Sobbing Wins Late Model Thriller, Mackenthun a Stock Car Charger at Park Jeff

 While many tracks fell to bad weather on Friday night, April 10th, the Siouxland opener was achieved as Park Jefferson International Speedway was able to start their regular season on Friday under partly cloudy skies but with a cool breeze chilling the fans and participants. 

Highlights of the opening night program saw Jesse Sobbing edge out Zach Zeitner in a wild Late Model feature that was not decided until the final straightaway and a charge by Dan Mackenthun from the sixth row late to top the Stock Car feature. Zach Ankrum did his own charge from the fifth row to win the Hobby Stock feature while other winners included Brandon Beckendorf and Levi Volkert. 

It was an all IMCA program on Friday night with the six staple classes that dominate IMCA racing being presented. A very fine field of one hundred and twenty six drivers from four states signed in for opening night racing on a smooth and very fast track in the early going. Actually, the track was a little on the muddy start for the opening heat races but did work in quickly and by the late feature races, started to dry out some and then opened up the bottom lane which was largely absent earlier. 

Park, being a Friday night track, sees a late rush of entrants after they have gotten off work and it was especially so on this Friday for some reason as activity at the back gate was crazy for the last half hour before hot laps were scheduled. However, track workers did a fine job getting everyone signed in and lineups prepared so that racing could begin at 7:15 pm. 

One of the late arrivals was Anthony Ainsley who was scheduled to work the SLMR program in Davenport, one of many tracks to fall to the wrath of the weather, but he turned around in Des Moines and became the co-announcer here in a last minute change of plans. 

It was one of those nights when the heat races go oh so smooth and it looks like its going to be an early and tidy night of racing. Then the features come out and all, you know what, breaks loose and the frustration mounts among everyone. 

Actually it was just the first two features that had such a terrible time staying under the green but they threw such a monkey wrench into things that the lost time was never able to be made up and it turned into an "after eleven" show which many fans bailed on early due to the unpleasant coldness that the nasty breeze blew in. 

And while it was a noble idea to let all the Hobby Stocks and Sport Mods run the feature race, in hindsight a B Feature in each class might have been the  better option. When you have twenty eight and twenty seven drivers respectively in each feature with skill and seasoning widely divergent, that is like asking for trouble, and that's what we got, not so much with big wrecks but with spin out after spin out. 

The Hobby Stock feature rolled off first and they were one of the classes to struggle with four yellows in the first eight laps. Steven Taylor took the lead off the pole with Tony Fetterman applying pressure and Taylor not able to build up much advantage with the yellow nixing his gain. 

Dalton Young and Carter Davis were also in the running early with Zach Ankrum gradually working his way forward after starting ninth on the grid. Ankrum didn't appear in the top five until the halfway point of the race when he vaulted up to third and then quickly second and then one lap later made a move for the lead, only to see the last yellow negate that move. 

However, Taylor could only hold him off for one more lap before Ankrum dove under him to take the lead and then began to pull away as he was one of the few able to make the low side work. He continued to extend his lead as the final half of the race went nonstop. Taylor hung on for second with Young, Davis and Travis Landauer, from twenty fourth to round out the field. 

The Sport Mods had an even tougher time keeping their race going as the yellow waved six times with management even cutting a couple of laps off their event. Mary Hahn took the lead for a single lap before she was overpowered by Caleb Woodard, a winner here last month. And once Woodard took the lead, he was able to hold it the rest of the way, despite all the yellows and slowdowns. 

Each time the green would reappear, he would again pull away from the field and was not seriously challenged for the entire race. It was just a matter of him not making any mistakes with the frequent stoppages. Hahn hung in there in second despite a challenge from Kirk Beatty who later would spin and get clobbered, ending his night. 

While the top two remained constant, there was considerable shuffling behind them due to the many yellows and some of the spins that took out contenders. At the end, it was Jake Newsom who moved up to third with Alec Fett and Riley Osantowski completing the top five. 

The Stock Car feature saw a surprise finish as a late run by Mackenthun saw him eat up much distance and make a late race pass for the win. Early on it was Mike Vondrak holding the lead despite constant pressure from Travis Barker who was riding close behind the leader. The front cars were riding the cushion and right up against the edge of the track. 

Mackenthun started to make big headway near the halfway point of the race as he gradually edged forward after starting in the sixth row and when he  found the low groove, he began passing drivers in rapid fashion. While he was only up to fifth at the halfway point, shortly after that he really began to advance. 

The race saw a big change when on lap fourteen, Vandrak got too high in turn two and slipped over the banking while at the same time, Mackenthun ducked under Barker and when the yellow flew, he found himself to be the new leader. 

One more late yellow set up a four lap sprint but Mackenthun continued to work the low line and he pulled away for the win over Barker. Ryan Harris moved up to  third while late charges by Greg Peck and Jordan Rogotzke got them into the top five. 

The Late Model feature was a dandy with the issue not resolved until the leaders crossed the line and saw the checkered flag. Jordan Krug shot from the inside of row two to pass both Jesse Sobbing and Jody Krug on the opening lap to take the early lead. Sobbing then moved up and began to challenge Jordan for the lead. 

They went at it hard with Sobbing taking over the lead on lap five. Jordan Krug stayed close and then began to battle with Zach Zeitner for second with the top three breaking away from the pack as they continued to jockey for position. 

Zeitner was able to move into second and the last several laps of the race saw he and Sobbing battling for the win. Zach would try moves both inside and up against the cushion but each time Jesse would fight him off. The race was culminated on the final lap when Zeitner threw a huge slider on Sobbing in turn four. He briefly held the lead but his huge move then forced him to slide up the track. Sobbing made a left hand turn to cut under Zeitner, was able to avoid a collision between the two and beat Zeitner to the line by less than a car length in a brand new car making its first run. 

Jordan Krug settled for third with Landan Rojewski and Cody Thompson completing the top five in what was an exciting race. 

The Modified feature was a two car battle from start to finish. Brandon Beckendorf started on the pole and actually would be the leader for all twenty laps of the main event. However, ever step was challenged by Cody Laney who followed his tire tracks for most of the race. 

Laney, who thrilled the crowd when he came from the back to win a heat race, quickly moved up from fifth to second and then began to chase Beckendorf. They had a tight contest with no more than a couple car lengths separating them for most of the race. However, Beckendorf made no mistakes and when he changed up to a lower line late in the race, Laney was still unable to get past him. 

Beckendorf then drove on for the win and revealed in victory lane that he was running a spec engine in his car that he was experimenting with. Laney finished a close second with Shawn Harker, Izac Mallicoat and Shane DeMey  completing the top five. 

The Sport Compacts rounded out the night with Levi Volkert taking the win in that class. Justice Limoges grabbed the lead from the pole and led the first half of the race as Volkert battled with Gilbert Aldape for second. By the halfway point of the race, which was stopped only once and that with just a lap done, Volkert had moved into second and then, with a sweeping move in turn three, drove around Limoges to take over the top spot. 

After that, Volkert pulled away for the win. A late rush saw Lennie Anders move forward for second with Limoges fading back to fifth as both Aldape and Tyler Thompson passed him late. 

It was a nice track all night and the racing was for the most part good. Just a few too many yellow flags bogged things down from time to time but overall, a good night of racing. Thanks to Trent Chinn and his staff and they will next be in action on April 17th with another six class program. 

Berry Tops "Swell Night" of Racing at Stuart

 I suppose that a "swell night" of racing is not often used in the headline for a blog report of a night of racing. However, when I thought of a clever headline for this night's report, the first thing that popped into my brain was that it was a "swell night" of racing and a great way to start the season at Stuart. 

What made it "swell?" Just about everything I guess. If cooperating weather, a great field of drivers in all classes, a spectacularly fast race track that still provided side by side racing, many interesting races that also provided more than it's share of surprises and for those so inclined, a few spectacular wrecks and a very quick program are your definition of a "swell night", that Stuart delivered in spades. 

Wednesday night, April 8th marked the debut for 2026 for IMCA racing, and indeed, for racing in general on the dirt tracks of Iowa. It was long overdue with a number of races within the last week all washed or frozen out and there was clearly much anticipation for the first wheels to turn and unlike other years, there was not even a chance for a practice session at Stuart so everyone was going into the night just not sure of what they had. 

And Wednesday almost didn't happen either but the rains proved to be light and the showers scheduled for evening turned into just a few sprinkles that the track could handle. However, I was not very far down the road heading home before I hit wet pavement that could have caused a short night if it had steered just a bit more South. 

There was plenty of anticipation in the pits on Wednesday with many folks just ready to get the new season started. For Stuart, it would be their sixty fifth year of racing at the little bowl located on the North side of Stuart. 

One highlight of opening night is the opportunity to just stroll through the pits, check out the new machines, see what everyone has come up with over the course of the long Winter and talk with a few familiar people and meet new ones. I had the chance to speak briefly with Anthony Davis, who I recognized from his recent article on the IMCA page writing by Ben Deatherage. I also had the chance to speak with track announcer Tony Paris, a familiar voice at this track and others in Iowa. And of course, it wouldn't be a trip to Iowa without running into "Crazy Martin", the mayor of Ogden. 

Many of the racers arrive at the last minute at Stuart, simply because some people have to work on Wednesdays. Yet, with the long line running down the road into the pits, some great work by track officials got them all signed in and lineups posted so there would be no delays, something that frequently happens on opening nights. 

One hundred and twenty drivers signed in to race on opening night plus the Mini Mods and for the first time ever, the Crown Vics are now a part of the racing program at Stuart. They are pushing their limit running seven classes on a week night and while it was done smoothly on this night, not every night will proceed smoothly and I worry about the shows starting to try to cram ten pounds in a five pound bag. 

The track may have been as good as I have ever seen it here. Certainly it was the fastest I can ever remember in my trips here. The cars were blinding fast in all classes and while the speeds were blistering, they were still able to race side by side. I felt that the entry speeds into the corners were almost scary and  I predicted to myself that we would see some wild flips during the night, something that unfortunately did come true. 

I was pleased to see that they were using the "choose cone" for the feature action. A number of sanctioning bodies have given the OK for tracks to use this as a restart option but not many have, famously the USMTS that has dropped the option. I still like the drama and strategy the "choose cone" provides and we later saw that strategy used on several occasions. 

One of the things that helps move the show along here is the one spin rule and the gumption to hold off throwing the yellow until the last second. Wednesday night they ran off fifteen heat races and the yellow had to be waved only twice. That is even more impressive given that it was opening night, many drivers were racing new cars and most hadn't had any practice sessions. Congratulations to both management and the drivers for doing their best to make the show move right along. 

B Features were needed for both the Hobby Stocks and Sport Mods with both classes having both large and strong fields of entrants. With only the briefest of pauses to pack the cushion for a few minutes, after these two races were over it was time for the seven feature races. 

The Crown Vics had six entrants for their first ever appearance at the track. Tate Haffner led the opening lap before being passed by Marty Pelzer who then went on to lead the rest of the twelve laps to take the win. This was by far the most sedate of the features with the action ramping up quickly after they were done. 

The Sport Mods had one of the fastest and deepest fields of quality drivers that I can remember at this track and they raced like that and while it will be officially listed as Mike Smith leading from start to finish, that would hardly describe how the race actually progressed. 

Smith did pull out to a big lead  immediately, extending it to nearly a full straightaway and finding himself catching the back of the field quickly. Then things got interesting as Jake Sachau, who started sixth, got into second and then, as Smith got slowed in traffic, quickly caught him for the lead. 

By the halfway point, he was to the rear bumper of Smith who was fighting to get past some of the two wide traffic and having a tough time of it. With Cam Reimers, Dylan VanWyk and Devyn Peterson closing, they quickly got very exciting. Sachau went for the lead, trying to get around Smith while both were fighting through the slower cars. This created a big collision off turn two that saw the slower cars spinning and Jeremiah Reed going for a flip down the back chute. 

With six laps left, Smith was able to fight off VanWyk who had turned into the primary challenger and they raced right down to the finish before it was decided. Colton Livezey got up to third with a late pass on Sachau. 

The action and surprise level didn't fade when the Stock Cars hit the track. With Mike Albertsen and Damon Murty on the front row, there couldn't have been much better quality up front. Murty got the jump on the green and just as things seemed to be settling in, a shocking turn of events completely changed the course of the race. 

Murty was running blistering laps, reported to be under fifteen seconds and much under the track record, but when he flew into turn four, his car kind of "stuck" against the tacky track, the car reared up and he barrel rolled about two or three times. What a shocking development!

Damon was OK but the car, not so much. Albertsen inherited the lead with Rowdy VanGenderen then taking second and showing plenty of speed. These two put on a show with Rowdy trying lap after lap to get a nose under Albertsen who refused to be moved out of his line. Several times VanGenderen had to pull up for fear of getting into the side of Albertsen's car. 

A lap thirteen yellow slowed the field and after racing resumed, Albertsen was able to edge out in front by a slightly more comfortable margin. In fact, Rowdy had to go on the defensive at the end to protect second from the charge of Buck Schafroth. Albertsen never missed a mark once as he drove on to victory. Cudos also to VanGenderen who drove a clean race when it would have been very easy to just let his car move up the track and displace the leader but he chose to race "Wahoo" cleanly, even though I'm sure there was much desire to win opening night at his dad's track. 

Things didn't any less intense when the Hobby Stocks hit the track for their main event. This was one race where track conditions paid a part in the race's outcome. Not that there was anything wrong with the track. It was just that it still remained blistering fast and with the skinny tires and no bead locks on the Hobby Stocks, when they stuck their cars into the corners, there were a few that had rubber roll off the rim, ending their races. This tripped up a few of the top runners and in particular, race leader Braden Gifford. 

Briar Kriegel and Gifford had battled in the opening laps with them trading the lead back and forth. The action was interrupted by a horrendous flip by Seth Butler when he barrel rolled multiple times in turn one with most of the body being hurled off the car. It was indeed a scary looking wreck and certainly what will probably be one of the most violent crashes of the entire year. Fortunately, Butler was OK.

Gifford continued to hold the lead while being challenged by Kriegel and Justin Ahrenholtz. Later, Ahrenholtz and another contender, Phil Castellano, would both be felled by flat tires coming off the rims. 

On lap eleven, while Gifford looked to be in good shape for a win, suddenly he was befallen with the same problem with his right rear rolling off the rim and handing over the lead to Joey Young. Young, who had started fifth, worked his way to the front smoothly and he was there to take advantage of the break offered. 

In the late going, he was challenged by both Tom Killen and Eric Stanton but held off both for the win. It was an emotional moment for Young, marking his first ever victory on dirt in a Stock Car, having been a veteran racer in the figure eight division. 

Johnny Thomas and Michael Gardner traded the lead back and forth in the Sport Compact feature with each leading on two separate occasions. Thomas finally claimed the lead for good on lap five and with Gardner breaking down shortly thereafter, Thomas then led the rest of the race for the win. 

His margin was not a big one however, as both Tyler Fiebelkorn and Gilbert Aldape were close behind as they battled with each other for the second spot. 

The Modified feature was a nonstop twenty lap contest and Jeremy Mills used the outside pole to take the early lead. He opened up a good sized lead over the pack with Todd Shute and Trevor Fitz battling for second. 

Berry had started eighth and early on got crossed up in turn one and was a considerable distance behind the front runners. However, when he got going he was more than fast, quickly catching the pack and dispatching driver after driver in his march to the front. 

He drove up to second and then started to close on Mills, who suddenly didn't look as dominating as he had early in the race. In one power move, Berry drove right around Mills just at the halfway point to take the lead and then he was gone. 

With no yellows to give the field a chance to catch up, he extended his lead to nearly a full straightaway and drove on for the win. Mills and Shute followed. Berry is one of the few Modified drivers in IMCA using the Lethal chassis and he praised builder David Stremme in victory lane. 

There was great racing from start to finish and everything you would expect and hope for in an opening night. And here's the best part. Despite twenty three races plus the Mini Mods and three red flags for flips, the entire show was completed in two hours and fifty nine minutes with the final checkered waving at 10:18 pm. That is impressive and a testament to a good working staff, opening night or not. 

And while I pulled into my driveway at 4:37 am, I did so with the knowledge that I had seen a program that was worth my time. Thanks to MVG, Tony and everyone else on the staff at Stuart for putting on a dandy opener.  

Mullens Is King of America

 Tanner Mullens earned the title of King of America following the fifteenth annual running of the King of America USMTS race at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland Missouri on Saturday night, March 28th. Also winning titles were Cody King in the USRA B Mods and Jeffrey Abbey in the USRA Stock Cars. 

A twenty nine car field of Modifieds took the green flag for the sixty lap feature race that would crown the King of America champion with Tyler Stevens taking the early lead. Stevens led early over Reece Solander and Tyler Davis with Mullens, who started ninth, moving forward and taking over the second spot by the halfway point of the race. 

Mullens moved in quickly at this point on the leader and five laps later grabbed the top spot from Stevens and would not be challenged after that. 

Two late yellows would bunch the field but each time Mullens would pull away from the pack and his lead was not to be challenged. He crossed the line with a comfortable margin over runner up Solander to earn fifteen thousand dollars for his win. Gabe Hodges, Rodney Sanders and Brandon Davis completed the top five in the running order. Only two drivers failed to complete the contest and all were on the lead lap at the finish. 

In a two car battle from start to finish,  King would out maneuver Jon Sheets to claim the three thousand dollar top prize in the B Mod thirty lap feature race. King started on the pole but it was Sheets who used the outside line in the three wide starting formation to take the initial lead. Sheets and King pulled away from the field but just at the halfway point of the race, ,King would drive past Sheets and take over the lead. 

They continued their battle right down to the end of the race but King was fast on the cushion, made no mistakes and drove home for the win while Sheets settled for second. Mike Striegel made a strong run as he came from eleventh, moving up strongly in the second half of the race to come home third. Chad Clancy and Waylon Dimmitt rounded out the top five. 

Abbey won a wild Stock Car feature that saw him cross the finish line second but he was elevated to the win after apparent winner Shayne Bailey failed post race technical inspection. 

Johnny Fennewald was actually scored the race leader of every lap but the final one in the wild race that would not be decided until the final corner, or so we all thought. Fennewald had Bailey and Abbey battling right behind him for most of the race but earlier had to fight off a strong challenge from William Garner who was ready to pass him until a yellow ended his effort with him fading back after that. 

Fennewald continued to lead as Bailey and Abbey continued their war that got physical from time to time. Finally, Bailey moved Abbey out of the way to take second and then came after Fennewald. Twice in the final five laps Bailey tried the high side of Fennewald for the lead but got squeezed off. 

Then, on the final tour of the track on lap thirty, Bailey found on opening on the inside down the back chute and the two leaders went side by side into turn three with no one backing off. Bailey ran Fennewald all the way up to the wall and Johnny lost his position while Bailey then steered back down the track and drove on for the win, edging out Abbey for the three thousand dollar top prize. 

At least that's what we thought. Later, the official finish told a different tale as apparent winner Bailey was disqualified in post race inspection, the specifics of which I do not know. 

Abbey was then elevated to race winner with Jaylen Wettengel, Fennewald, Mason Martin and Tyler Cadwallader the official top five. 

(This abbreviated version of this race report was redone after the original version was lost in the "The Cloud" just as it was being completed and I am too disheartened to try and recreate it.) My apologies. 

Fennewald Repeats, Solander and King Also KOA Feature Winners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hodges Upset Winner at KOA Wheatland Opener

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Inman Impressive In Park Jeff Modified Victory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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