Koehler Motorsports Sweeps PRP

The Halloween Nationals concluded on Saturday night, October 31 at the Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth Ohio. The program on Saturday would include full shows for both the UMP Modifieds and the Late Models with the American Late Model Iron-Man Series and series director Chris Tilley running the show.  The Modified feature would be paying ten grand to win while the Late Model feature was paying a whopping fifty grand to the winner, making it one of an increasing number of races to offer that amount of money. This was an almost unheard of amount just a few years ago but to the point of being almost humdrum now. The Sport Mods also were running their main event after completing their qualifying on Friday night.

Qualifying for the Late Models saw Mike Benedum avoid his issues with the scale as he led group A with a lap clocked at 14.964 while Nick Hoffman was quickest overall in group B at 14.876 seconds.

The Late Models ran four heats and a pair of B Features to set their line up for the sixty lap feature but started only twenty drivers, even with a pair of provisional starters.

While started straight up, the heats provided more action than normal, highlighted by an eighth to third run by Kyle Hardy to make the show and perhaps indicate that there would be a high groove for the main and an exciting last corner pass by Ricky Thornton Jr over Hoffman that would give him the outside pole which would be significant.

Based on the history of this track and some of the issues that have come up in previous longer distance races, there was some question about how this main event would play out. For the first time in both days, track prep was done before the Late Model feature. However, it was just one pass with the water truck and done so high on the track as to be insignificant.

Unfortunately, the pre conceived notions of some came to bear fruit almost as soon as the green flag was dropped on the sixty lap main.

Thornton Jr got the jump on Josh Rice to take the early lead and after some quick experimenting, the drivers quickly migrated to the inside line of the track, lined up single file  and the train racing started.

The rubber lane proved to be the best way around the track and everyone soon lined up nose to tail with no passing even attempted. Thornton Jr was the class of the field, opening up a full straight lead by twenty laps and a half lap lead by the halfway point. Thornton Jr did get into lapped traffic which slowed his progress but with second place runner Tyler Erb even more mired in traffic, Ricky could afford to be patient.

At this point, the biggest concern was tire wear and keeping air in the Hoosiers to avoid the other bugabo, a rash of flat tires triggering yellows but thankfully that was largely avoided.

The race might have gone nonstop except for a Josh Jameson spin with just four laps remaining. The restart saw no changes take place with the top five being largely unchanged for most of the race except for a late flat by Drake Troutman that elevated Zach Dohm to fifth with Rice and Hoffman finishing behind the top two.

No one was critical of the track conditions in post race interviews although they had a legitimate right to. I believe many are giving the Jent family some slack,happy to see this track back open and knowing the new owners are working hard to overcome some issues they inherited with the purchase.

It seemed reasonable to assume that Thornton Jr would dominate the Modified feature as he did on Friday, given that he was starting on the front row. However, that didn't prove to be the case as Koehler Motorsports team mate Evan Koehler got the jump on Ricky to take the early lead and then drive a strong race as he led all laps to win the forty lap event.

Thornton Jr followed closely for awhile but Koehler gradually pulled away as Thornton Jr had to worry more about Cole Falloway who was pushing him hard. After a hard first lap crash that eliminated five drivers, the race ran green until one lap short of halfway when Nick Snell slowed with a flat tire.

On the restart, Falloway aggressively shouldered Thornton Jr out of second and took up the chase of Koehler but had no more success than Ricky had. The last few laps saw things tighten up as Koehler caught the back of the pack but Falloway was more preoccupied with trying to fight off Ricky than challenge Koehler.

Thus it was a sweep for Koehler Motorsports with their two drivers on hand sharing honors. For Thornton Jr it was his sixth straight win as he continued his Fall harvest of cash.

The top twenty Sport Mod drivers from Friday night qualifying raced in their fifteen lap feature that paid eleven hundred bucks to the winner.

Jamey Adams started on the outside pole and grabbed the early lead over Jimmy Lennex Jr with pole starter T J Arnold moving to third. Things got exciting at the halfway point when a slowing car was driven over by Chris Matheny who then flipped over on his side. Matheny was unhurt but the red flag waved.

The last ten laps saw the race unchanged with Adam's maintaining a comfortable lead over Lennex Jr. Arnold finished third with only three drivers not making it to the finish line.

A dubious statistic from the evening would show that in one hundred and fifteen laps of feature racing, there would be zero changes of race leadership.

Racing would start an hour earlier on Saturday and track management would do an exceptional job of moving the show along with cars barely off the track from their event before the next event rolled off. The final checkered waved just after 10 pm.

One of the highlights of the first visit to the track was figuring out the unique way of both entering and leaving the grounds, triggered by the many bridges and overpasses in the area because of the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto Rivers, literally right behind the track.

Thanks to the Jent family and all the friendly employees of the track. Good luck to them in 2027 when they host their first full year of racing at PRP.

Thornton A Double Winner at PRP

 Ricky Thornton Jr continued his hot streak of late season racing as he won his fifth consecutive feature race as he topped the American Late Model Iron-Man Series finale on Friday night, October 30th at the Portsmouth Raceway Park in West Portsmouth Ohio. The win was worth $10,000 to the driver that now calls Iowa his home. 

And to make matters even worse for the rest of the field of drivers, he broke out his UMP Modified in a test run for the upcoming Dome race and blistered the field in that class also, being fastest in qualifying, winning his heat that set him up to start on the pole and then dominating the twenty lap feature race to  take home another two grand. 

Fortunately for the Sport Mod drivers, Thornton Jr didn't have a ride for that class which qualified and then did all their preliminary racing for their feature which will be held on Saturday night. 

This weekend's racing double header will mark the first major race held at PRP since the Jent family, who also own Mudlick Valley Speedway across the Ohio River in Kentucky, took over operation of this facility at mid summer of this year. This would also mark my first ever visit to the track, which has hosted lots of major races over the years including Carl Short's Dirt Track World Championship not that many years ago. I'm told that the Jent family has made a number of improvements already since they took over the track and has more in mind as the venerable facility still has some work to be done on it. 

A three eighth mile oval located at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers, this track is famous for its many floods that have covered the facility over the years. It is not a hard place to find but getting back out of the track onto the many winding roads and bridges can be just a bit confusing. Probably its most famous view is the iconic one of the bridge over the river right next to the track that almost appears as those the bridge is over the track itself. 

Thirty four Late Models signed in to race the Iron-Man finale with seven in the top ten on hand. Point leader Colten Burdette held a commanding lead in the points and even though he had a lackluster twelfth place finish later in the main, his point lead would actually increase as runner up Rod Conley finished five positions behind him in the main. 

Nick Hoffman was quick qualifier at 14.764 seconds while group B quick qualifier Mike Benedum was dq'd for weighing in light and Tyler Erb then got that reward. There must have been some questions about the Benedum dq however, as he was named the provisional starter to the feature which seemed just a bit odd unless there was some question about the whole matter. 

Four straight up heat races buzzed through without a caution and then a pair of B Features set the stage for the thirty lap feature. They only started twenty cars in all their features on Friday, which seemed like a fairly small number given the size of the track and its ability to handle many more cars but that must be their operating procedure. 

The Late Model feature itself was a good one with four lead changes among three different drivers and only two yellow flags to slow the action. The top five drivers ran close together through most of the race and they raced each other hard. 

It was really heart break for Tyler Erb though as without a flat tire which stopped his charge, I believe it would have had the main event in his pocket. He started on the outside pole and got the jump on Hoffman, leading the first sixteen laps of the race. Hoffman stayed right with Erb along with Drake Troutman and a high side running Josh Rice who excited the crowd who were strongly favoring Rice. For much of the first half of the race, Thornton Jr ran just fifth as he appeared to be biding his time, which seems hard in just a thirty lap main but he made it work. 

At the halfway point, as the leaders were already working lapped traffic, Hoffman picked up the pace, stealing the lead away for just a lap before Erb reclaimed it in heavy traffic. Erb seemed to be in good shape until with just five laps to go, Erb slowed with a flat right rear tire and the yellow flew. I'm told that tire wear is a constant issue at this track and when they go sixty laps on Saturday, that will be a key thing to watch. 

Hoffman inherited the lead but now Thornton Jr, who had worked his way into third, took off on the restart and he immediately blew past Hoffman to take over the lead. There was one more quick yellow for undisclosed reasons that couldn't be seen on the track but Thornton Jr didn't allow anyone to steal away the lead at the end as he pulled away for the win. There was some mixing of positions in the last few laps as Rice threw a questionable slider on Hoffman for second and then Troutman also got past and tried a last lap slider on Rice that failed while he settled for third as Hoffman may have had a tire going away. Jason Jameson rounded out the top five with only three drivers not finishing the thirty laps.

Dustin Sorensen lost a motor while qualifying for his heat race and he had to pull out his back up car for the main. He started in the back and raced his way up to sixth at the finish in an impressive run.  

Things were much easier for Thornton Jr in the Modified feature. He was the quick qualifier at 16.762 seconds which was impressive given that he was the final of fifty three qualifiers on the night and it wasn't like the track was improving as more drivers got laps. He was just that dominant. 

He started on the pole for the twenty lap feature and led all the way, never being challenged for the lead. His most difficult times were on restarts where he had to make sure to hit his marks but he was flawless on that point, keeping Charlie Mefford, who ran second for the whole race, behind him and then accelerating away from the field. 

This race was slowed by five yellows that kept Thornton Jr on his toes, the most serious of which was when Cole Falloway, who announced just recently that he will be moving to a Late Model next year, broke his steering in turn four and saw him crash hard with Brian Skaggs and George Dixon. 

Blake Brown had a steady run, moving to third at the halfway point and racing in that position the rest of the race. Zach Carr and Troutman rounded out the top five. 

The Sport Mods had qualifying, heats and B Features on Friday so that all that will be left for that class is their feature race on Saturday night. Thirty four of them signed in to race with T.J. Arnold being quickest at 18.002 seconds. They ran three heats and a B Feature and twenty of them will come back on Saturday for their two grand to win main event. 

The money will go up considerably on Saturday night with the Mods racing for ten grand to win and the Late Models a very high fifty grand to the win, crazy if they only have thirty or so cars again. 

This is UMP country so of course all cars had to qualify and even though they did group qualifying for both the open wheel classes, it was still 8 pm before the first heat hit the track. However, there were no complaints on the speed with which they ran the show with one race pulling on to the track as soon as the previous one pulled off. They also were fan friendly in that they ran the higher classes mains before doing much of the Sport Mod races. All racing was complete just after 11 pm on what was a spectacular weather Fall day which did cool some by evening . 

I was told that for practice night the track cleaned off nicely from top to bottom and there was no dust. However, that was not the case on Friday so I'm hoping they can find that perfect point to return the track to that point for the Saturday night show. 

Koch Tops Marathon Night of Racing at Ogilvie

 The sixteenth annual Topless Nationals wrapped up the Minnesota racing season on Saturday night, October 24th at the Ogilvie Raceway. Mother Nature decided that since it was the last race of the season in the state that she was going to leave the fans and competitors on hand with plenty to remember her by over the long off season. So she did everything within her power to halt or at best hamper the racing and leave everyone miserable, wet, cold, tired and cranky. 

Friday night the track was able to avoid the first volley of rain that proved to be much less than advertised. However, the second night's offering on Saturday was more of the real thing, coming with steady but light rain just before the racing action was scheduled to begin but after many of the fans had already found their seats. 

With a scheduled start time of 5 pm, there was lots of time to wait out the rain and that's what promoter Nate Fischer and the Wagamon family, owners of the track, decided to do. They were resolved not to let the season end with a rainout when close to three hundred race cars were in the pits(three more showed up on Saturday to tail feature races) and so we waited for the light rain to end. We waited and we waited and finally the rain stopped with the track prep equipment able to get back on the track and the first race cars hit the track at 8:30 pm to help roll in the track with the first race actually seeing the green flag at 9:20 pm. 

With eight B Features and another eight extra distance main events to run, it was clearly going to be a long night of racing but a good sized crowd stuck around for the finale of Ogilvie's season. 

Ma Nature did an excellent job of watering the track and it was extremely fast. In fact, it was way too fast for many of the drivers as all classes were tearing around the track far too fast for comfort. And throwing in a bad mix of unfamiliar drivers to the track, the desire by many to make their last race of 2026 a "win or bust" event that saw much in the way of bold and over aggressive driving plus the fast track that seemed to play havoc with tires and other mechanical parts, the formula was there for some long and yellow flag plagued events. Conditions were such that some drivers normally not up front found themselves there which produced some scattered and wild main events with some unpredictable happenings further enhancing  the unpredictability of the night. 

When feature racing began, the Crown Vics were the first class to test out the fast track and the CV's were going faster than I had ever seen them go before as they often are the last class to run their main events on tracks that were dry and slick by the time they got to race. The CV's are new to this area with only a few tracks so far running them but they had twenty three of them to take the green flag for their main. 

Logan Hammer was the early leader but he held the top spot for a pair of laps before being passed by Max Post for the lead. Devin Reynolds moved in to challenge and for a number of laps a good battle for the lead saw those two fighting with Hunter Morris and Hammer for the top spot. 

This race went relatively smooth with three yellows, one of which however saved Post who had been passed by Reynolds for the lead. Restored to the top spot, Post held off Reynolds and Hammer for the win. This was one night when this class probably served its purpose as Post is a rookie driver and the win was the first of his career which thrilled him almost to the point of being speechless. However, it won't be long before some track starts to pay them big bucks for specials, wide tires will go on them, they will start cheating them up and another so called economy class will be lost. And we will have no body to blame but ourselves. 

Super Stocks were next to hit the track and this was one of two races where the leader was far in front of the field, only to have bad luck strike and another driver inherit the win due to that. 

Dexton Koch sat on the pole for the Super Stock twenty five lapper and he immediately put distance on the field as he set a terrific pace that no one could keep up with. Kyle Copp moved into second as he battled with Mike Loomis while Dylan Kromschroeder began to charge from his eighth starting spot. 

Koch continued to fly and by the halfway point he had a full straightaway over the pack. Unfortunately, on the next lap he slowed on the back chute with a flat right rear tire and his night was done with Copp inheriting the lead. After that, Copp would hold the lead the rest of the way while Loomis and Kromschroeder swapped the second spot with Loomis grabbing it at the end. Jordan Henkemeyer and Shane Sabraski completed the top five. 

The Street Stock feature was a wild one as the number of yellow flags started to pick up and the racing got wilder and rougher. Tommy Pogones took the early lead and he was fighting off a group that included Joe Martin, Kaden Woodie, Derek Berg and a charging Jeff Ekdahl. The battle for second was fierce while Pogones maintained a slight lead. 

Eldahl was really on the move after starting seventh and his battle with Woodie for second was a fierce one before Ekdahl claimed the spot. Suddenly, on lap six, Pogones slowed on the back chute as the leader was having trouble and lost power. He was done for the race and Ekdahl claimed the top spot. 

Ekdahl would be scored the leader for the rest of the race but several yellows kept the field bunched with there being much fierce fighting for position on each new start. Late in the race, Braedyn Fleck charged up from the third row and moved past Woodie into second and then Andrew Hanson, working the low side of the track, drove up to third almost unnoticed. Woodie and David Moriarty, the two Stock Cars in the field, would come home next. 

Early in the  race, a monster crash on the front chute saw Trent Keller get turned and barrel roll multiple times, getting up into the catch fence and then crashing back down to the track. It was as violent as I have seen all Summer but he was able to crawl out of his car uninjured from what was left of the machine. 

Clayton Wagamon led from start to finish to claim the Modified feature. However, it was not as easy as it might have sounded as this race was plagued by nine yellow flags and on each restart, he was challenged for the lead, often by different drivers as the eb and flow of the race was very strange. 

To give and example, David Swearingen was the cause of the first yellow flag when he slowed on the track and by the end of the race, he was the primary challenger to Wagamon, nearly sneaking under him a couple times as the laps ran down. 

However, Wagamon's most serious challenge came from Sabraski who nearly got by Clayton before suddenly, Sabraski slowed with mechanical problems and was done on lap fourteen, a very rare occurrence for the thousand feature race and counting winner to have happen. In fact, Sabraski got shut out of victory lane on Saturday which happens very rarely at his home track. 

By the halfway point, Joseph Thomas and J.T. Johnson had moved up to chase Wagamon but then, as the yellows mounted and other drivers found new life, they both faded back. Meanwhile, the DNF list grew and by the end, only nine cars were still on the track. 

Swearingen, who has been driving Mods for just a short time this year after being a dominant driver in the Midwest Mods, put heavy pressure on Wagamon near the end but Clayton fought him off to get the win. 

Coming from seventeenth to third was Scott McKimmon from Thunder Bay Ontario with soon to be crowned national rookie of the year Cole Boston from twelfth to fourth ahead of Thomas. 

Parker Frolik, son of "Hot Karl", was the early leader in the B Mod feature. He led the opening four laps before being passed by Gavin Paull for the lead. Paull was working the low side of the track and found speed there while most everyone else was pounding the cushion and the changing track. 

Frolik challenged to get the lead back and was joined by Shawn Kelley and Chanse Kodet who were all running in a tight group. Kodet would eventually spin out of contention, one of five yellows that would slow the pace during the first half of the race. 

Easing his way into contention was Jake Hagemann who didn't show in the top five until the half way point of the race. But he found speed right up next to the wall and in the laps that followed, he started picking off driver after driver as he moved to the front. 

After a lap eighteen yellow, the last seven laps of the race clicked off nonstop and it was a two driver battle with Paull right on the inside line and Hagemann pounding the cushion. Paull was able to hold off Hagemann in a close finish. Kelley got third ahead of Frolik and and Mod ace Aaron Johnson. 

Interestingly, Paull's car won this race last year also but then it was with Gavin's son Garrett behind the wheel. Garrett let dad drive this weekend, one of his few starts this year and he did quite well! They race out of Fort Frances Ontario and use a Zippy chassis. 

Dexton Koch scored his first major Late Model feature win for the James Trantina team after he took the early lead, fought off challenges from Josh Beaulieu and then regained the lead on lap twenty and kept Joel Bennett from repeating last year's win. 

The Late Model feature was a tedious one with fits of hard competitive racing interspersed with ten yellow flags that saw nearly half the field not finish the race. 

Koch started on the pole and led early with Beaulieu, Sabraski, Gavin Tarras and Ryan Mikkelson chasing. Koch was pounding the cushion while Beaulieu was right on the tires and he was getting a great run off the corners and that allowed him to drive under Koch on lap seven to take over the top spot. 

The running order stayed the same as the field plodded through seven yellows in the first half of the race for spins and slowing drivers. Each time Beaulieu was challenged on the green as he didn't get the greatest of starts but by driving hard into the corners and holding his line, he was able to edge past Koch time after time. 

Eventually all the yellows proved his downfall though as finally on lap twenty Koch was able to finally power back around the high side to take the lead. Joel Bennett started twelfth and the combination of a fast car and lots of yellows allowed him to work into contention. He however, didn't show in the top five until lap twenty four when a stalled car slowed the action once again. 

On the restart, he tangled with Sabraski and Tarras who went spinning and Sabraski was tagged for the caution which ended his chances. 

The last five laps saw Koch continue to hold off the field with Bennett getting past Beaulieu for second and that's how they finished with Tarras in fourth and Josh Zimpel completing the top five. Interestingly, rookies dominated the race with both Koch and Beaulieu being Late Model rookies. Beaulieu's run was his best ever in a big race as his is a small family owner team from Bemidji Minnesota where Late Models aren't even raced. 

Dustin Holtquist completed another strong season that saw him repeat as WISSOTA National Champion in the Mod Four class. His win was another when he had to defeat his father Bob to claim the victory. Bob took the initial lead, holding the top spot for the first half of the race as he was challenged by Mike Rau early and often. 

However, Dustin started to pick up the pace, getting by Rau for second and then closing on Dad. With a power move on the top side of the track, he drove by his father as they crossed the line at the halfway point of the race and then pulled away from the field in a race only stopped by the yellow twice early. 

Dustin had a considerable lead on father Bob at the checkers with Rau holding on for third over Ashton Schwinn and Matt Brenny. 

A thirty three car Hornet field, one of the largest in the area this year, came down to a battle between to drivers that have been duking it out recently every week as Will Lange and Christian Kast fought it out once again. However, there were some other drivers that also factored in the feature race with solid finishes of their own. 

Kast took the initial lead but could only hold the top spot for one laps before former national champion Matt Dickman passed him. Dickman's lead was a short one though as one lap later Lange got by him for the top spot. As Lange continued to lead, Kast, Dickman and Adam Throner all battled hard for second. 

Chad Halterman who started eleventh then moved in to join the fight as by the halfway point he was up to third, only behind Dittman and Lange. In fact, Halterman, Dittman and Kast came together on the front chute with Dittman suffering mechanical issues as a result and ending his race. 

This set up a three lap fight to the finish with Lange holding off all challenges of Halterman to take the win. Kast settled for third with Nathan Penney and Throner completing the top five. 

What a wild and long night of racing. It's probably good that the season is done for most as there was a considerable amount of damaged equipment incurred on this night. The final checkered flag waved at 2:40 am with a few tough fans hanging on see Brian Riedemann's last wave of the flags. The temperature had dropped from the mid seventies to the mid forties during the course of the program with the reminder that we got done racing just in time as Winter is just around the corner. 

Next up for these racers are national banquets and off season work in the garage as they prepare for racing either next April or for the lucky ones, maybe a trip to Arizona or Florida. 

Thanks to promoter Nate Fischer and the Wagamon family who hosted a lot of major races at their facility this year and are expected to have a big year again in 2027. Happy Birthday to family patriarch Wally Wagamon who provided birthday cake for the crowd. 

Topless Preliminaries Held at Ogilvie

 The sixteenth annual Topless Nationals opened up on Friday night, October 23rd at Wagamon's Ogilvie Raceway nestled in the farmlands about an hour North of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.  With the large count that this always attracts, there is not the time to run two full shows over the weekend so Friday night is reserved for qualifying heat races for all divisions with the B Features and main events run on Saturday night. 

Sixteen years ago there was a nice Saturday night after the racing season had been concluded in the state of Minnesota so the drivers and the management at Ogilvie decided to run one more race. Someone came up with the idea to run the race cars without roofs if so desired and the idea stuck. The race was a success and a new traditional season ending race for the state was started. 

It now is a staple on the schedules for many racing teams throughout the upper midwest and draws one of the largest fields of drivers for any event in the state. Drivers from most states in the upper Midwest were on hand as well as drivers from two Canadian Provinces were in attendance. In fact, if one did not know better, they might believe that they were in Ontario Canada rather than Minnesota there are so many racers on hand from Thunder Bay and their close by environs. 

Two hundred and eighty two teams in eight divisions signed in to race on Friday night and believe it or not, that is actually down fifteen teams from last year's show. A number of the top drivers, perhaps tired of chasing points or just needing a weekend off, were not on hand this year and the fields in most classes seemed perhaps more wide open than in some past years. It was evenly split this year with four classes seeing an increase from last year's numbers and four classes down. The biggest increase was in the Crown Vic class which is just starting to get "legs" in this area and the biggest drop was in the B Mod class that was down eighteen from last year. Speculation is that a number of drivers from southern Minnesota that would normally be a part of this event, particularly in the B Mod and Mod class, were kept home by some races in northern Iowa. The weather forecast for the weekend was a bit shaky too and that might have played a part in things. 

Nevertheless, nearly three hundred race cars on hand is plenty for me and I think most everyone else on hand with thirty one heat races needed to qualify the cars. After well over a month of seeing Fall specials that all used passing points to set the starting fields, this event reverted to the old draw/redraw format and with big heats and only eight laps to get some passing done, the draw was very important. 

The classes that raced included Late Models(WISSOTA rules), Modifieds(run your own sanctioning body rules), Super Stocks(WISSOTA rules), B Mods(run your own rules), Street Stocks(WISSOTA rules with Stock Cars allowed using two barrels and rev limiter), Mod Fours(WISSOTA rules), Hornets (WISSOTA rules) and Crown Vics( rules ?). The Crown Vics and Hornets are not allowed to remove their roofs while the other classes must do so. 

While this event is serious racing with a nice purse, it is also a fun last event for virtually every racer in the pits and most spectators also. There is a dance on Friday night after the races and Trick or Treating is held in the pits on Saturday with virtually every team contributing candy or pictures or some other treats and many kids from the area come just for the afternoon event. There are prizes for camp decorations and lots of other things. Somewhere along the line the teams started decorating their race cars for this event and now a vast majority of them do so, some with very elaborate creations including ride along skeletons, lights and just about everything imaginable. I believe there was actually one yellow on Friday due to a body part off one of the co-drivers falling on to the track as no one wanted to run over the poor guy's arm!

But while it is fun and games both before and after the races, the drivers are still serious about their racing and there were plenty of contested events. With it being a non sanctioned race, the driver mix is very interesting and there are always some new driver combinations with cars being sold and new drivers using this race to get their first feel of their newly acquired equipment. 

The number of heats determined how many drivers moved directly into the main events and a whole series of B Features will start out the program on Saturday before the eight main events are held. 

Breast Cancer awareness is a big beneficiary of this program with various fundraisers a part of the program. Even the outside wall is repainted pink for this night of racing. Promoter Nate Fischer might have to go out and do some touch up work on Saturday morning as there were several wall bangers that left the pink covered by black marks. 

The program moved along at a good clip with only one short break to water the track a bit with a strong South wind creating some problems, especially with the wind blowing directly into the grandstands. The first race started right at 7 pm with the final checkers coming shortly after 11 pm. 

Besides the Trick or Treating on Saturday, all the race cars on hand will parade around the track before the features on Saturday and there will be fireworks after the show. This is one big blowout to end the 2026 racing season . 

Murty Sweeps Tisor Memorial, Chisholm and Shryock Are Also Winners

 The second half of the Jon Tisor Memorial Five Star Classic was held on Sunday, October 18th at the Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City Iowa. 

I was not able to attend the opening night of the event but on Sunday the same eight classes were racing a second full show of the weekend. Everything from Tri State rules Late Models to Mini Mods and Tuners would get a shot at the high banked track on a sunny and windy Sunday with racing starting in the afternoon and wrapping up mid evening. 

This event was originally scheduled to be a Friday, Saturday doubleheader but weather conditions intervened and promoters Todd and Ryne Staley switched it instead to the two weekend shows. The largest purse was for the Saturday night show and Friday night's program was instead switched to Sunday but most of the drivers did stick around to run Sunday, even though they were racing for the smaller amount of money. 

One hundred and twenty drivers signed in to race on Sunday plus another two dozen in the Mini Mods which drove the final count very close to the one, fifty number. It was a draw/redraw show and only the B Mods needed a B Feature with everyone else running in their respective mains. 

We did see several sessions of track prep over the course of the program, needed because of the sun and wind but fortunately for us, the wind was out of the South and any dust created headed North to Minnesota and not toward the fans. The crowd was a decent one, but not of the size of the previous night which is understandable given the circumstances. 

After some bumpy issues reported early on Saturday due to all the rain of late, they got that ironed out and the track was smooth but slick for the Sunday program. It raced differently though and almost like a circle with the drivers in power slides nearly all the way around the track. It was similar to an under sized Langhorne the way the drivers were racing it on Sunday. 

The way things worked out, they indeed saved the best of last as the Stock Cars were far and away the best feature show of the program and even though Shryock started on the pole and led every lap, the race was very interesting and not decided until the checkers flew. 

Shryock is a wily veteran and knows how to use the track most efficiently and he was able to keep several drivers from passing him without flagrantly blocking the track. He had Braden Brauer challenging on the high side while Derek Green and Harley Dais tried to get under him. Shryock was running the middle of the track and would bow up just enough toward the top that he could keep Brauer behind him. 

Twice however, Braden beat him to the corners but then drifted just a bit high and lost his momentum and had to replicate his move once again. 

Brauer's run came to an end on lap ten as he ground to a halt on the front stretch with a flat tire but even more severe issues under the car as he left a rut in the track as he was pushed to the pits. 

The final half of the race was more of the same as both Green and Dais repeatedly tried to get past Shryock, only to be squeezed off as they tried to gain a run past Shryock.  And when Green fully committed to trying a pass, Dais was right there to try and steal second away from them. It was entertaining right up to the finish with Shryock holding on for the win with Green and Dais right in his pocket. 

Murty opted to stay close to home this weekend and it paid off for him as a weekend sweep here netted him four grand for his efforts. He passed the most cars by far of any winner as he started in the fourth row of the Late Model feature and slowly and patiently worked his way toward the front. He was one of the few able to make outside passes and he just picked away at those in front of him, grabbing a spot when he could. 

J. T. Wasmund started on the pole and was the leader for the first seventeen laps of the race. Murty was up to third by the halfway point and then got past Cody Thompson for second. Closing in on Wasmund, he used a power move to drive past him on the outside and once in front, he pulled away from the field. 

He had a comfortable lead at the finish with Wasmund and Thompson next in line as all ten starters finished the race. 

Jim Chisholm dominated the Modified feature race as he came from the third row and took the lead from Devon Havlik on lap five and then pulled away from that point. Havlik had led the first four laps bith Chisholm up to third when the lone yellow flew with four laps completed. 

On the green, Chisholm blew past both Keith Foss and Havlik to grab the lead and with the rest of the race green, he pulled out to a big lead with a full straightaway over the field. Havlik and Foss had a good battle for second before Keith claimed the spot and that would be the way they would finish with Chisholm comfortably in front. 

It  was a memorable night for Ashton Pankow as he won his first ever B Mod feature in a hard fought battle with Dan Hovden. The B Mods raced on a freshly prepped track that was blistering fast and they tore around the track with the inside line being the place to be as the track slowly widened out. 

Pankow started on the pole but he had Kaeden Bronner and Hovden were all over him, challenging on every corner. Both of them put extreme pressure on Pankow but he didn't slip, hugging the inside of the track and not giving either an opening. 

One yellow at the midpoint of the race slowed things but on the green Pankow continued to thwart off the challenges of Hovden and Taylor Skauge who had joined the group. In the late laps, Hovden proved to be the main challenger, and on every corner he stuck a nose inside of Pankow but Ashton never wavered once. The final laps were tight but Pankow held off all the challenges of Hovden and took the win while Skauge's late charge saw him take third from Bronner. Twenty two of the starters were still racing at the finish and all were on the lead lap. 

Looking very much like the B Mods, the Hobby Stock feature was a two car battle with the leaders running nearly side by side most of the way. And in the Hobby Stocks in this area, you would expect it to be the Monson's racing for the win and indeed that was the case as Jacob and Josh raced once again for the win. 

Looking like two pickles locked together, the two bright green cars circled the oval side by side with Josh digging to the inside of Jacob lap after lap, but repeatedly coming up short. They ran that way the rest of the race, but at the line, Jacob edged out his brother by half a car length to claim the win and surprisingly reported in victory lane that this was his first win at Mason City. 

The battle for third was just as good with Rylan Curtin edging out Daryl Moss for that spot and all starters that took the green were still on track at the finish. 

The Tuner feature started out with a bang, literally as Landon Johnson and Dalton Fels discovered the freshly prepped track was just a bit slick in turn one and both pounded the concrete wall when the green flag dropped. The race was over for them but the rest of the field took the green once again and raced then from start to finish without a halt in the action. 

This was a two driver battle and Michael Gardner, who started on the pole, kept Dillon Riehle just behind him for all twelve laps to claim the win. Devin Jones would finish third. 

The USRA Late Models, all from Wisconsin and Minnesota, made their first ever appearance at Mason City as a part of this event. This was their last point weekend of 2026 and a solid field of fifteen drivers was on hand for their second straight night of racing. 

Corbyn Wassenberg came from the second row to take the early lead as the first attempt at a start produced a grinding crash in turn one that eliminated two drivers. 

Wassenberg then led the opening six laps before Caiden Steffen-Ludwig made the pass for the lead. He then pulled away from the field and led the rest of the way to claim a weekend sweep. Steffen-Ludwig, who earlier this year at the Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie Wisconsin won his first ever feature race, is a former kart racer who is a rookie in the Late Models. 

There was an excellent battle for second with Parker Gilbertson coming from the third row to pass Wassenberg late and claim the runner up spot. 

Gilbertson was racing on Saturday night at an event in west central Minnesota but made the five hour pull on Sunday to be a part of this race. Only sixteen years old, Gilbertson is scheduled to move up to a  WISSOTA Late Model in 2027. 

Cam Panitzke crossed the line in third but was disqualified at inspection which elevated Wassenberg to third. Panitzke was one of six disqualifications recorded for the night in various divisions as Darlo Mulder and his crew were busy. 

All racing was completed by about 8 pm which allowed fans to hustle home and watch the Pack kick the Cowgirls out of town. For those hungering for more racing action, next week Webster City and Mason City run one more weekend of racing with information available on their website and face book pages. Thanks to Todd, Ryne and the rest of the staff for their help. 

Beckendorf Tops Mods at Spencer; Fitz Is WIAMS Champ

 The Clay County Fair Speedway concluded their 2026 racing season on Sunday afternoon, October 11th on the half mile at Spencer. The highlight event of this afternoon's racing was the final event for the first year of the Western Iowa Area Modified Series where they would crown a point champion. 

Along with the Modifieds, a nice pay day was in line for the other IMCA divisions that were racing on Sunday including the Stock Cars, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts. 

What a spectacular weather day it was for the second week of October! Perhaps approaching record temperatures, the car count and race time temperature were the same, eighty nine! And along with the heat, there were bright blue skies and much wind which was fortunately out of the South and blowing away from the spectators or things might not have been quite so pleasant. 

But this made for some very challenging conditions for the track prep crew but they came through and did a good job, keeping the track as racy as possible and the dust to a minimum. They even managed to somehow have the track build up quite a berm and in fact, that proved to be the fast line as the drivers pounded the cushion to gain speed which made for some interesting racing. I will say that this was the first time in recorded history and I had worn shorts to a race in October and was happy that I did. Unfortunately, upon arrival at the track I was warned that the no-se-ums were brutal and indeed they were as I later left the grounds down a few pints of blood, thanks to those little biting SOB's.  But, one must take the good with the bad as life is a balancing act.

The Western Iowa Area Modified Series is a new series this year, organized by the folks that run the Western Iowa Race Report and the Midwest Madness Tour around the fourth of July holiday. It was designed as a series for Modified drivers from this area to try and keep the numbers in that class up, with a number of tracks plagued by low car counts in that class this year. Trevor Fitz went into the Sunday race with an eight point lead over Nick Meyer and later, with a runner up finish he would claim the title. With a substitute announcer working today's show for J VAN, there was not much mention of the series or updates on the points or even an announcement once the program was completed. PR work surrounding the series will hopefully improve in 2027. 

As for the Modified feature itself, Beckendorf led from start to finish to take the twenty five lapper and the fifteen hundred dollars that went with the win. He was comfortably in front for most of the race. There was once bit of drama when second place Chris Abelson collided with Jake Sachau while they were battling for that spot with Abelson able to refire and Sachau sent to the tail. 

Fitz did a good job late in the race, working his way up from fourth with passes of Abelson and Colby Fett. Kyle Brown, who missed his heat, started eleventh and completed the top five. 

The Stock Cars had the largest field of drivers and twenty seven of them would start their main event. Tim Rupp picked a good time to win his first feature race of 2026 and he led all twenty five lap in doing so. He started on the outside pole, grabbed the lead early and then kept himself in front of the wild scramble for position that was going on behind him. 

The second spot was a hot one with Fett, Randy Brands, Jake Masters and Kelly Shryock all slicing and dicing for that spot. The yellow waved five times during the race and there was a different driver in second each time that race was slowed. 

Brands was driving the cushion hard and he would surge, then jump the cushion and lose what he had gained a number of times as he and Masters battled. Shryock appeared on the move and was just about to take second when contact while battling for position gave him a flat tire and he limped to the pits. 

Rupp was in front of all this and he just drove a smooth race to take the win. Fett had a productive afternoon as after falling to fifth by the halfway point, he fought his way back up to second at the end, holding off Brands, Masters and Chris Palsrok. 

Geoff Olson made perhaps the move of the day on the opening lap of the Sport Mod feature. He started outside of row three but when the waters parted in turn two on the opening lap, he cut left from the cushion, found a nice hole and shot into the lead on the opening lap. After that, he was not challenged as he drove for a wire to wire win. 

This race was slowed only once by a yellow and after grabbing the lead, Olson pulled away from the pack. Zach Davis and Kyle Free locked themselves into second and third early and ran that way to the finish. 

Blake Andrews was coming off back to back feature wins this weekend at 141 Speedway in Wisconsin and was looking for the weekend sweep but he got tangled up with another driver in his heat, resulting in a very poor starting spot in the main and he did well to charge up from twelfth to fourth at the conclusion. 

The Hobby Stocks had some very entertaining heat races and the feature could have been much the same except for the fact that it was plagued by eight yellow flags that took much of the luster off it. Many seemed to be driving like it was their last race of the year and the resulting spins and collisions reflected that. 

It was, however, quite a race for Eric Gillette who started eighth on the grid and had only advanced to fourth by the halfway point. He drove a smooth race and kept his nose clean as others crashed and burned and he steadily made his way forward, finally taking the lead on lap fourteen. 

Chad Volk had led the first thirteen laps of the race with challenges from Chris Krug and Justin Frederick but as they battled and swapped spots, Gillette very quietly slipped up inside them and and once in front, he pulled away over the last few laps. 

Frederick ended up second while Brandon Nielsen quietly moved up from ninth to finish in third with Steve Wickman, up from nineteenth and John Briggs completing the top five. 

The Sport Compact feature was a two horse race from the start until one of the horses lost a shoe and was done. 

Tyler Thompson took the initial lead but on lap three Caine Mahlberg got inside of him in turn four and took over the lead. Those two pulled away from the pack and raced nose to tail until suddenly, down the front chute on lap six, Mahlberg suddenly lost power and pulled into the infield. 

Thompson cruised after that as he drove on for the win over Tyson Roush and Gilbert Aldape in what was a nonstop main. 

The heat races clicked off very quickly while some of the mains got bogged down just a bit by yellows. There was lots of hard driving and while the track did get slick, it was still raceable and truly did hold up very well considering the conditions. It actually was kind of pleasurable to watch afternoon racing, see a full program and not have to even turn the track lights on. The full show took just about three hours to run and that is acceptable, no matter the circumstances. 

Thanks to promoter Trent Chinn and the whole crew at Clay Co. I didn't make it near as many times this year due to weather issues and the much later than planned start to the season. 

My wish list for the track for 2027 includes much better early season weather and a scoreboard. It is surprising that with such a nice facility they have no scoreboard. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just a lap counter would more than suit me.  

Harley Rolls The Dice, Snake Eyes For the Competition at Hamilton Co

 Harley Dais, one of the promising young talents in the Midwest, was a double winner as the twenty eighth annual Fall Futurity began on Thursday night, October 8th at the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City Iowa. 

Modifieds, Stock Cars, B Mods and Hobby Stocks all kicked off the program on Thursday night as they ran a full show, the first of three to be run this weekend at the short half mile here at the historic Hamilton County Fairgrounds. A number of Late Model drivers practiced over the course of the night also as that class will be added to both the Friday and Saturday night shows 

About sixty drivers were on hand for the opening night of three with more expected for the two weekend shows. The track was in good shape for the opening night of racing with a smooth, relatively slick surface that did see the drivers moving around on the track and trying different lines. 

The Stock Car feature, which had the largest number of entrants, rescued the night for the fans as the other three classes saw dominating performances with didn't provide a lot of drama. However, leave it to the Stock Cars to come up with a tight feature race that saw a number of drivers run in a tight pack for most of the event. 

Braden Brauer got the jump from the pole and led the opening pair of laps with Jesse Brown and Dais close behind. The race was then stopped by a wild wreck which saw the only red flag of the night wave when Rick Todd jumped the outside wall on the front chute, flew into the grassy area in front of the turn one bleachers and then rolled over on to his roof. Todd was OK but it took several minutes for rescue workers to get him out of the car and get it  removed from the awkward place it landed. 

Brauer continued to lead on the restart with both Derek Green and Brandon Hare moving into positions to challenge and suddenly the lead pack was up to five drivers. Brauer was pounding the cushion as Green continued to advance after starting sixth on the grid. 

Another yellow flew with seven laps complete as Travis Shipman rolled to a stop on the back chute.  Green was now up to second and on the restart, he attacked Brauer on the top side while Dais worked low and tried to sneak under the leaders. 

The next several laps were entertaining as Brauer fought off Green on the tall side while Dais poked his nose under both coming off the corners. Dais started to find some great traction coming off the corners and on lap ten he edged into the lead. 

Green was all over the track, trying high to get past Brauer and then switching to the low side to gry and pass both. He switched up his line several times, finally getting past Brauer for second and then trying to get past Dais, again using the whole track. 

Harley was solid on the bottom though and despite Green closing to several car lengths, Dais would fend him off for the win with Green trying a last lap banzai move on the cushion that came up short. Brauer crossed the line third but in the official finish is listed dead last among those cars that finished so I'm not sure if he failed tech or just what the explanation was. 

This did move Hare to third with Brown fourth and Randy Foote completing the top five.  with all finishers still on the lead lap.

The Modified field has been short here all year and such was again the case on Thursday night with only seven drivers on hand to fight for the top spot of a grand. Dais made short work of the field, leading from green to checkers to take the win. Alex Williamson stayed with him for a few laps but Harley gradually pulled away and had a comfortable margin at the finish line. 

Lyle Sathoff finished third with Ben Nading and Jason Hahne, driving one of the Elliott cars, next in line. 

Dan Hovden started on the pole for the draw, redraw B Mod feature and that was bad news for the competition as he took the immediate lead and would dominate the event. Two early yellows slowed the action, the second of which eliminated Ty Griffith from the event with mechanical issues as he was probably the best competition for Hovden in the early going. 

The last dozen laps ran off green to checkers and Hovden pulled away from the field, winning by nearly a full straightaway over Jake Richards. The biggest charge was put on by Taylor Skauge who started ninth and worked his way into third in the late going but was way too far behind to advance any farther.  Ben Moudry and Dale Schwamman completed the top five. 

The brothers Monson battled it out in the Hobby Stock class, as they have done on numerous occasions this year with Josh coming home the winner on this night. Josh started on the pole but it was Jocob who used the outside line to get past Parker Anderson and take the initial lead. Josh then pulled up beside him and they raced side by side for two laps before Josh claimed the top spot. 

Two early spins kept the field bunched but when they got back to green flag racing, it was Josh that gradually pulled away from the pack. Jacob had his hands full with Bryce Sommerfeld who came from the third row top put heat on him for second. 

Several times Sommerfeld nearly got by for second but each time Jacob fought him off. Up front, Josh was long gone and he drove home for the win unchallenged while Jacob fought off Sommerfeld for second. Anderson and Tanner Green rounded out the top five. 

Racing started right at 7 pm and two hours later the quick moving program was completed. I thought it to be a very nice night for racing but as I left the grounds, I was surprised to see that it was lightning to the West. A quick check of the radar showed a storm barreling in from Fort Dodge so it was a good thing that the program was a quick one. 

Friday night will see the same classes in action plus the Late Models, Tuners and Crown Vics with racing again around 7 pm.