For the third time this year, the World of Outlaws Late Model series paid a visit to the Davenport Speedway at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds oval on Davenport's West side. The first two times they were here this year, it was for Covid special events with no fans in the stands and racing on back to back nights using both the quarter mile and the half mile track. Fortunately, on this night they were back on the quarter mile which was the difference in me being on hand or not. Now you know how much superior I think the quarter mile is over the big track here.
The other big change was that fans were allowed in the stands and there was a large group of them on hand on a pleasant, if just a bit warm late July evening. When I was last here this year for the MARS race, there were no restrictions in the grandstands but on Tuesday I found that every other row was roped off and temperatures were taken of all spectators before we could pass through the gates.
With the big crowd on hand, the markings on rows were quickly ripped down as stubborn race fans will sit just where they want and no one is going to tell them otherwise. So all semblance of social distancing went right down the drain quickly. However, on the positive side, it was good to see a large turn out for this event, which again was promoted by the Outlaws themselves with key people to run the program supplied by the regular staff at Davenport. Mr. Kay and Dlouhy did all the track prep and they did a wonderful job, supplying a race track that was quick from top to bottom, provided multiple grooves and got the drivers up on the wheel as the fast lane seemed to change rapidly and often, depending on the driver's style, their car's set up and what they were running for tires.
The fine surface resulted in a new track record with Jimmy Owens scorching the oval at 13.977 seconds but more importantly than just fast, the track was wide and drivers could pass using all parts of the track.
Twenty nine Late Models signed in to race with the top ten in WoO points on hand which is about as many from any series these days that you might expect to be in attendance. The field was supplemented by a few of the Lucas Oil drivers returning from Nebraska and a nice mix of eastern Iowa and western Illinois open motor drivers that regularly partake of events in their home areas. Iowa fans must have been disappointed however that Brian Birkhofer was not among the entrants as he is considered to be "the man" for many race fans in this area. There were rumors explaining his missing of this show but nothing to be known as fact however.
Among the local drivers entered was Hall of Fame Late Model member Gary Webb. While racing mostly IMCA events in the Quad Cities this year, Webb does have an open car among his fleet of Kryptonite race cars and the one he had on this night had a 434 cubic inch aluminum block under the hood.
His son Billy and wife were home on vacation from New York where they live, and in talking to Billy I learned just exactly how many feature wins Webb has in his career. While the numbers reported are all over the place, Billy said his dad kept very detailed records of every race and the correct number of feature wins for him is 517, despite some much inflated reporting by some, including the track announcer on this night.
Along with the Late Models, also racing on this night were the IMCA Sport Mods in a full program. So it was just the two classes which is a perfect number for a special event such as this, especially being a midweek show and with a rigorous curfew in place.
Seven preliminary heats plus a Late Model Last Chance race set the grid for the two main events with all Sport Mods making the finale. With only three yellow flags in all the prelims, we were quickly into main event time. Sadly, Webb was among the Late Models that just didn't have enough speed to make the main event on this night.
The Sport Mods did just exactly what was asked of them on this night. They covered the breaks in the Late Model program with their show but didn't hold up the festivities with a lot of yellow flag slowdowns. Their fifteen lap main event was spun off quickly with just three yellow flags and not a lot of damaging wrecks.
While their race was efficient it wasn't particularly thrilling as race winner Jarett Franzen led all fifteen laps and was never really challenged. There was not a lot of movement among the top finishers and just about everyone was hugging the inside tires in their race. Thankfully the Late Models would race nothing like this. Matt Fulton would finish second with Ben Chapman completing the top five.
The fifty lap WoO race was a dandy and while the headlines will read that Sheppard wins again, it was certainly not that easy and until the final four laps, his win was very much in question.
The feature was a three car battle with Cade Dillard getting to the front quickly and passing Chad Simpson for the lead. Sheppard moved in to challenge and so did Jimmy Owens. These three would be the main factors for the rest of the race and what a race they put on.
What was particularly interesting was how they moved around the track, especially Sheppard and Owens, as they searched for the fastest way to gain time. Sheppard made his first pass of Dillard while running the bottom on lap nineteen but later, after Dillard had retaken the lead, Sheppard had to "tippy toe" around the top side to get back into the lead. Corners three and four were particularly tricky with the berm throwing many a driver off and costing much time.
It will be a great shootout right to the finish with first Dillard and then Sheppard leading at the line, just depending on who ran the best lap that particular lap with Owens lurking right behind and looking for an opening.
Sheppard finally gained
the upper edge with just four laps to go but Dillard didn't back off and the margin of victory after fifty tours was just over a half second with Owens a very close third. It was an excellent race with only three minor yellow flags and only three cars that didn't finish the race. The crowd got their monies worth on this race, even if they were looking for the upset and didn't get it.
But one must give Sheppard his due. He is absolutely relentless on the race track and isn't afraid to move around the track in search of the fastest line. That's what I most appreciate about his driving style. He just doesn't tuck in behind the car he is following and waits for a mistake; he makes things happen. His ability to read a track and figure out where he needs to be to go faster separates him from most of the others and is reflected in his great success. He is a "wheel man."
It was a very satisfying night of racing. With everything going smoothly and only two classes, the final checkered flag waved at 9:30 pm, perfect for a midweek show and still allowing time for those interested to go next door and pay a line or two of bingo before heading home! And it is great to see such big crowds here in Davenport which now must be considered one of the top racing cities in this state. I understand the weekly shows are going great guns under the new promotional team of the Kay family and all the special events seem to fill this humongous old grandstand to the rafters. All this is very good to see.
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