Rain Delays Cedar Lake Masters Night Two

 The twenty seventh annual Master's at the Cedar Lake Speedway has run into more than it's share of weather difficulties in recent years. Last year the whole event got washed out and again in 2026, weather has played a factor in the running of the three night event. 

Night one on Thursday was washed out by all day rains and while the sun shown for the majority of the day on Friday, by evening the track would be chasing the weather once again and surprise thunderstorms, not in the forecast until added in late afternoon, shut down the racing prematurely on Friday night. All heat races were completed, the last USMTS Modified while it was sprinkling lightly and then it quickly picked up in intensity. The Late Models had pulled on to the track for their first B Feature but were then quickly hustled to the pits and that constituted the Friday night portion of the weekend as series of storms then rolled through the New Richmond area over the course of the next few hours. Friday night's program, including B Features for the USMTS and Late Models, plus three feature races for those two classes plus USRA Late Models will be held on Saturday with another full program to follow. It promises to be a long night of racing on Saturday. 

One post race note: The evening got off to a bad start as during hot laps rookie Late Model driver Onyx Johnson took a violent flip in turn one, totaling his Longhorn chassis in a violent wreck that saw his car slam into the top of the concrete wall while it was somersaulting through the air. He was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he was discovered to have four compression fractures to his back. He is currently hospitalized there, awaiting more tests to determine if surgery will be needed. Onyx is the son of long time racer, the "Millennial Farmer", Zach Johnson.  

However, before the rains hit a total of one hundred and thirteen drivers signed in to race on Friday night. There were twenty seven USRA Late Models entered plus forty three of each the USMTS drivers and the Late Models, running under Cedar Lake Speedway rules. 

The twenty seven USRA drivers is probably about as big a field in that class as will be seen at any track in the area this year even though they are only racing for six hundred dollars to win for the preliminary nights and a grand on Saturday night. 

Their format includes drawing for starting positions and then using passing points to line up their main event. Their three heats went off seamlessly with not a yellow flag to be seen with Clayton Hofteig, Cam Panitzke and Cooper Sundby the winners. Steve O'Brien, who finished a strong second in heat two was disqualified post race for some sort of violation, otherwise their portion of the program went smoothly. 

USMTS used their normal procedures to set up their races. Drivers drew for starting positions for qualifying with the forty three drivers split into two groups. And as they have been doing this year, after qualifying the drivers scramble up to the USMTS trailer to pick their starting positions for the heat races. Most folks by now know how that works and the total of passing points, finishing points in the heats plus qualifying points set the running order for the mains and also the B Features for those that don't make the top sixteen that move directly into the feature. To me the process seems much too convoluted but they are making it work and I guess if you want to run USMTS, then you get used to the format. 

New this year, the local Modified racers that run WISSOTA and in previous years had to conform to USMTS rules in order to race, were allowed to run their cars as they were as long as they were legal for WISSOTA. No mixing and matching of rules was allowed and while the WISSOTA cars are still slightly under powered vs. the USMTS cars, they are closer than they used to be. Also, the WISSOTA drivers get to run their Hoosier tires which many feel helps them vs. the American Racers that USMTS uses. It seems to be a good thing that the WISSOTA drivers were allowed to race because otherwise the total field would be somewhere between twenty five and thirty drivers, not the plus forty that were on hand. 

Cade Dillard and Tanner Mullens were the quick qualifiers in their groups with Dillard quickest overall at 14.056 seconds.  The thinking among the drivers were very mixed as they set themselves for their heat  races. Some, like Dillard and Jake Timm must have felt that passing in the heats was going to be hard as they both opted for front row starting spots while Brandon Davis and Jim Chisholm both opted to start from the tail in their heats and try to garner lots of passing points. It seems that the former were correct on this night as Dillard and Timm won heats while Davis and Chisholm were only able to pass a few cars and finished at best, mid pack in their heats. 

Heat winners included Dillard, Timm and Gary Christian while A.J. Diemel inherited a heat race win when two drivers that finished in front of him were both disqualified. Four drivers were disqualified following the heat races including apparent heat winner Clayton Wagamon and second place finisher Kaden Blaeser. All four drivers that were disqualified were part of the WISSOTA delegation on hand. Hmmm. 

Positively Racing's own Jeff Broeg was calling the action for the USMTS portion of the program on Friday and is expected to be on hand all weekend. 

A strong field of local and regional Late Model drivers were on hand plus several interlopers from distant places and for five grand to win on Friday and twelve grand on Saturday night, this is not surprising. The weekly racers at Cedar Lake are for the vast majority running WISSOTA legal cars which means they utilize a spec engine much like the SLMR and PRO Series run. However, Cedar Lake does have a provision in their rules for open motor drivers but they must run a restrictor plate, much again like the other two Iowa and Nebraska series run. 

However, a curve ball was thrown to the drivers in the week leading up to this race when an announcement was made that instead of utilizing the CLS rules, they would be using the Dirt Kings rules for the open motored cars and not coincidently, these rules allow a bigger opening in the plate which of course gives the motors more power. One might suspect that the open motor contingent must have been doing some lobbying this week, and if so, it was successful as they got what they wished for. One must wonder though, how the weekly drivers feel about this as for the racers that support the track all season, they now have been thrown a curve that makes it harder for them to be successful this weekend. And trust me, extra horsepower is always appreciated. 

The Late Model drivers drew for starting positions in their heats(thankfully no time trials!) and passing points would set the rest of their lineups with the top sixteen moving directly to the main event. There is one ringer thrown into this though, as the top six in passing points will be inverted for the main event. Three of the five heats went to open motored cars, disproportionate given the number of them on hand with Terry Casey, Dillard and Timm in open motored cars while Sam Mars, believed to be driving his spec engined car and Kyle Peterlin, who hasn't raced here for a dozen years, winning a heat in his 525 crate car.  

Track and series officials did a good job getting the Modified time trials completed so that the program could still begin at its advertised 7 pm start. However, by race time the dark clouds were building in the western sky and it didn't too long for them to motor on over our heads, thus producing a quick and unsatisfying conclusion to the racing. Plenty of seats remain in the spacious facility for those that might want to head to Wisco on Saturday and catch a double header of fine racing. 

Beckendorf and Wilson Top Thrilling Finales at Indee Summer Nationals

 One hundred and sixty eight drivers signed in for the Wednesday night finale for the third annual IMCA Summer Nationals at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence Iowa. And like any good event or presentation, they wisely saved the best for last, leaving a good impression in the minds of fans and participants alike with some thrilling, closely fought feature races, just enough controversy to leave folks' tongues a'waggin' and good memories of the racing that will carry on. 

The final night of the three night presentation saw the purse again elevated and for previously successful drivers as well as those not faring so well so far this week, it was "go" time with everyone wanted a piece of the generous pie being handed out on Wednesday. 

At various times all week, we thought we had seen the most intense racing possible, but that proved to not quite be the case as everyone amped up their game on Wednesday with some blistering racing action and plenty of body contact to go along with that. New winners emerged in three of the five divisions offered while a couple of the drivers with previous wins earlier again found their way to victory lane. In order of the events run, feature winners included Brayton Carter in the Sport Mods, Brandon Beckendorf in the Modifieds, Tyler Wilson in the Stock Cars, Wayne Gifford in the Hobby Stocks and Brad Chandler in the Sport Compacts. Both Carter and Chandler has won earlier this week, Carter on opening night and Chandler just last night. 

Track prep and racing conditions were discussed to the max over the last three nights of racing with just about everyone having an opinion. I try to stay away from what other "authorities" are voicing and keyboarding as I believe I can use my own eyes and ears to form an opinion so most of the chatter never reached me. 

There is no doubt that this track is one of the tougher ones to prepare and it hasn't been the greatest for all races all week. But it certainly isn't because of lack of effort on the part of those constantly working the track who must be exhausted almost to the breaking point by today. 

By with all that aside, I can say for sure that the track was the best it has been all week for the feature races on Wednesday and the drivers responded by giving us some great side by side battles, close finishes and plenty for the pit folks to chew on afterward, based on some of the happenings we saw on the track. 

The car count was down just a bit for Wednesday night, just as one might expect with mechanical issues, wrecks and just a lack of success sending some home. I was a bit surprised, however, that there weren't more drivers that just showed up for the one night to take a shot at the big money being offered, perhaps someone that couldn't be here for all three nights but with a whole new show each night, stood as much chance as anyone else at having success. There were actually less than a dozen drivers that were added following the opening night show on Monday. 

The basic format for the program was unchanged. However, with the smaller car count, neither the Sport Mods nor the Sport Compacts required B Features, both helping the show move along quicker and cut down on laps on the track. The running order was changed up once again with the Sport Mods, first on the track for their main event, actually running before the second planned track prep session took place.

I'm guessing that went over like a lead balloon among the Sport Mod drivers but in fact, they were presented a great track for their main event. All twenty five drivers on hand started the main event but it was Brayton Carter that jumped into the early lead from the outside of row one and he then would lead from start to finish. 

Carter quickly found the fast lane around the track, running the cushion on the South end of the track and hugging the tires on the North end and that strategy served him well as he pulled away from the pack. 

However, behind him a great race for second broke out with Caleb Woodard, Kyle Olson, Cam Reimers and Devyn Peterson exchanged positions regularly on the track. Woodard held it first, then Reimers grabbed it and finally Peterson claimed the spot. Each time the yellow waved, which it did on four occasions, the spot seemed to change hands. 

Following the last yellow, Carter again pulled away to claim the three grand top prize and Woodard again boosted his way back into second as he got past Peterson to claim the runner up slot. 

The Modified feature saw more different leaders than I believe any feature race of the week as three different drivers held the top spot at one point. 

Twenty four drivers, three wide, also started this race and it was Kollin Hibdon from the middle of the front row that took the early lead. He was challenged by Ethan Braaksma and Cody Laney in the early going. 

Braaksma closed in on Hibdon and with a slider in turn two, squeezed past Hibdon to take over the top spot. It was not well received by Hibdon, and justifiably so as they discussed the move post race but it was a pass nevertheless that sent Hibdon dropping back a few spots before he collected himself. 

However, the driver on the move was Brandon Beckendorf, one of the very few drivers that didn't participate on Monday night. He started on the inside of row two and was making good speed early as he closed in on the leaders. He showed  himself by trying both high and low until he finally got a good run at Braaksma and then he drove past to take over the lead just past the halfway point. 

After that he pulled away and with no more slowdowns in the race, he motored on for the five grand reward at the end of the twenty two laps. Braaksma finished up second with Hibdon getting past Laney for third and if there had been a few more laps, the battle for second could have gotten real spicey. 

However, not surprisingly, the closest feature race of the week was reserved for the Stock Cars with an absolute thriller that was not decided until the final few feet on the front straight on the final lap. 

Brandon Schmitt led the majority of the race, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the front row was completely comprised of Wisconsin drivers as the Cheese Heads" made themselves known to the other drivers this week. 

Schmitt led by inches, lap after lap over Tyler Wilson but they were joined at the halfway point by Kelly Shryock who had started seventh but slowly moved into contention. His smooth inside line found openings and he passed other drivers quickly and soon it was  a three car battle for the lead. 

The top three jockeyed back and forth, occasionally getting three wide after an opening lap four wide race down the front chute stopped by a yellow flag. Late in the race, Wilson found speed on the top side and with just two laps to go edged back into the lead. However, Schmitt turned a great lap on the next lap and as they raced to the white flag, Schmitt edged back in front. 

It was a great battle on the final lap as all three raced hard but did not touch each other and they came to the line side by side. For me, it was too close to call although  I did write down Wilson as the winner but not knowing exactly where the finish line loop is, it was just a guess. 

Sure enough, it was Wilson that was scored the winner with Schmitt and Shryock so close behind as to be tough to tell. I did not hear what the winning margin was, but it had to have been very small indeed. There can be only one winner but it was a great race run by all three drivers. The third Wisconsin driver, Nick Buckarma(the man with many pronunciations), came home fourth ahead of Cayden Carter who started way back in eighteenth. 

The Hobby Stock feature saw another three driver battle for the win in a race that was marked by quite a few crashes, a number of yellows and found nearly half the field in the pits by the time the checkers flew. 

Braden Gifford took the initial lead but could only hold the top spot for a few laps before he was passed by his father Wayne. They continued to battle with Braden hammering on the rear bumper of his father, just to let him know he was there probably. Meanwhile, running the low line, Monday night winner Leah Wroten stayed with the top two but each time they tried to do much racing, the yellow would fly again. 

There were several grinding crashes on the back chute and a number of drivers ended up on the wrong end of the hook which was kept busy all night. 

Finally, a single file restart was called car to try and get some racing completed. Wayne Gifford continued to hold his line and on the final lap, Braden raced hard up behind him but when he saw he would have to execute some kind of nefarious move to get the lead, he instead tucked back in behind his father and settled for the runner up spot. Wroten was there the whole time and she would race home third. 

Twenty five Sport Compacts ended up the evening racing in their fifteen lap feature race. Things started off difficult as pole sitter Adam Gates twice in a row jumped the start so badly that the start was called back an he was docked a row for attempt number three which saw Lucas Rick take the early lead. 

While the track was congested with drivers racing three and four wide, Brad Chandler was somehow able to race from ninth to second in one lap's time. He showed great speed and seemed to be vastly superior to the other competitors. However, once he got up to second, he seemed to just be waited on leader Rick to make a mistake and on lap four, Brad drove by Rick and into the lead with ease. 

Continuing his superiority, he seemed after this to run just fast enough to stay in front of the field but not draw too much attention to himself, if you know what I mean. His car seemed so superior to everyone else, I'm guessing he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. 

While he cruised up front, Gates was busy as he tried to get back into contention after his early spanking. He was battling with Mitch Bielenberg for third when they got together and sailed off turn two. Bielenberg was restored to his position while Gates headed for the pits. 

At this point, with the race long on wrecks and yellows and short on racing, a single file restart was also called for in this class. Chandler continued to cruise, clearly the class of the field as he drove on for the one thousand dollar win. Bielenberg made a late pass on Rick to take second with just over half the starting field still racing at the end. After a very smoothly run program the last two features were quite the contrary and pushed the final finishing time well past 11 pm. 

Thanks go out to MVG, Trent Chinn and Dana Benning for producing this event, one that I hope continues again next year whether it be here or perhaps back in Spencer. The amount of work involved in operating such an event is staggering and so many moving pieces must fall together to make it a success that it is mind blowing . I am just thankful that there are folks willing to attempt such events and race fans and participants must continue to support them for these kind of races to continue. Sure, not everything is perfect, but what is in life? A few positive thoughts and actions to all the working folks here would be a good start. 

 

Tony Olson and Rust Drive Forward For Summer Natonals Wins

 Tuesday night, June 2nd was night number two for the third annual IMCA Summer Nationals held this year at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence Iowa. It was another beautiful early Summer day in Iowa and one hundred and seventy nine drivers signed in to race in the five IMCA divisions offered. 

There were five new winners on Tuesday night with no repeaters from Monday and in the two top paying events, both Stock Car winner Tony Olson and Modified victor Joel Rust drove from behind to make passes on the leaders and take home the biggest checks. Other Tuesday night winners included Cam Reimers, Karter Miles and Mitch Bielenberg. 

As in often the case for multi day shows such as this one, night number two goes much smoother than the opening night as drivers figure out the track, officials spot things that need to be changed and make the necessary improvements and things overall just flow better. 

Among the changes made for the Tuesday night show were less laps for some of the feature races, the running order for the races was changed and the track prep crew learned better when to freshen the track and when to leave it alone. The drivers meeting was moved up so that everyone was more prepared to start the show at its advertised time and while it seemed to me that the drivers raced even harder than they did on Monday night, there were many less yellow flags and not the serious incidents that occurred on Monday night. The snafu with the redraw for the feature races was ironed out thus eliminating the delays between main events which helped also while cutting down on some of the rising tempers in the pits. 

The vast majority of the drivers that raced on Monday returned with the crews for the teams doing their usual amazing job of fixing what looked to be unfixable equipment. Kyler Hefty, the roll over victim right in front of the crowd on Monday was back on the track after some extensive repairs over night and even raced to a top ten finish in the Hobby Stock feature.

The other roll over victim, Devin Coghlan, was taken in for treatment last night after he wasn't feeling well at his pit area and while the car was in the pits again on Tuesday, it was not entered in competition. 

Other than the running order being changed, the program used the same format as on Monday with heats using the draw/redraw format and B Features for all divisions except the Sport Compacts where all drivers that were running started the feature race. In a show such as this with so many competitors and so many fast teams, the draw is critical and many of the drivers that ran up front on Monday struggled to get through the heats on Tuesday. 

For the second straight night, all feature races were started three abreast and while that does pose some challenges, the drivers have done a good job navigating the heavy traffic early on in the main events. And impressively during the Tuesday night show, three of the five main events would go green to checkers with not a single yellow flag in them with the other two having just two and three slowdowns during them. However, as we have seen time and time again, one of the yellows during the Modified feature made the difference in who sat in victory lane. 

The Stock Cars started off the main events on Tuesday with this class starting twenty seven drivers in their twenty lap main, the largest field for the largest class assembled here this week. 

The track was a challenge to the drivers on this night with a big berm during the heat races that really caused some difficulty for many drivers. However, that berm was bladed off after the heats and after that, the issue was the changing fast lane which switched so many times it was hard to keep up based on track prep and some of the classes that seemed to run better on different parts of the track. It was a "heads up" time for the drivers and trying to pick the fast lane, either by planning or just "seat of the pants" racing was key. And sometimes that fast line changed during the race, leaving some potential winners high and dry by checkers time. 

Such was the case in the Stock Cars were Zach VanderBeek started on the pole and jumped into the immediate lead. he began to pull away from the pack quickly as the low line seemed to serve him well. However, Tony Olson, who started next to Zach, decided after losing some ground to the leader to move up to the cushion and that made him faster immediately. Lap after lap, Olson began to eat into the margin he was trailing by and with no yellows to slow the action, VanderBeek saw his lead get smaller and smaller. 

Finally, Olson blew past him to take over the top spot with VanderBeek defenseless to stop him. Olson then continued his charge as he drove away for the win. VanderBeek did hold off a late rush from Braden Richards to salvage the runner up slot however. Richards has been the most consistent driver in the field so far with two top three finishes. Kaden Reynolds and Kodey Miles completed the top five. 

Twenty four Modifieds were set to go for twenty two laps in their main event, racing as the Stock Cars had for three grand on Tuesday. Jed Freiburger blasted out from the middle of row one to take the early lead in the feature. Not many laps were completed before a wild scrum on the back chute saw several drivers turned in the wrong direction and last night's winner Cayden Carter slide off the track with several calling it a night at this point. 

Freiburger continued to lead back on green and began to extend his advantage while a good battle for second saw Brennan Chipp fighting to hold off Spencer Diercks and Joel Rust who had started fourth. 

They were battling for the runner up slot but Freiburger was motoring away from the pack and eventually would have the better part of a straightaway lead over the field as his lead seemed to be solid. However, this would all change with the blinking on of the yellow light when Ethan Braaksma slipped over the banking and stalled. 

When the green reappeared, the race had changed complexion considerably. How often have we seen the whole character of a race change caused by a yellow? Well, Rust, who was running the top side of the track suddenly found that he had speed to burn and he blew past Freiburger, who just a few laps earlier seemed to be untouchable, and took over the lead. That's how quickly things change sometimes following yellow flags. 

Tripp Gaylord, who started sixth, also drove by Freiburger in the last laps to finish second while Freiburger must have been asking himself why that yellow had to have happened while winner Rust certainly celebrated that late yellow, that saw him make the winning pass with just four laps remaining in the race. 

The Sport Mod feature went green to checkers with twenty quick laps spun off by the twenty four drivers that started this race. This race bore a similar look to the Modified feature with one big exception, that late yellow that might have changed things never appeared. It was a Cam Reimers show on Tuesday as he started on the pole and led all laps. He pulled away to a big lead and without any slowdowns, his only problem was lapped traffic that one the rubbered up track, made getting by some of the slower cars dicey. 

However, he had a big enough advantage that he was able to show patience and most of the slower drivers did a good job yielding so he was never in any danger. There was a good battle for second with Keegan Nordquist holding off a persistent Zach Davis to take that spot. Caleb Woodard and Dylan VanWyk completed the top five in this race. 

Carson Butt took the initial lead in the Hobby Stock feature but could only hold off Karter Miles for a single lap before Miles drove past him to take over the lead. And once in front, Miles would lead for the rest of the sixteen laps of the contest although Butt remained close enough to be a challenger. A couple collisions slowed this race and on every green Butt gave it a shot, but Miles was just a bit stronger and held off every challenge. 

Miles drove home with a few car lengths to spare over Butt while Brent Vanous recorded a second top five finish,  and on Tuesday he still had both doors on the car as managed to avoid any skirmishes on the track. Only two drivers failed to complete this race and everyone was still on the lead lap at the finish. 

Twenty five Sport Compact drivers took the green for their fifteen lap finale to the night and in a field of like looking cars, the three very different looking Fords would dominate, going one, two and three at the finish. 

Jay Orr started on the pole and led the opening laps but it wasn't long before he was challenged and then, shortly after passed for the lead by Mitch Bielenberg. Bielenberg, Orr and Monday night's winner Brad Chandler then engaged in their own little battle for position, far in front of the rest of the field. 

In the third and final nonstop feature of the night, these three continued to battle but while they raced close, they never did exchange positions and would finish in that same order. The second group was led by fourth place finisher Devin Jones and Michael Gardner but they were far back from the top three. 

The third annual IMCA Summer Nationals concludes on Wednesday night and the winnings jumping  back up to the Monday night levels with $1000, $2000, $3000 and $5000 and $5000 going to five lucky and skillful drivers. Race time is again at 6 pm. 

Carter Family Cashes In At IMCA Summer Nationals "Invitational" at Indee

 The third annual IMCA Summer Nationals kicked off on Monday night, June 1st at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence Iowa and it could not have been a better night for the Carter family from Oskaloosa. Brayton Carter won the Sport Mod feature while his brother Cayden won both the Modified and Stock Car main events and they were able to return to that southern Iowa community having earned a nice thirteen thousand dollars between them on night one of this three night spectacular. 

Other winners on opening night included Leah Wroten and Brad Chandler on what turned out to be a beautiful night for dirt track racing in Northeastern Iowa. 

This was the third annual Summer Nationals special promoted by Mike VanGenderen and Trent Chinn and with Dana Benning also on board this year as the Indee contact person. The first two years of this race were held at the Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer but construction at the fairgrounds this year made that facility unavailable and since MVG promotes the shows here along with Benning, it was a natural place to transfer the event to. And while the entire facility is not of the size of Clay County, it worked out nicely with camping also available on the grounds and the pits organized so that there was room for all the racers. 

One hundred and eighty five drivers signed in to race on Monday night and given the great purse they were racing for, my only question was why weren't there even more racers on hand? I suppose that because these races are held during the week, it makes it tough for some people to get off work etc and Monday night's race is actually a non sanctioned event, perhaps some point chasers passed on this show. What I would think would be a huge drawing card is the fact that all three nights are stand alone events so that someone that perhaps couldn't make all three nights can still show up and race for a night or two and not be handicapped against those on hand for the full series. 

They actually started here with a regular race night on Saturday night, then followed on Sunday with practice and timed runs with the fastest four in each class being automatically elevated into the Monday night redraw and not having to race a heat race to get into the show. And with the full fields in all five divisions, that would be an excellent benefit. In fact, four of the five eventual feature winners went that route and didn't have to race heats. 

While national points were not available for Monday night's program, all IMCA rules were in effect and all three nights will feature three wide starts which have become a trademark of this event. At one point, the Monday night race was scheduled to be an "invitational" event only with certain criteria needed to be asked to be a part of the Monday night show but when the numbers were such that a full field wouldn't be racing, it was then opened up to anyone that wanted to enter so for some drivers it was an extra bonus to get one more night of racing in and to be racing for some excellent money too, by the way. 

B Features were needed in all five divisions with the Stock Car field being the largest with fifty four drivers signing in to race. All features started twenty four drivers with the exception of the Stock Cars where twenty eight took the green, likely because their numbers were the largest. 

Racing would start just a bit after the advertised time due to some extra track prep work needed on the sunny and warm June night with hot laps quickly run off just to "buzz" in the track just a bit before racing started. It was a draw/redraw show so drawing a good starting number was important but then again, when isn't it? A couple extra track prep sessions were built into the program over what is often seen at MVG shows but the surface at Indee does seem a bit more sandy than at most Iowa tracks and does tend to lock down if it isn't repeatedly worked on. 

Despite the large amount of money on the line, the feature races themselves weren't of an excessive distance with the Sport Mods, up first for their main, going twenty laps. Brayton Carter started on the pole after the redraw but just because he started in that position, it didn't guarantee victory for him. In fact, if not for a late race bold move, he may have had to settle for second. 

Caleb Woodard started on the outside of the three wide start and he jumped into the early lead and then showed the way for the majority of the race. Carter settled into second with Austin Kemp running third early. 

Woodard continued to lead and showed no indications of faltering as Carter continued to chase him with Jake Sachau moving into third by the halfway point of the race. Carter and Sachau may have been closing up some as the race went into his later half, but it seemed likely that Woodard would be the winner unless he faltered. And while the leaders were all running the inside line, Dylan VanWyk had driven into fourth using the cushion and did appear to be the fastest driver on the track at this point. 

Things all changed when the yellow flew with only five laps to go for a spinning driver. For the double file restart, Carter surprised many by picking the top side. Whether or not he saw that VanWyk was making time up there, or that he thought that would be the open lane in which to make a pass or perhaps he just threw caution to the wind, we won't know but the fact of the matter was that it turned out to be a brilliant decision as when the green flag waved, Carter moved as if shot out of a cannon and drove easily past Woodard to take over the lead. 

He extended that advantage in the final few laps and drove home for the uncontested win over Woodard and Sachau, earning three grand for the win. A smoothly run race, there were only three drivers that didn't finish but lapped traffic never became an issue with two yellows nicely interspersed. 

The Sport Compact feature was not nearly as smoothly a run event with several yellows, several grinding collisions, one flip and finally, the race finished up after being forced to go to a single file restart to get laps completed. 

Brad Chandler started in the middle of the front row but launched into the lead from the beginning and he would lead all laps, with the race being cut by five due to all the yellows. His lead early was over Lucas Rick with Ryan Bryant eventually passing Rick for that spot. 

A lap five red was called for when Devin Coghlan flipped off the back chute as a part of a scrum of cars going in all directions. He was OK and the race was restarted, only to see at least a half dozen cars again collide on the back chute, drawing a fourth yellow flag. 

The restart went single file at this point and the last five laps saw Chandler continue to control things, as he was never challenged as he drove on for the win in his first time of the year on the race track. Bryant finished second with Rick third as nearly half the field was gone by the time the checkered waved. 

The Stock Cars were impressive as twenty eight of them went nonstop for twenty five laps for their main event. Cayden Carter started on the pole and he led all twenty five laps with first Kodey Miles and then Braden Richards chasing him. Carter was untouchable as he raced right through the middle of the turns and no one able to even challenge him. 

Despite all the cars on the track and the race going nonstop, Carter didn't have to deal with a lot of lapped traffic, the one thing that might have thrown off his timing but he simply motored on at his own pace with no one able to keep up with him. Despite several other drivers trying to get into a challenging position, the top three continued to run in the same order and that's how they finished off the race. 

It was a rocky start for the Hobby Stocks with the front row starters tangling almost before the green flag was even waved with drivers going in all directions. Despite several having to go to the work area for repairs, all twenty four were on the track for the second attempt to go green. This one didn't go any smoother with Kyler Hefty ending up flipping right into the fence in front of the crowd in a very close up and personal wreck. 

Again, all drivers were OK  but the number of damaged machines was starting to mount. The third time was the charm with Karter Miles taking the early lead over Brandon Nielsen with Leah Wroten, who started in the middle of row two, quickly moving into third. 

While most of the drivers were trying the banking, Wroten planted her car right on the inside tires and it worked beautifully for her as she was able to slip under the other drivers and with great drive off the corners, move into the lead. There were three move yellows for assorted collisions but each time the green again waved, she was able to accelerate away from the pack with her low side runs. 

The last seven laps of the race went green and she just continued her smooth run as she drove on for the win. A late charge saw Brett Vanous, minus a right side door from an early collision, move up to third after starting thirteenth on the grid with Wayne Gifford, who ran second until the late pass by Vanous, settling for third. And despite all the crashing and bashing, there were only five drivers that didn't finish the race despite many looking the worse for wear. 

The Modifieds finished up the night with a thirty lap feature, the longest event of the night. But it might as well have been either three or three hundred laps because the distance didn't matter as no one would be catching Cayden Carter. 

For the second time of the night, he would again dominate a strong field of drivers, leading from start to finish to earn another five grand. In fact, the top two finishers, Carter and Konnor Wilinski, held those spots for the whole race and neither were really challenged at any point. 

There was only one yellow in the race and that was when Tripp Gaylord got tagged and spun but he got his spot back so that his heated battle with Spencer Diercks could continue. They went at it for the whole race, swapping the spot back and forth and at the line, it was Diercks who edged out Gaylord for third. Drew Janssen, running the Josh Fisher car on this night, was in the top five for the whole race and settled for that spot after running as high as third at the halfway point. 

I enjoyed the commentary provided by the announcers as Jeff Kroph, the regular track announcer, was joined by Positively Racing's Jeff Broeg and Stuart/Memphis announcer Tony Paris although their pa system was a bit edgy all night. 

Tuesday night all five divisions will be back in action for another full program. The purse drops slightly on Tuesday although it is still very good money before jumping back up on Wednesday to the Monday night level. I would assume just about all the racers will return and who knows, there might be some more with this night being sanctioned and points on the line for those chasing such things. Race time is 6 pm. 

All five classes will be back at in on

Lincoln Loggie After Washout

 The third leg of the opening week of FLO/Racing Night in America was scheduled for Thursday night, May 7th at the Lincoln Speedway located on the grounds of the Logan County Fairgrounds in Lincoln Illinois. 

An excellent field of thirty seven Late Models signed in for racing along with twenty seven UMP Modifieds for their own program. Five additional Late Models that hadn't been seen in Spoon, along with nearly a dozen different Modifieds were in the pits and ready to race on Thursday. 

Unfortunately, weather conditions started to  come unraveled as the afternoon progressed. What had been only a slight chance of a passing shower turned into much more and at about 5 pm a wave of rain came through. 
However it then cleared back up and using some of the most impressive track prep equipment seen lately, the track crew was able to get the track back into racing shape and the program proceeded, if not on schedule any more. 

In fact, the track was blistering fast and Hudson O'Neal's quick lap was at 12.748 seconds for what is probably an undersized quarter mile oval. Brandon Sheppard topped group two with a lap at 12.750 for the second wave so the track wasn't slowing down a bit. 

Something that we don't see at all at home but something that is actually quite common for these Illinois bullrings is the flagman working from the middle of the track and Lincoln is one of several in this area where that is the setup. 

Previously, as the last car out for Modified hot laps/qualifying, Michael Ledford's best lap was at 14. 239 seconds. 

Lincoln Speedway is located right in the middle of Lincoln Illinois and was likely on the edge of town when the Fairgrounds was started but now the city has grown up around it and noise and time restraints are a part of racing there. By the time the track was worked back into shape and qualifying quickly completed, the first Late Model took to the track shortly after 8 pm. 

Now the FLO Series and the officials that were working for them this week are among the best at running off a quick show, and it was still feasible to get it completed under the time lines they were dealing with. 

Unfortunately, just as the second Late Model heat took to the track, it started to rain once again. They were just small showers and were mostly concentrated right over Lincoln but they were enough to quickly get the track too slippery to race on once again. 

The heavy equipment came back on to the track and once again they tried to get the track back into racing shape. The rain just wouldn't stop and while it was light, it was enough so that the track crew was making no progress. It was even announced that if the track could be made ready to race on, they would run the Late Model show straight through and the Modified would only get to race if there was time after the Late Models were done. The curfew here, by the way, is 10:30 pm. 

Things were looking grim and with the rain starting and stopping and the track crew not making progress and the hour glass running down toward curfew time, the program was finally axed around 9 pm.

Despite the crummy weather, a great crowd was on hand and they will wait, along with the racers to see if an appropriate rain date can be found. The FLO Series is off to a shaky start this year, with only one of three races completed so far. The rest of Illinois Speedway sees the Lucas Oil Late Model Series replace them for the next two nights but the forecast for Friday is not promising either. 

Thanks to Bob Sargent and Adam Mackey and the crew at Lincoln for doing the best they could, dealing with unexpected and unpredictable Spring weather and trying to get the races run off. More tracks need to start catching a break here soon. 

Sheppard and Neville Top FLO Opener at Spoon River

 The FLO/Racing Night in America 2026 series started on Wednesday night, May 6th at the Spoon River Speedway in Lewiston Illinois. Originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday night at LaSalle Speedway, that event was rained out and rescheduled for September 15th, thus allowing Spoon River to host the 2026 opener. 

The FLO/Racing Night series has been an immediate hit since some clever minded folks at FLO came up with the concept of creating a largely midweek series of high paying events, scheduled so that the biggest names in dirt Late Model racing would be in attendance and provide spectacular shows for both the audience in attendance and more importantly, all those folks sitting at home and watching on FLO which they presumably had bought a subscription to, at least in some measure because of this series. 

The FLO/Racing Night has also been able to bring the series to some deserving tracks that otherwise probably couldn't or wouldn't dare to get on a national series schedule but have shown their tracks to more than worthy of such competition. 

Using the FLO/Racing Series as a baseline, other special events such at Illinois Speed Weeks, which this race is a part of, have been able to be organized. 

These lucrative midweek races, running when otherwise teams would be idling away time between events, have been an excellent source of extra income for them and with a point fund from a short eleven race series that offers $50,000 to the winner and seventy five if they run all races, a great additional source of income while also bringing their product to some places that otherwise would never see them race. 

Wednesday's event at Spoon River produced a power packed lineup of Late Model drivers with most of the best in the entire country on hand. Not only were the Lucas and WoO drivers on hand but a lot of independent racers that just hit the big shows across the country. Thirty nine of them signed in to race on Wednesday in a quick series of events that offers no provisional starters for the first race so if you don't race your way in, you watch from the sidelines which in a perfect world should be the way it is for every race, extenuating circumstances disregarded. 

Along with the Late Models, UMP Modifieds were also on the card but with just the two divisions racing, these shows are almost always very quick running events, packaged for the tv audience but also great for the fans on hand who mostly have to work the following morning. Back in the day, these races were almost entirely for the tv audiences with the live crowd secondary. Many times the cost to get into the races was very cheap as they just wanted to fill seats and make it look better for the tv audience. That has changed over the years with ticket prices comparable to other specials but with more fans on board, race teams can do better with things such as apparel sales etc. 

The standard big show format was used for the Late Models with qualifying setting the running order for heats and the heats setting the field for the main events and B Features. Bobby Pierce was quickest overall at 13.100 seconds while Brandon Overton topped the second group with the track slowing a bit and he turning a lap of 13.480. 

The Spoon River Speedway has been a "hit or miss" preposition  for me over the years with some nights being good and some nights were everyone was hugging the bottom and the passing was at a premium. Well, on Wednesday night we saw the Spoon at its best as it provided excellent racing all night with the heat races probably as entertaining events as seen all year. There was much passing and multiple grooves as drivers were passing and then being repassed as they jockeyed to get into the top five spots and make the mains. 

Two B Features set the rest of the field with just twenty four drivers starting the main and many very fast teams just watching from the sidelines where they make no money. 

And while the box score will show that Brandon Sheppard led all fifty laps to score the twenty grand victory, the actual race itself was much better and more exciting than that. While Sheppard took the lead right from the start, there was quite a battle for position behind him. Overton faded back quickly while Pierce and Hudson O'Neal moved to the front. An early yellow with seven laps complete when Dan Ebert and Ricky Thornton Jr got together found those two aleady behind Sheppard for the restart as Tyler Erb also moved into contention. 

Only one other yellow, with fifteen laps completed, slowed the action as Devin Moran showed in the top five for the first time. The last thirty five laps went green to checkers. Sheppard continued to run up front, running a line that was just a bit higher than most but he was fast right through the middle of the track. 

Pierce and O'Neal continued to trade the second and third spots before Hudson claimed the spot for good. With somewhere less than twenty laps to go, Sheppard finally hit lapped traffic for the first time and this allowed O'Neal to close in on him some. O'Neal was running lower in the corners and he seemed to be getting a better run off the turns than Sheppard. It got down to just a few cars length difference as Sheppard battled with traffic while still a bit higher up the track.

Perhaps the winning move was made when Sheppard, with just over ten laps to go, split a pair of slower cars while at the same time seemingly finding that low line which did have more speed and following that, he quickly expanded his lead once again. 

O'Neal experimented with the top side for one lap but it nearly cost him second spot before he dove back low to block off Pierce's charge. Sheppard crossed the line with room to spare while O'Neal and Pierce followed. 

Tyler Erb and Moran completed the top five with nineteen drivers still on the track at the finish, four of them a lap behind. It was a clean run event with no drivers suffering any major issues that shouldn't be able to be repaired for Thursday night's event at Lincoln Speedway. 

Nick Neville was quick qualifier for the Modified drivers, running a lap at 13.976 seconds or nearly as fast as the Late Models. However, it should be pointed out that the Mods qualified first with the track still in prime speed shape. 

Three heats and a B Feature set the twenty car field for the Modified main which also featured a star studded field with drivers on hand from as far away as North Carolina and Florida to run this event and presumably, other Midwestern events in the days to come. 

Their twenty five lap feature, run last and after the Late Models, saw the track with plenty of rubber from those Late Model tires and the low side of the track was the place to be. Drivers quickly lined up in the low groove and raced off the bottom, hoping to slip under other drivers as their best passing opportunities. 

Neville led early and indeed, did lead all twenty five laps. He did get a major scare though, near the midway point of the race when Blake Brown put on a serious challenge for his top spot. Brown was coming off the corners at speed just a little lower than Neville and after starting outside of Neville, he  began to close up on him. 

Just past the halfway point of the race, he made his most serious attempt to get under Neville and take over the lead. Coming off turn four, he got a good run to the inside of Neville and they squeezed into turn one. However, Brown didn't have enough room to execute the pass down low and he smashed hard into the ute tire marking the inside of the track which caused him to spin. 

This triggered the lone yellow of the race and Brown departed with serious front end damage. This restored Neville to the lead and he wouldn't fail, as he pulled away over the final ten laps to record the win. Michael Ledford chased Neville the last ten laps but couldn't catch him and settled for second. Drake Troutman, racing just Modifieds on this night, finished third with Cole Falloway and Mike McKinney next in line as area drivers more than held their own against the visiting stars. 

As is the expectation with FLO Midweek events, it was a quick racing program with the final checkers waving just after 9:30 pm. Lucas Oil officials were on hand to help the MARS Series officials run the program as an all star cast was assembled for this week. 

FLO debuted their new big video board for live timing and scoring and also for showing replays to the live audience, a group often forgotten these days but still desperately needed. This board will also be used at Lucas Oil races the rest of the year. FLO/Racing also uses the Choose Cone for restarts, a system I still really like even though it seems that not a lot of groups have adopted for whatever reason. 

Thanks to Matt Curl and Kari Perkins for their help and as always, Dustin Jarrett and Ben Shelton, both always willing to help out. If a FLO/Racing Nigh in America event comes to your area and you want to see the best Late Model drivers in a quick and entertaining program, make sure you attend.  

Pierce Dazzles at MTS, Chisholm Steals a Modified Victory

 Bobby Pierce and Joe Chisholm were opening night winners as the three evening Dairyland Showdown for World of Outlaws Late Models and Northern Lights Modified Series drivers began on Thursday night, April 30th at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway North of Fountain City Wisconsin. 

Both series will run three full shows, culminating in a forty thousand dollar to win Late Model event on Saturday night along with a three grand to win Modified series event also. 

Thirty seven Late Model drivers, most of whom were the same drivers that raced at Independence Iowa two nights earlier along with twenty USRA Modifieds made up the field on Thursday night. Both series would use the identical format with qualifying setting the running order for the heats, the two two in each heat redrawing for the main event and then everyone else lining straight up off heat race finishes. The B Feature drivers plus series provisional starters would tag the back of the field while the Modifieds allowed everyone to start their main. 

Nick Hoffman was quickest overall at 13.599 seconds while Michael Leach was fastest in group B at 13.956. The Mods qualifying as one group with Jacob Bleess fastest at 15.857 seconds. Track officials did a good job of running off the time trials in rather quick order so that the qualifying didn't drag on forever, a common occurrence at time trial shows with multiple divisions going "under the clock", and especially so on what would be an uncharacteristically cold last day of April in the Coulee region of Wisconsin. 

Probably the biggest shocker during the qualifying events was the "clunker" pulled by "Superman" Jonathan Davenport who for the second straight Outlaw event, performed at a less than spectacular pace, and actually worse than he did in Independence where he had trouble even staying on the track. 

At MTS, he only qualified for the third row in his heat race and then on the opening lap slammed the third turn wall so hard that he did damage not quickly able to repair. He was done for his heat, started tenth in a B Feature in a back up car and only made it up to fifth, thus failing to even qualify for the show as provisional rights to the main are granted on series loyalty, not speed and thus Dennis Erb Jr, Tristan Chamberlain, Logan Zarin and Brent Larson made the show, not Davenport.  

Twenty six drivers started the quick thirty lapper and while most lauded over the passing job put on by Pierce, most missed what was probably the key moment of the night and that was on the opening lap of the race. Pierce jumped the cushion and lost at least three spots immediately but his "bacon" was saved when Chris Simpson ground to a halt on the front chute with his car making some bad sounds indeed. The first lap was not then completed, so a complete restart was called for and Pierce was saved. 

The second attempt saw Drake Troutman jump into the top spot, a position that he would hold for the first eighteen laps. Ryan Gustin and Nick Hoffman raced hard for the second spot as Troutman put some distance on the field. 

Pierce, meanwhile, was running a line that no one else seemed to want to try, up high against  the wall while most of the drivers hugged the low side. For a number of laps Pierce didn't seem to be gaining but then slowly and then  more quickly, he began to put up the pace. 

Near the halfway point of the race, he caught the battle for second and on his second attempt, he was able to split Gustin and Hoffman on the front chute and drive into second. 

He then began to reel in Troutman who was having some problems at this point as he had caught the back of the pack. Pierce quickly reeled in the leader and with a slider on lap nineteen, he took over the top spot. 

And while he did put some distance, he wasn't able to completely shake Troutman as he also seemed to bog down a bit, as he related in his post race interview. Nevertheless, he continued to have the field covered and drove home the winner without a serious challenge. 

Troutman settled for second with Gustin edging out Hoffman for third. Time McCreadie ran fifth for most of the race and that's where he ended up. 

After the opening lap slowdown, the race went thirty laps nonstop and Simpson was the only driver not to finish. Seven were a lap behind at the checkers but all others finished. 

The Modified main saw a late race pass by Joe Chisholm steal away the win after Alex Williamson led the first twenty one laps. Williamson started on the pole and was in control for most of the race, an event that was stopped twice in the first six laps, the most serious of which saw Zach Brom and Darwin Karau involved in a grinding collision on the back chute that eliminated both. 

Williamson continued to lead by Kyle Brown slowly began to cut into his advantage as the race moved past the halfway point. Brown was able to get within striking distance as the top two drivers struggled with the slower traffic with neither of  them able to make a move to clear themselves. 

This opened the door for Chisholm who was running third and was some distance back from the top two. However, as their pace got slowed, he quickly caught the leaders and suddenly, with less than five laps to go, it became a three car battle for the top spot. 

Williamson and Brown continued to be befuddled by the slower cars, still now able to find and opening but when the door opened down the back chute for an inside charge, Chisholm was right there to find the seas parting and he went from third to the lead, just that fast. 

With only three laps remaining, he then pulled away with Brown left to salvage second while Williamson dropped all the way to third. Quick qualifier Bleess settled for fourth ahead of Parker Hale and all but three drivers finished this event. 

It was a cold night at MTS with temperatures dipping into the thirties before the final checkered flag waved. For this reason, plus it being a Thursday, while a good crowd was on hand, the stands will likely be much more crowded in the coming two nights. 

Recognizing that it indeed was nippy, Outlaw officials did an excellent job of moving the show along, with their ten minute horn going off nearly as the preceding race cars hit the scales. Discarding the extra glitz, it was just hardcore racing on Thursday with the complete show being done in two hours and two minutes with the final checkers waving at 9:30 pm. This was the Outlaws show this weekend as for the first time the Dairyland Showdown was an Outlaws race as they rented the track, rather than just being the sanctioning body on hand for the promoters. 

Full programs in both classes are upcoming the next two nights with the weather promised to gradually warm up as Saturday approaches.