty quiet all day, patiently worked his way forward after starting thirteenth and he found himself in the runner up slot at the finish, nosing out Ankrum. Wyatt Johnson and Knutson, who had worked his way back up using all the yellows to his advantage, completed the top five. 

All racing was completed just before 9 pm. They continually apologized for the track conditions and needed track prep but they didn't need to apologize for anything as far as I was concerned. They were dealing with extraordinary weather conditions that any track, any time of year might struggle with. And considering it was the season opener, I thought the track to be smooth and as racy as was possible for a track that is well known to be a very icy surface to race on. 

There were some issues with drivers not realigning themselves well and taking too long under yellow. It will be up to Race Director Trent Chinn to reign some of these "cowboys" in a bit and they might need to use the black flag a bit more to cut down on the rough driving. There have been some issues with instances of over aggressive driving here over the years and I did note a Police Car, with lights on flying into the pit area as I was leaving.  What the circumstances were, I can not say. 

Thanks to Chinn and all the other staff members working the opening weekend and also to take owner Wayne Becker. 

Jesse Dennis On Top of Battle at the Park, Night One at Park Jeff

 Jesse Dennis was the winner of the IMCA Modified feature on opening night of the Battle at the Park, the lid lifting doubleheader for racing at Park Jefferson International Speedway near Jefferson South Dakota on Friday night, March 20th. 

What a strange Spring this has been of late. With temperatures in the 80's today and it being predicted to be perhaps at least ten degrees warmer yet tomorrow, one has to slap one's self in the face to remember that this is only the middle of March and the first official day of Spring! When this race was first advertised on the 2026 schedule, how many folks actually believed that it would be held at all, and certainly not like this where we roam the pits in t-shirts, and yet, here we are. 

Of course, one person's pleasure is often another person's problem and while we are basking in the fantastic sunny weather. across the Missouri River in Nebraska they are worried about the whole state going up in flames with many wild fires burning out of control and already crops and cattle lost in great number. We are in a unique geographical part of the USA where the Big Sioux River meets the Missouri and we can have drivers on hand from three states but yet none drove more than ten miles to get here!

The Battle at the Park marks the official debut of Trent Chinn as Promoter and Race Director at Park, having been named to that post over the Winter by track owner Wayne Becker. It did seem a bit strange seeing Trent up in the tower instead of working the track like he does at  both Spencer and Alta, tracks where he also runs the show. 

The Battle at the Park saw all five classes that routinely race at Park on hand, minus the Late Models which I believe race here on a every other week basis. The Sport Compacts and Modifieds were IMCA sanctioned while the Hobby Stocks and Stock Cars were allowing both USRA and IMCA rules to be run although the number of non IMCA cars was very small. Interestingly though, several of the USRA B Mods converted their cars over so as to run with the IMCA Mods. 

Where the biggest mix occurred was in the Sport Mod/B Mod where there were a considerable number of both USRA B Mods, most from the Sioux Falls area and also some WISSOTA Midwest Mods, anxious to get some racing in while the tracks up North still dry out. Those three groups proved to be very compatible and also produced a dandy feature race. 

Improvements continue at Park Jeff with the suite area, which is a left over from the old dog track indoor seating, having been renovated and shown off for the first time. Many new bleacher boards were put in to replace the old rotten ones, track lighting was updated and a new p.a. system produced among the clearest sound of any track around. I am also overlooking perhaps some other improvements but the point is, money is being spent to upgrade the facility on a continuous basis. 

Kudos to Trent and everyone that had anything to do with track prep as the high banked third mile was a smooth as could be and it ended up racing just as slick as some of the drivers told me that it would be as it turned into a veritable ice skating rink where horsepower was not the key ingredient. 

One hundred and eleven drivers signed in to race on night one, a number that I thought might be just a bit higher but the biggest money comes with Saturday's show so we will likely see a number of additional drivers tomorrow. The biggest car count was in the SM/BM where there were enough to warrant a B Feature with all drivers qualifying for the main in the other four classes. Draw/redraw, a formula favored by IMCA tracks since time started, was in effect. 

I thought there might be a few more drivers on hand Friday but when I looked at a few other tracks that I was monitoring this weekend, I saw that Park Jeff was actually sitting pretty good compared to them. So I'm assuming that many teams just aren't ready yet and thought these races would never take place. 

Cars were racing by 6:40 pm and the heats went quite smoothly, helped by the one spin rule. Track prep took place then followed by the SM/BM Semi and then it was feature race time. The feature races turned out to be a mixed bag, with three that were not settled until the very end, one where a mechanical failure made all the difference and one that had a terrible time staying under the green. And the tech shed spoke also, with a pair of top five finishers not meeting specs in their classes. 

Hobby Stocks were up first and this main event was the only one to go nonstop green to checkers. This was also the race where a mechanical failure played the biggest role in the outcome of the race. Cody Malasek started on the pole and he immediately pulled away from the pack of twenty. He built up a lead of nearly a full straightaway over Steve Taylor and Travis Landauer by the halfway point of the contest. 

Malasek was in complete control and had no challenges, that is until his right rear tire decided to go flat on him and and just that fast, he was out of the race and Taylor inherited the lead. Taylor would then fight off a late challenge from Kalyb Brunssen in a borrowed ride to take the win. Landauer, Wyatt Johnson and Zach Frye completed the top five after Eric Clab failed to pass inspection and lost fourth spot. 

Perhaps the best race of the night was the SM/BM feature that saw some great racing action and plenty of excitement. Caleb Woodard started on the pole and led every lap of the feature but that says so little about what really happened. Woodard built up a little lead in the first half of the race that ran off nonstop as Jake Smith and Chris Abelsen battled for second, Abelsen in a second car for Rusty Montague. 

Several time Abelsen got to the inside of Smith but just couldn't complete the pass. The first yellow flew for debris at the halfway point and then after, three more times in the next three laps which kept the pack bunched. 

After that, Woodard and Smith pulled away from the pack and engaged in a great and entertaining battle. Smith threw sliders once and sometimes twice a lap at Woodard but each time, Caleb would cross him over and hold on to the lead. They did this lap after lap and I don't think they ever touched on a track that was prime for "slide job city" type of action. 

Smith did everything he could do under the laws of the land to get past but just couldn't get enough bite off the corners after he slid Woodard and tried to pick up speed again. On the last lap Woodard stayed low in the corners and Smith tried to drive around him but came up a car length short in a highly entertaining race. Abelsen was the third car across the line but was then the second to fail tech for the night, losing the spot as Brayden Ahlers, Hunter Poston and Brayden Shepherd completed the top five. 

The Stock Car feature produced a great finish after Curt Lund and Kaden Reynolds battled it out for virtually the entire race with also Mike Albertsen being a part of the action until the end when he fell back a bit. 

Lund used the outside pole to get the early lead with Reynolds and Albertsen falling in line behind them as the three pulled away from the pack. They ran in tight formation for most of the race after Lund gapped the field early but several yellow flags brought the field back to him after which the battle raged. 

There were two distinctive fast lanes, right on the bottom and right on the top and Curt would vary his line on almost every lap, depending on what each line produced for him and how far the competition was behind him. One late yellow set up a four lap finish and while Albertsen slipped back just a bit, it was up to Lund and Reynolds to settle things. Reynolds made a strong run off the bottom of turn four to lead the "two to go" flag but then Lund raced off the banking on the white flag lap to edge back in front. 

They raced side by side down the back chute on the final lap and it was Reynolds that edged out Lund by about a half car length to claim the win. Albertsen settled for third and after a great battle of their own, Jason Fisher edged out Ryan Harris for fourth. 

Other than the win by Jesse Dennis, the Modified feature was not one to be remembered except in perhaps the wrong way. There was not much good that happened in this race which seemed to last forever. 

Matt Bonine started on the pole and he was saved several times as the leader in the first few laps with the yellow waving six times in the first three laps as no one seemed capable of handling the slick conditions. 

During these yellows, communications problems caused by bad radios kept the field circling the track for what seemed like forever before officials were able to sort things out realign the cars  and get the race going again. Track officials even resorted to single file restarts in an effort to keep the race moving. 

Dennis, who started sixth, was finally able to pass Bonine on lap five and after they actually were able to get some racing in, things clicked off fairly smoothly but the running order didn't change much over the rest of the way. 

Dennis maintained his lead over Tyler Iverson, who had worked into second by the halfway point of the race, and then drove on for the win. Bonine held on for third with Shane DeMey coming from seventeenth to finish fourth ahead of R.J. Merchant who had come from the back after spinning once. 

The Sport Compacts had the smallest field of drivers but they put on a good race. Gilbert Aldape was scored the leader of all fourteen laps but that was a bit misleading as he was challenged on virtually every lap by Brooke Osler. Aldape was hugging the inside line but Brooke was challenging on nearly every corner, pulling up to the outside of Gilbert but not quite being able to make the winning pass.

She was also able to get inside Aldape at one point but again, Gilbert had just enough to hold her off. The final lap saw Brooke try one more time on the outside but again Aldape held her off, winning by a half car length. Mike Vogt finished third with Alyssa Thies and Jackson Black next in line. 

In his victory lane interview, Aldape was asked when he would have his Sport Mod, which he has, on the track but he said only when he was more comfortable in the car. He then admitted that he enjoyed winning and that is what keeps many successful drivers from moving up when they should, the knowledge that they probably won't win as much as they are used to. We see this time and again. 

All racing was completed by about 10:30 pm and there was a very nice Friday night crowd on hand for the opening night action. 

Stigge Repeats In Beatrice Spring Nationals

 It was a windy but beautiful Saturday as the thirty third annual  Spring Nationals wrapped up on March 14th at the Beatrice Speedway in Beatrice Nebraska. Another full show was held in all five IMCA classes competing with nearly two hundred teams on hand to compete. 

The only driver to score a clean sweep of the weekend's activities was Hobby Stock driver Brandon Stigge who charged up from the fifth row and made a late race pass, seemingly coming from no where to take the lead and win. Other winners including Jason Saathoff who drove a stellar race to come from the fifth row to win the Modified feature and Cole Wayman who wired the Sport Mod main event. The Stock Car feature was another brawl, just like Friday, with a surprising turn of events deciding the winner as Kyle Vanover and  Kiowa Higdon who crossed the line second but was awarded the Sport Compact win when the apparent winner failed technical inspection. 

With a planned early start on Saturday moved up even further to beat an incoming storm packed with wind and moisture, it was a race day that saw a changing and challenging track provided to the drivers and much of their challenge was to race the track provided for their mains, even as the track changed for nearly every race. 

Fourteen additional drivers signed in to race on Saturday with a total of two hundred and thirteen different teams racing over the course of the two nights. And one of the Saturday night winners turned out to be a driver that wasn't on hand for Friday night action. Saturday's program saw the stakes raised in all but the Sport Compacts and five additional laps for the main events. 

Despite winning on Friday night I don't think many had Stigge on their card as the winner of the Hobby Stock feature, especially after he started the main from the ninth position. Trent Matson, who started from the pole position, led the first three laps of the race but he was passed on lap four by Tyler Huss, who had started in the second row. 

The first yellow flew with ten laps complete and by that time, Friday night runner up Nick Ronnebaum had moved into the second spot. Huss and Ronnebaum then engaged in a hard fought battle for the lead with Huss continuing to hold the top spot but under heavy pressure. Two more yellow on following laps kept the field bunched and when racing resumed, the two leaders got tangled together while they were battling for the top spot and Stigge, who had worked his way up to third, shot past both of them on the high side to suddenly appear as the leader. 

Once Stigge got in his groove, he would prove to be uncatchable and despite Ronnebaum pushing to try and catch Stigge, the scenario from Friday night would continue to play out, however on Saturday Stigge was able to keep just a bit more of an advantage as he drove on for the win. Huss would settle for third ahead of Dan Nelson and Austin Jahnz. 

Saathoff drove perhaps the race of the night as after starting ninth on the grid, he gradually worked  his way to the front and when his opportunity appeared, he jumped on it to make a pair of decisive passes to take the win. 

Early on there was a battle for the lead with Bryson Yeager, who started on the inside of row two, slipping to the inside of Shawn Harker to take the initial lead. Adam Wasserman and Harker put the pressure on Yeager and on lap seven, Yeager slipped up the track and Harker dove under him to take over the lead. 

Harker continued to hold the lead with most of the front runners settling in on the low groove of the track. However, Saathoff and Jason Grabouski both moved to the second line and both made headway, with Saathoff particularly finding the second lane to be an advantage. He quickly  moved to the fourth position by the halfway point of the race and as the pack ran in tight formation, he really began to advantage. 

While the top three drivers continued to hug the bottom, Saathoff made the second lane work and he was spectacular as he drove past Troy Morris III, Yeager and then Harker to take over the lead. Grabouski was also close behind and he would eventually drive up to second. 

A late yellow set up a two lap dash but Saathoff was up to the challenge and he kept Grabouski behind him to take the win after coming from the fifth row. Grabouski really passed drivers as he started sixteenth. Completing the top five were Harker, Jeremy Mills up from eleventh and Yeager. 

It was another wild Stock Car feature, perhaps even more explosive than the Friday night race had been. However, the main characters in the race were the same as it was Jesse Sobbing and Grabouski that once again went at it for the win. 

Sobbing drew the pole position and took the early lead but he slipped up the track on lap three and Grabo was right there to take over the top spot. After that, it was a lap by lap battle with Sobbing trying both high and low to get past but being unsuccessful. However, there was a third player as Kyle Vanover, who started eighth, moved into contention. 

He and Sobbing exchanged the second spot on multiple occasions while they ran right on Grabouski's rear bumper. Multiple yellow flags kept the field bunched and on each green, the top three would again go at it, with plenty of close racing and a bit of rubbing perhaps also. 

Things got explosive following a lap twenty one yellow that immediately followed a two race battle where Grabo and Sobbing had exchanged the top spot. On the green, things got very tight in turn one with the three leaders packed together. Grabo found himself spinning in front of the pack with perhaps some help causing the spin. The yellow flew, Sobbing left the track with a flat front tire and Grabo also left the track in a snit after he was told he would have to go to the tail. This prompted some off track activity with much foot traffic and officials heading for the "hot spot." 

Vanover inherited the lead and he held off a charging Damon Murty for the win. The rest of the top five really got shuffled at the end with Lance Borgman third ahead of Doug Holzmeister and Zach Bohlmeyer. 

Perhaps the most dominant performance of the weekend was pulled off by Sport Mod driver Cole Wayman. He started on the outside pole and simply drove away from the pack in his "plain Jane" looking X car and while it looked a fancy look, it definitely had plenty of speed. The first twenty laps of this race went green with Wayman ahead of Tyler Nerud, Cam Reimers, Adam Armstrong and Brayton Carter. The top five managed to stay in the same running order until Nerud, pushing to catch the leader, spun by himself and triggered the first yellow. 

Wayman didn't let the slow down bother him and he pulled away from the pack again as he drove on for the win. Armstrong, Reimers, Carter and Trevor Noonan finished behind him. 

I had been thinking that it had been a quiet weekend in the tech area. There was only one disqualification going into the last race of the weekend and typically, with this many drivers and lots of new cars, there generally are a few slip ups that are caught by the tech folks. Well, unfortunately for the apparent winner of the Sport Compact feature, there was a problem with his winning car.

Twenty seven Sport Compacts, all that were still running, started their fifteen lap feature race. Kaden Murray, who started on the outside pole, took off strong at the beginning and took the early lead. Only four laps were completed before a violent crash on the back chute saw Josh Lamreau flip wildly. Fortunately, he was uninjured. 

The restart saw Murray again pull away from the field, opening up nearly  a full straightaway lead over Kiowa Higdon. Tobey VanLaningham ran in second at the halfway point. The field got strung out with a number of slower cars presenting a traffic situation that Murray was able to handle. A three legged car, missing a rear wheel, even made a few laps before finally pulling off. 

The last thirteen laps of the race went nonstop and Murray crossed the line as the winner by a considerable distance over Higdon. However, the tech folks stay had to have their "look see" and they apparently didn't like what they saw,  as the post race finish shows Murray being disqualified and Higdon inheriting the win. Brandon Carmichael, Gilbert Aldape, Jackson Black and VanLaningham completed the adjusted top five. 

An excellent crowd was on hand on Saturday for a well run show and with local and area drivers dominating the action, the local fans went home happy. I did also, having finally broke my string of back luck, weather wise, at this track. Thanks to J Van, the Beatrice Race Committee and all the track workers . 

This evening would find me trying to outrun a blizzard to get back home before the weather exploded. This is not the first time I have had to do this for early Spring races, but the first time in quite a few years. However, this time I didn't quite make it and had to "hang out" for a few hours in north Iowa until the plows came through. That is my explanation for the late report. The final score, by the way, was twenty four cars and twelve semis in the ditches between Clear Lake Iowa and my mail box including one that spun out right in front of me just five miles from my house. Wow, you just never know. 

Grabouski Tops Beatrice Spring Nationals Opener

 On March 13th and 14th, the thirty third annual Spring Nationals was held at the Beatrice Speedway at the Gage County Fairgrounds in Beatrice Nebraska. I had been trying to attend this race for at least the last couple years but they have been plagued by bad Spring weather, having to reschedule the race seemingly every year and that has not worked to my benefit. 

However, 2026 would break the mold on that difficulty as relatively great weather would be the case in the weeks and days leading up to the event and there would be no question this year that the race would be held. 

A reverse problem was in effect this year with a "red flag" warning for the entire area as bone dry conditions and of course, the strong Spring winds in Nebraska have left a very serious fire threat to most of the state. In fact, folks arriving from the North on Thursday for practice night had to be detoured because a large grass fire very near Beatrice caused highway 77, the route off the interstate to Beatrice, to be closed. The blackened remnants of the fire could be seen on Friday but no such repeat occurrences happened, even though it was another breezy day with the wind finally abating after sunset. 

One hundred and ninety seven drivers signed in to race on the opening night in the standard five classes that IMCA typically offers. One nice thing for me is that this race brings a mix of familiar names and teams plus many from the Nebraska and Kansas area that I don't regularly get to see in action. Plus there are always some early season drivers anxious to travel with other drivers on hand from North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin plus a few other areas also. 

J VAN is the promoter for this race and that provides the comforting feeling that this show will be moved along as fast as humanly possible. This year the Race Committee at Beatrice, along with Jerry, have set up two full shows of racing and while that is the fairest and most attractive way of attracting drivers, it is also a strain to get two big shows completed in a reasonable length of time and not be racing until the wee hours of the morning. 

The format used was a bit different for the area drivers but one that was used by Brad Whitfield at the IMCA TV Winter Nationals in Casa Grande in January and is the most fair way of administering the program with such large fields of drivers in each class. Passing points, a rare commodity for IMCA racing, was used plus all heat winners were guaranteed starting spots in the main. The heat winners redrew for their starting spots with the rest of the sixteen from the heats using passing points to line up their starting spots. B Features filled out the rest of the fields and twenty four drivers started each feature. The one spin rule was used for the heats and it would have helped move things along if it were used for the B Features also as they were the trouble spot all night. Still, the show moved along at a brisk clip all night and there were no complaints in that regard. 

With any event at Beatrice, Jordan Grabouski is always the favorite to win one and perhaps two of the feature races. After having bad luck end his challenging run in the Stock Cars, he came back to make a late race pass and win the Modified feature which was the final event on the program. Other winners included Jesse Sobbing in the Stock Cars, Tyler Nerud in the Sport Mods, Branden Stigge in the Hobby Stocks and Carson Black in the Sport Compacts as local competitors did very well indeed in all divisions. 

The only class that didn't require at least one B Feature was the Sport Compacts with all entering the main event. Other classes saw a pair of B Features to determine the twenty four starters for each main with no provisional starters on this night as everyone had to race their way into the show. 

The Modified feature  was very close to providing the biggest upset of the night in what was the only nonstop main to be run. And even though Grabouski started on the pole, he got beat into the first corner by Kaylin Lopez who then took the early lead. 

Lopez was very fast, pulling away from Grabo and the rest of the field and for the longest time it appeared that he might pull off the win. However, the hot pace that he set might have been his undoing though, as he was running the middle groove and we had not seen that line work much for the features with the majority of the drivers running right on the hub against the inside wall while a few were still pounding the cushion against the outside wall. 

By the halfway point of the race, Grabouski was starting to reel in Lopez, who had built up a nice sized lead. Tyler Inman was having a great run in third with Jeremy Mills and Shawn Harker next in line. Lopez started to visibly slow in the corners as the higher line was likely burning off his tires and Grabo knew how to save his rubber. 

Lopez started to slip higher and higher and on lap twelve, Grabouski drove under him in turn four and took over the lead. After that,  Jordan gradually pulled away as Lopez struggled to stay with him. The icy slick track threw many of the drivers off but not Grabouski who drove home for the win with room to spare. Lopez did wrap up a fine run in second nevertheless and Inman, who I believe is a Modified rookie, drove a smooth race to finish third ahead of Mills and Harker. 

Grabouski was also a favorite to win the Stock Car feature until some late race bad luck ended his run during an event that saw some wild goings on. Jesse Sobbing started on the pole and took the early lead as of course, Sobbing was one of the few pounding the cushion as he likes to do and he was making it work. Grabouski had started fourth and by the halfway point of the race that saw the first yellow for a spin, he had moved up to second. Kyle Vanover had moved into fourth behind Damon Murty with Kolby Stegman rounding out the top five. 

As often happens, the restart proved to have a big effect on the race. Grabouski jumped into the lead as the cushion slowed down Sobbing for the restart and Murty tried to get a run off the top side in turn four and that cost him several positions. Sobbing continued to try the outside but it wasn't working and he had to settle back in line behind Grabo with Dillon Richards, who started ninth, showing much speed as he cracked the top five. 

Sobbing went for broke after a lap twelve yellow for a spinner, pounding off the cushion in turns one and two and then diving to the low side in three and four where there was nothing up top to work off of. He was able to gain some momentum using that line and he got a great run down the back chute on lap sixteen and squeezed inside of Grabouski. They were very tight together in turn three but Sobbing got the edge and moved into the lead. 

One lap later Grabouski had a right front tire go flat and he pulled off. A late yellow set up a two lap sprint to conclude the race and things got mighty physical at this point. While Sobbing was able to slip away as the leader, Vanover, Richards, Murty and others were all over each other for position with lots of banging and squeezing going on. 

Richards was the big loser as he got shuffled to the back with Vanover taking second and Murty climbing back up to third ahead of Johnny Yutterman and Doug Holzmeister  as things really got shuffled up at the end. 

The Sport Mod field was the largest of the five divisions with forty eight of them on hand. Their main event saw Tyler Nerud make the move of the race on the opening lap and then establish that he was indeed the fastest car on this night. 

Nerud started on the outside of row two, but he used the cushion in turns one and two to blow past front row starters Taylor Metz and Steve Swartout and take the lead down the back chute on lap one. And after that, he would lead the final nineteen laps to score the win. 

This race had only one yellow flag and that was just before the halfway point. Brayton Carter, still in the Six car, had worked his way up to second after a good battle with Metz and on the restart, he tried to get a big run on the outside of turn four but his fate was much like that of Murty in the following race as he lost much ground and dropped out of the top five. 

that moved Cam Reimers into second but he had nothing for the leader as Nerud pulled away from him and drove away from the field, not being challenged the rest of the event. Reimers settled for second with Cole Wayman moving up from the fourth row to get third. Carter fought his way back up to fourth and Adam Armstrong came from the seventh row to round out the top five. Only two drivers failed to finish this race and all were still on the lead lap at the checkers. 

The Hobby Stock feature was a tight contest with the top four drivers running in tight formation. Brandon Stigge led from start to finish in the twenty lapper but he was pursued closely the whole event. Stigge started in row two but was able to squeeze past both Anthony Davis and Nick Ronnebaum to take the top spot and he then guarded the inside line for the rest of the race. 

Hobby Stock drivers were not able to make the outside work so they lined up in formation, working the inside line and Stigge was smart in not giving any inside openings. By the halfway point of the race, Austin Jahnz had worked his way up to third as he seemed to be one of the few drivers able to make the second lane work.  Yellow flags, back to back with eleven laps complete, bunched the field and Jahnz tried to steal away the race by moving up the track. He was ever so close to doing so as he raced side by side with Ronnebaum for a couple laps but the second lane just didn't work for him and he got shuffled back in the pack. 

Stigge was very careful at the end, shutting down early in the corners to not give anyone a shot at the inside and to his credit, on a night when many were using the "chrome horn" aggressively, Ronnebaum played it clean. He rode the rear bumper of Stigge but didn't do any banging and at the finish, he was glued to it to finish second with Stigge taking the win. 

Dan Nelson had as much success as anyone using the second lane as late in the race he drove up to third one lane above the pack. Tyler Huss finished fourth with Jahnz salvaging fifth. 

The Sport Compact feature was a patience tester for many, including me. All twenty eight drivers on hand started the feature and that was trouble right from the start. In all, the yellow flew seven times and the race was cut short by one lap after the second flip of the event on the final tour. 

When they were racing, there was an excellent battle for the lead but there was not nearly as much racing as there was circling the track under caution. Brooke Osler started on the outside pole and she took the early lead. She was battling with Brandon Carmichael, Carson and Jackson Black and Gilbert Aldape early. 

The race started crazy with Gage Barton going over the wall in turn three and then returning to the track as if nothing had happened. It occurred so fast that I and many in the crowd totally missed it but the yellow was required. 

While Osler was scored the leader of the first seven laps, she was engaged in a real battle with Carmichael and the Blacks. On lap eight, Carson Black got past Osler, but she returned the favor one lap later. The yellow flew again and on the restart she got too high in turn one and Jackson Black got past her for the lead and after that, things would go downhill for her. 

A hard flip on the front chute by Konnor Moore stopped the action with twelve laps completed with Jackson still in front with Johnny Thomas and Carson trailing as Carmichael had retired to the pit with front end damage. 

The final restart saw another scrum take place as Carson got a very good restart, perhaps a bit too good, but in any case, he was able to pass both Thomas and Jackson Black to take over the lead. On the back chute, Justin Best went for a flip of his own and the race was checkered at this point, rather than backing up to run the final two laps. 

Carson Black was awarded the win over his brother Jackson, Tobey VanLaningham, Thomas and Levi Volkert. Exactly half the starting field was still running at the finish and there will be many with some substantial repair work necessary to return on Saturday. The win was Carson Black's first ever feature win and he picked a big race to accomplish this feat. 

Thirty three races were run off on Friday night in five and a third hours and it would have been even quicker if a little more restraint had been shown by a few of the competitors. With impending weather expected, the start time for Saturday's show has been moved up by an hour with brief hot laps scheduled for 3:20 pm and racing to follow immediately. 

Dillard Wins Revival Series Opener at Boothill

 Our trip to Arizona and Florida ended up with a side bar trip to Louisiana and one more race as we attended the 2026 opener for the Revival  Super Dirt Series for Late Models at historic Boothill Speedway near Shreveport on Friday night, March 6th. Along with the Nutrien Ag sponsored series, all the divisions that race at Boothill would be in action also for their season opener at the track. 

How we got to "The Hill" was a bit of a roundabout journey as our original plan was to head to Texas this week, do some family stuff and, oh by the way, the USMTS was scheduled to begin their 2026 season at the Kennedale Raceway Park this weekend. And while our weather for most of our trip has been good to great, this was a week of rain, storms and threatening weather. 

The USMTS went down the drain early this week with a stormy forecast so an intriguing back up plan was to instead head to Shreveport for the doubleheader weekend scheduled for the Revival Series for the Ronny Adams Memorial opener. However, that plan was also altered by a bad forecast for Shreveport but to the credit of the track promoters and the series, they reduced the weekend to just a one night show on Friday but at the higher purse that they had planned on offering for the Saturday show which was cancelled. 

So, on a hot and steamy Friday night, the fifth annual Adams Memorial was carried out at Boothill featuring the Revival Late Models plus all the classes that race at Boothill weekly. The competitors were late arriving on a Friday night, but when everyone had signed in, there were one hundred and forty drivers ready to race in a packed pit area in the six classes offered. They actually combined two classes into one as the Sportster division normally races as two classes with one for rookies and another for all other drivers but to expedite things on Friday, they all raced as one. We'll get into Sportsters later. 

The Revival Series is going through a bit of a change this year. They recently announced that they would no longer be affiliated with POWRi and would instead be running their own series with both a North and South division with point funds for both plus an overall point fund too.  Tyler and Jacob Magee out of Kansas are still running the series but  their flagman Chris Loberg, who by the way is originally from Wisconsin and used to drive Modifieds at many of my local tracks, told me that their series is expanding into a number of new tracks for 2026. 

They had nineteen drivers sign in for their first show, likely a disappointment but understandable due to the weather that was even a threat on Friday and hard to justify for some to make a very long tow for just one night of racing. However, the combined point fund clearly didn't excite too many as nine of the top ten in points last year, all of them from the Northern Region, failed to appear with just Chris Bragg on hand. Clearly the overall point champion will come from the Southern region. Thirty drivers had made commitments but various reasons kept some home. 

Some interesting rules for Revival include the fact that both Hoosier and American Racer tires are allowed. There were two drivers on AM including winner Cade Dillard but I wouldn't consider his win revealing since I believe he could have easily been the winner here even if he used solid rubber bicycle tires! That's how fast he is and how well he knows this track. Morgan Bagley did make it interesting though. 

Revival Series qualifies their cars just like most traveling series this day but the fastest six then run a dash to set the running order for the first three rows and they don't have to run a heat. All others run a heat and with Friday night's field, no B Feature was necessary. 

Dillard won the dash so he started on the pole for the feature race and he took and immediate lead. Three yellows slowed the action in the first few laps but then they had a long green flag period of racing. Morgan Bagley and Clay Stuckey had a good battle for second with several slide jobs thrown as they crossed each other over. Then the track started taking rubber rather dramatically and everyone lined up as a speed context broke out. 

By the halfway point of the race, Jon Mitchell had moved into third while Dillard had most of a straightaway lead over the field. During that long green flag run however, Dillard started to get hung up badly behind some slower cars and with the rubber situation,, he was afraid to try and pass them . This gave Bagley a big opportunity and he was able to close up right on Dillard and Morgan even tried to pull off a slider or two but he couldn't quite get the job done. 

With only five laps to go, things changed dramatically when Stuckey clobbered the turn one wall and rolled to a halt. This lined the field up single file, there was no traffic to deal with and Dillard pulled away to take the win with room to spare. Bagley finished second and Mitchell third. Eli Ross and Bragg completed the top five. Dillard is a local boy here and his win was well received. 

The other five classes were a mixture of USRA rules classes and local rules classes. The Factory Stocks are a wildly popular class in this area of the country with seemingly every track having lots of cars and the competition keen. For this regular Friday night of racing, forty of them signed in to race. They look much like Stock Cars with the majority of them nice in appearance and they race hard with a number of big money shows for them at tracks throughout the southern states as it seems that every track has a Factory Stock class. 

Four heats and a B Feature set their twenty car starting field for the main as Boothill doesn't run more than twenty cars in their support classes for mains on the quarter mile. Justin Whitehead is a well known figure in this class and after starting on the outside pole, he went on to win the fifteen lap feature race. Most of the support classes were scheduled for twenty lap features but with weather threatening, the distance on the features was reduced. 

As Whitehead continued to lead, Jace Reid and Daulton Faulkner had a dandy battle for second with several slide jobs breaking out. Three yellow flags in the first five laps kept things interesting with the third eliminating Faulkner. 

Neil Kemp, in one of many Twin City Towing cars on hand, started seventh and kept his nose clean and with others eliminating themselves, he found himself in second and putting the pressure on Whitehead for the lead. 

For the vast majority of the race, those team ran in tandem fashion, with Kemp occasionally tapping the rear bumper of Whitehead but nothing malicious, unlike several of the moves seen in other classes. That's the way they raced to the finish, with Kemp glued to the rear bumper of Whitehead, who refused to make a mistake and took the win. 

The B Mods and Limited Mods were running under USRA rules with good fields in both classes. The B Mods needed a B Feature and other than Dillard's win in the Lates, this was the only class that saw the winner lead from start to finish. In the B Mod case, it was Colby Williams who surprisingly got the jump on local legend Jeremy Haddox and then would lead from start to finish in the fifteen lapper. 

The B Mods behaved themselves with only a single yellow flag that stopped the action before the first lap could be completed. After that, it was Williams who led the rest of the way. Haddox and Chance Haddox moved into second and third but had nothing for the leader. The track was very technical and one slip in the corners would have meant disaster with everyone running the inside line but Williams had the field covered. 

The Limited Mods are USRA's version of the Southern Sport Mods and many race both, just changing tires as required.   Conner Mewhorn led the opening lap of the Limited Mod feature but then Derick Grigsby, the biggest winner at the track in recent years, was able to slip under Mewhorn one lap later and he led the rest of the way for the win. 

He had a late scare when on the last lap and the race seemingly over, the yellow flew for a spinner and they had to redo the last two laps. It was, however, no problem for Grigsby who pulled away again for the win. Steven Guidry moved into second on lap five and he chased Grigsby the rest of the way but had to settle for second with Dustin Henigan third. 

There were fireworks during the Tuner feature. Things got off to a shaky start as on the first corner of the first lap, Jonathan Rodriquez, starting on the outside pole, had a wheel shear off, he slammed into the outside wall and flipped on to his roof. He was OK and was actually out of the car before rescue workers could even get to him. 

The race then turned into a two car battle with some questionable tactics used to get the win. Greyson Wooten moved into the lead on the restart with Tyler Ellis chasing him closely. On lap four, Ellis just nailed Wooten in the rear bumper down the back chute, turning Wooten sideways as he drove by for the lead. Actually Wooten did a great job to not spin out and did indeed retain the second spot. 

There were no more yellows during the race which was unfortunate for Wooten as he likely had revenge on his mind. Not being too good at taking other drivers out, he tried twice on the final lap to return the favor to Ellis but he missed both times and Ellis drove on for the win. I'm guessing the post race fun in the pits was spirted. Actually I was surprised all night by the amount of "fire" between drivers as there were numerous post race bumps and threats displayed and this was just the opening night! I can't imagine what things are like come the hot and humid nights of August!

In the wee hours of the morning, the Sportsters rounded out the racing action. The Sportster class is one that runs at a number of tracks in this area and they are basically tanks on wheels. Full frame cars with plenty of pipe in them, asphalt tire "take offs" from Wisconsin tracks and no front ends, they don't hesitate to nerf and bang and the looks of many reflect that. There were even a couple that had co-pilots in the passenger seats!. 

However, their feature was also the most contested of the night and had a great two car battle for the win between John Tuggle and Jarrett Stricklin. By my unofficial count, the lead changed hands at the line six times in their fifteen lap race between the two as they swapped the top spot time and again and while everyone else was using the "crown horn" plenty, I don't believe these two touched once. 

A couple of big pileups took out several cars and ignited feelings with Stricklin last grabbing the lead on lap nine. However, one lap later Tuggle again got past and held on then for the win. Stricklin finished second and   Brentley Smith, who started twentieth and avoided the wrecks, finished third. 

The final checkers waved at 1 a.m. a downside that I have encountered several times before, unfortunately at this track. A five hour racing program is not unreasonable given the number of events and laps to be run but when hot laps take forever and the first race doesn't hit the track until 8 pm, that is too late on a Friday night. 

Thanks to Loberg for introducing me to the Magee Brothers and Ralo Pilkington, half of the promoter ship team with Bubba Jones of Boothill, and for their help on this night. Boothill has a number of special events coming up on their schedule including a thirty thousand dollar to win Limited Mod race while Revival's next race in the last weekend of March when they pair with Comp Cams, something they will do often this year, for a special at Arrowhead Speedway in Oklahoma. 

And now it is time to head back to Wisconsin. However, J VAN please get the gizzards ready at Beatrice  as the plan is to sample them next weekend!