Chisholm Trails No One at MTS Opener

 Here's an interesting story relative to the 2024 season opener at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway about one mile East of that body of water just North of Fountain City Wisconsin. Normally a Friday night track, MTS announced just about a week ago that they would be switching their season opener to Thursday night of this week. The reason being is that the USMTS was scheduled to race on both Friday and Saturday night of this week at the Deer Creek Speedway, about forty miles West of here, as they attempted to make up the 2023 Fall Jamboree that was wiped out by rain. MTS had already announced their schedule when the Jamboree was rained out. 

When 49% of the ownership in Deer Creek was sold last year to the Sorensen family from Rochester Minnesota, it seemed that relations between the two tracks improved considerably with them working together on several scheduling issues since that time as before, the relations between the two seemed a bit cool, shall we say. Mike Sorensen and Bob Timm, the majority owner of MTS, have raced together for years and now both have sons racing each other and there is a mutual respect between the two. 

So, even though it was a bold move to reschedule the opener to a week night, MTS went ahead and did so, knowing the Deer Creek will not race against them next week when MTS hosts the World of Outlaws Late Models for three nights. The gamble for MTS is whether fans and racers would and could show for a weeknight event while the upside would possibly provide a number of extra Modified drivers would stop in to race on Thursday on their way to Deer Creek. MTS raised the pay to two grand to win in that hope and with a one hundred thousand dollar to win Modified race next month at MTS, there are plenty of drivers wanting to get laps at MTS anyway. 

The irony of this way, due to the bad weather forecast for the weekend, Deer Creek cancelled the whole show so many of those drivers didn't come North at all. Still, MTS would have twenty seven Modifieds on hand, and plenty of quality as well. 

Very quietly and under the radar, MTS may have made as many significant improvements to their racing facility as any track in the Midwest. I was stunned and surprised to see all that they had done and had heard nothing about most of it. 

To start with, the track has a whole new racing surface. Gone is the black dirt,  replaced by brown dirt found locally. And for the first night on it officially, it held up very well. It was smooth and the groove widened out nicely and polished up shiny, and seemed to provide more racing grooves which was the hope. The old dirt always seemed to favor a top side hammer down type of race and that is what they were hoping to change. 

The exit to the track in turn one is gone, filled in by a solid concrete wall. The only exit now in off turn two, the same place where the cars enter the track. This was done in the interest of safety and seemed like a very good call. The Kart track in the infield is gone and the whole infield has been leveled. This also allowed them to widen the inside of the corners too. The wall has been painted white and blue in alternative sections. 

Off the track, fan improvements were made too. Gone is the old and quite small concession stand. It has been leveled and part of the building that housed storage for equipment was repurposed to a concession. More windows are now available and more room for the workers. This also opened up more space in the commons area and the stage for music has been moved to that area too. There are plans in the works to perhaps have a covered pavilion built there too. 

And if all this wasn't enough, the track also added one more class of competition. They are now running Eco Mods in addition to the five other classes that they already had. With a goal of developing a lower cost open wheel class, the Eco Mods are similar to the Midwest Mods that race in southern Missouri and Kansas. Whether this works out or not, remains to be seen. They had eight for their opener with a combination of drivers moving up, some moving down and some new to the sport. 

It was not that long ago that it would be unheard of for a track to change an opening night and especially to a week night but things have changed so much in the past few years that some things old goats like me think would never work, seem to work out just fine. And MTS , dating back to the Covid days, has always maintained a very aggressive pattern when it comes to scheduling and adding races. 

Thursday night would show that they know what they're doing as a very nice crowd was on hand and one hundred and twenty six race cars filled the pits with thirty nine B Mods to go with the twenty seven Mods. The numbers were so high that B Features were needed for both B Mods and Mods. 

Racing would get started just a few minutes late after one of those long driver's meetings that typically happen on opening night. However, after that it would be pretty much nonstop racing action. They would fly through fourteen heat races with the yellow flag waving only four times.   Things were even more amazing come feature time. They would run off six main events and there would be no more than one yellow in each one, even with full fields of cars and the newness of opening night. That to me was rather remarkable. 

All classes here except for the Eco Mods are USRA sanctioned and on opening night, it would be draw/redraw to determine the feature race lineups except for the Mods that were using passing points. 

The Hobby Stock feature would be up first on the agenda and this race would go green to checkers for the eighteen cars starting. Paul Seabrooke would get the jump from the outside pole to lead the opening lap but he would soon be challenged by Scott Spilde for the lead. The track had been "juiced up" for the Hobby Stocks and they found it best to hug the inside line for best speed. Seabrooke continued to lead but Spilde was all over him, right on his rear bumper. Eventually they would be joined by Caden Helle and Chris Hovden in a four car chain. 

They would remain in that order right up to the finish. Seabrooke would hold on for the win by a half car length over Spilde who should be congratulated for racing the leader clean on the last circuit and doing a NASCAR type of hammer job. Hovden would move up to third in a photo finish. 

Twenty four B Mods would take the green for their main event. Erik Kanz started on the pole and led the opening lap. Taylor Skauge would use his second row starting spot to go to the cushion where his car was working well and on lap four, he would blow past Kanz to take over the lead. 

The yellow would wave with nine laps in the book when one of the corner blue barrels would be knocked on to the track.. These barrels would be one of the few sore spots of the night, as they triggered three yellows on the night with hopefully some other plan coming up to keep drivers from cutting the corners without also triggering those annoying  yellow flags. 

In any event, Skauge would maintain his edge on the restart as he had the line and the car to beat and he would drive on unchallenged for the win. Kanz would hold on for second and Hunter Kennedy would come from seventh to finish third. 

The Stock Car feature would be the most competitive of the six main events with four different leaders during hits twenty laps of racing. Blake Adams would take the early lead and hold the top spot for the first six laps. Jason Schlangen had started on the front row with Adams and started to catch him and then it seemed that Adams was starting to have difficulties. Schlangen was able to get past for the lead and then one lap later Adams would pull up lame, out of the contest and also triggering the only yellow of the event. 

Schlangen began to fell the heat and just two laps later Brian Mahlstedt was able to drive past him and take over the top spot. Brayden Gjere was on the move also and he worked into second and began to put lots of pressure on the leader. Gjere moved to the outside line and with just three laps to go, was able to drive past Mahlstedt and take over the lead. He then would pull away as the defending track champion would show his speed as he drove on for the win. Mahlstedt would settle for second and Brandon Hare, in a Stock Car this year, would come from ninth to complete the top three. 

J.T. Wasmund would take the early lead in the twenty four car Modified feature after starting on the pole. Keith Foss and Jim Chisholm would drop in behind him as the yellow waved for another errant barrel on the track. 

Back on green, Chisholm went to the outside and found immediate success ad he roared past Foss and then, on lap seven. would pass Wasmund to take over the lead.  Chisholm would build up a nice lead and would never be challenged after that with the race going to the checkers with no stoppages after that. In fact, the two three would maintain their running positions right to the completion of the event. 

Eighteen USRA Late Models would take the green for their event with Triton Krause pulling to the early lead. Defending USRA National Champion Cade Nelson would waste little time getting to the front as he started sixth but was up to third after one lap. when the only yellow of the track was triggered when Ryan Olson rolled to a halt. 

Back on green, Nelson would continue to charge as he went back to the cushion and blew past both Kenny Wytaske and Krause on the next lap, pulling into the lead and disappearing into the night as he was flying on the cushion. Late in the race the top side seemed to slow and Nelson had a little trouble with traffic, and while Krause was able to cut the advantage some, Nelson was still able to drive home comfortably to the win. Larry Fitzsimmons would advance from seventh to finish third. 

Marcus Berndt would start on the pole and lead all the way to become the first ever feature winner in the Eco Modifieds. Tony Bloom would finish second with Troy Hale third.

It was a solid opening night for MTS as they start what will be a very busy season. Up next will be one of their biggest races of the year with the Late Model Outlaws in town next week. Thanks to promoter Tyrone Lingenfelter and owner Bob Timm and the staff at MTS> 

Sobbing and Sachau Top Specials at Stuart

 After a rain out the previous Wednesday, the Stuart International Speedway was back in action on Wednesday night, April 24th which turned out to be one of the nicest evenings in recent memory to be outside and at the races. 

And this was not just a regular early season event, as big money was on the line for both the Stock Cars and Sport Mods. The Crown Stock Car Summer Series event would be paying two grand to the winner of the thirty lap main event as well as a guaranteed entry for the special at Knoxville in September when they are racing along with the Lucas Oil Late Model Series. 

For the Sport Mods, The Leiting Motorsports Summer Series event would pay a grand to the winner of that event. Plus, Wednesday night would be the points opener for the other three classes that race at SIS on Wednesday nights and the Outlaw Mini Mods would also be in action. 

One hundred and ten cars plus the Mini Mods would sign in to race on Wednesday as the pits area was packed from right behind the grandstand all the way up the hill to the street that delivers the traffic to the track. And with the transporters getting bigger every year and just about everyone with enclosed trailers these days, the pits space is used up even quicker. If the success continues at SIS, Mike's going to have to petition the city to close the street so they can use that area as pits on race night because the spectators need some place to park too and it's almost getting to that point. 

The big field of entrants would be topped by thirty seven Stock Cars and twenty nine Sport Mods and those two classes would require B Features on this night, something that generally isn't the case for the weekly shows here. And it would go without saying just how strong the fields are for both these classes with any number of top drivers on hand fully capable of winning the main events. 

When you get a first glance at SIS, you perhaps even wonder how they race on this track because it is small. No doubt about that . In fact, since the nickname "Bullring" is already taken, I'm going to start calling SIS "The Saucer" , since it's almost a circle but the beauty is that it's wide enough for plenty of passing despite it's small size. Wednesday the groove moved around more than an antsy kid in Sunday School as depending on the race, drivers were working high or low or a combination. This makes for great racing. 

And the other thing is that despite all the passing and very close, side by side racing, they don't wreck very often here either. For example, Wednesday night offered a twenty event program, disregarding the Mini Mods which I always do, yet there was not a single race all night, features included, that had more than two yellow flags! And in one hundred and ten green flag feature race laps, there were only a total of six yellows, no race with more than two and the Modifieds went green to checkers. That's what makes watching racing here so entertaining and you sit so close to the track here it almost feels like you are a part of the action. 

The featured event of the night was the Stock Car main, going for thirty laps. The field was trimmed down to twenty four cars and not often at all in this class would you see such domination as was on display on Wednesday. Jesse Sobbing would start on the pole and would lead all thirty laps and while that might sound boring, it was anything but. Two yellows in the first third of the race kept the field bunched(as if that would be a problem in this class) and Sobbing had to be on point on every lap as he was running the low side of the track and needed to nail every corner to keep his lead. 

However, Sobbing, who will again be racing in three divisions this year, would never falter, even when he got to lapped traffic late that made his decision whether to move out of his groove to get by the slower car, a tough one. And while Sobbing led every lap, the battle for second was epic with Cayden Carter, Dallon Murty, Dylan Thornton and Mike Nichols racing in a pack for virtually the whole race. They swapped spots back and forth before late in the contest Carter would nail down second with Murty pounding the cushion and edging into third right at the line. Only three starters failed to go the distance in this race yet the whole field was so balanced that Sobbing lapped only one car!

The other extra cash race of the night was for the Sport Mods and they would also go for thirty laps. This race would see three different leaders and a late race yellow, the only slowdown of the entire race, would change the running order dramatically. 

Matt Avila would take the initial green but would only hold the top spot for a single lap before he was passed by Alec Fett who would then lead the majority of this race. Fett was running magnificently as he would pull away from the strong field and build up a comfortable lead over the pack. There was plenty of battling behind him though, as Avila fought to hold second with with Jake Sachau moving up from sixth, along with Logan Anderson and Mitchell Morris. 

Then it happened. With a big lead, the yellow would fly with seventeen laps complete for a spinning car, taking away the big lead that Fett had built up. Back on green, suddenly Alec was not getting away from the pack this time. Sachau moved into second and then began to challenge Fett for the top spot. And when Alec slipped off the bottom in turn two, on lap twenty one we had a new leader as Sachau would blast into the top spot. 

After that, Sachau would pull away from the pack as he would extend his lead and drive on for the win. Fett tried different lines at the end in an effort to gain ground but he simply had lost that edge and when he went cushion side on the final lap, Avila was able to nip him for second with Anderson and a late charging Taylor Kuehl completing the top five. And only four cars failed to finish this extra distance event also. 

The Modified feature would go twenty laps nonstop and by this time the track was black and slick, top to bottom but that allowed the drivers to search out their best line. Justin Zeitner would start on the pole and hug the low groove like Sobbing did in the previous race. However, that wasn't the way to go for the Mods as Izac Mallicoat quickly moved to the cushion and his pounding of the high side quickly moved him into contention. He nearly got past Zeitner but couldn't and that revealed to Justin where he needed to be as he then moved up to the cushion to block Mallocoat where he also helped him pick up speed. 

For most of the rest of the race, it would be those two, plus Todd Shute hammering the cushion in an effort to gain ground. However, late in the race Tim Ward would start to make the inside line work and he would edge his way forward, passing Mallocoat on the final lap for second. However, no one was catching Zeitner in his Edge chassis as he drove on for the win. 

The Hobby Stock feature would provide us with an excellent four car battle for the lead that was interrupted only twice and both times very early in the contest. And for the majority of the race, it would be Skylar Pruitt that would hold the top spot down but for virtually the whole race, he would have Dillon Richards racing up to his outside while Solomon Bennett and Calvin Dhondt would be tapping on his back bumper. 

On the black slick track, the drivers had to be precise, and they ran as a pack inches apart with each one making strides one lap and then losing a bit of ground on the next revolution. In the final few laps, Richards started to make things work in the middle groove and with just five laps to go, he was able to edge past Pruitt to take over the lead. Pruitt tried to fight back but Richards would hold him off for the win with the top four tight together at the line as Dhondt settled for third ahead of Bennett and Buddy Haidsiak. 

The Sport Compacts would provide a slamming finish to their event that would leave more than a few folks upset with how the race ended. The Sport Compacts would race their event first, right after the track prep at intermission and the track was tacky and fast, not the best combination for these low powered cars. 

Craig Furstenau would lead the opening lap but he pushed up the track and Jake Paysen would fly by and take the lead one lap later. Paysen was the only driver that had the slick track figured out and he would simply fly away from the field. 

While the pack battled for second with Furstenau, Caine Mahlberg and Tyler Fiebelkorn fighting for second, Paysen would literally have half a lap on the field. Unfortunately, the yellow would fly with just five laps to go for a spinning car and things would go South in a big way for Paysen. 

When the green dropped, Jake found he couldn't get away from Mahlberg who was right on him and pressuring for the lead. Mahlberg was able to get a nose inside of Paysen in the corners and as the laps ran down, the battle for the lead proved to be tight. They were nearly side by side as the white flag flew and Mahlberg was able to pull up beside Paysen down the back chute. 

With Mahlberg on the inside, he didn't hesitate to drive right up and into the leader as they bounced off the final corner and they crossed the finish line so tight it was hard to tell who won. The official numbers were Mahlberg by .016 seconds over Paysen for the win. Unfortunately, after the checkers flew, Mahlberg just kept on pushing into Paysen and ran him right into the first turn wall in what was just a bit of a tacky finish by him. The winner drove to victory lane while the second place car went back to the pits on the back of the wrecker. I believe I smell payback in the wind. Brooke Osler made a late charge, coming from ninth to finish third. 

With all the extra races and extra laps, the only down side to the evening was that it did run a bit later than normal, but that it to be expected with all that went on. Still, subtracting away the time required to do a quite extensive "farming session" following the heats, the show was run off in about three and a half hours which is not unreasonable by any means. And again, for those that like racing, there was much to like about the show with lots of close racing, surprise finishes and no dust either. 

It was reported to me by MVG that the PPV for the event was very successful also.  The combination of some popular classes and drivers for this midweek night plus a less than favorable forecast for other live racing this weekend all probably paid a part in this. MVG will be a busy man this week, flying on Thursday to Hutchinson Kansas to prepare that track for Friday night racing and then returning by air to get Inde ready for Saturday night. Wow, and I thought I kept busy!

Tight Finishes The Norm at Benton County Opener

 I have  been exceedingly lucky in my trips down to the state of Iowa so far this year. Two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to see three straight nights of Frostbuster action that were excellent in all regards and now again this week, between Inde on Saturday and Benton County on this night, I was again able to see some excellent short track action with good fields of cars, top notch game management by the promoters and track workers and a whole host of thrilling racing events. 

Sunday night, April 21st was the season opener for the Benton County Speedway "Bullring" after their Frostbuster event got cancelled by the weather. Six classes of cars would be racing on this night including the PRO Late Models. And how often is it that the Late Models produce the largest field of the night but that would be the case on Sunday as a fine field of twenty two of them signed in to race. The field of cars was almost perfect in size, providing full fields for racing but not so many that any B Features would be required, a no- no for Sunday night racing when program length is important. One hundred and nine cars did sign in to race on Sunday. 

And early in the season, Benton County starts their programs earlier to beat the cold and get the kidlets home early for school on Monday morning with hot laps at 4:30 pm with racing to follow. For someone with a five plus hour drive home, there is no such thing on a Sunday as starting too early. The one down side for such an early start is what the sun and wind might do for track conditions but that certainly wasn't an issue for this opener. The track was great with racing from top to bottom despite the sun bearing down on the track and the wind  whipping. And there was no dust either. 

Specialty Racing Promotions(Rick and Corey Dripps) are in their fourth year of promoting the "Bullring" and things seem to be getting better and better each year for them. I took a few minutes before the show started to talk with Corey and get some more information on the PRO Late Model series. Rick was managing much of the pre race action on this night since Corey was taking advantage of the opportunity to race his Late Model at his home track. He runs the Late Models now instead of the Mods since he has had shoulder issues, saying that the Modifieds just beat him up while the Late Model type car is so much easier to drive. Mechanical issues would drastically shorten his night Sunday. 

Many familiar faces in the crowd here on Sunday. Positively Racing was well represented with both Jeff and Danny in the crowd so we have coverage of this race surrounded. Crack announcer Jerry Mackey was spotted enjoying the action and good to see him out after his heart scare last Winter. Speaking of announcers, the duo of Ryan Clark and Jerry VanSickel were calling the action and the more I hear them, the more I think that there can't be a better duo working racing anywhere in the Midwest. They play off each other so well and while they keep us entertained, they also provide all the information that we need and deserve to know. And somehow Ryan manages to keep JVAN under control for the most part. 

Since we have such extensive coverage of this event, I think it not necessary to give a blow by blow account of what happened in each and every race. I'll cover the highlights and leave it at that. Do know that most of the feature races came right down to the wire and at least two of them were not settled until the final lap. It was almost hard to keep track of the action as it was so hot and heavy with so many great battles on the track. 

I declare that the Stock Car feature was the best race of the night but that would be a close call with some others nearly as exciting. But this race was a dandy and was only stopped once for a yellow flag. Gage Neal was the early leader and put some distance on Dustin Griffiths but as the laps rolled by, Neal got looser and looser with Griffiths finally ducking inside him. Meanwhile, John Oliver Jr and Kaden Reynolds had caught up and suddenly it was a three car duel for the lead. 

It would be heart break for Griffiths when he broke while leading on lap fifteen and Oliver Jr inherited the lead. But he had Reynolds all over him and then they were joined by Kyle Olson who had started tenth. They battled right down to the wire when Reynolds made a great move off the final corner, shot low and slipped under Oliver Jr to take the thrilling win. Interestingly, Reynolds made exactly the same move in a heat race with the same result. 

The Hobby Stock feature also saw a last lap pass for the win. The two most successful Hobby drivers so far this year, Bradly Graham and Nathan Ballard would lock up in an epic fight for the win. Graham would take the lead on lap two from Joren Fisher and then lead the rest of the way, that is until the final lap when Ballard, who started ninth , would catch him. 

They would race side by side down the back chute where Ballard would out break Graham to slip into the lead and then hold him off to take the win. 

The Late Model feature would get bogged down a bit by yellow flags(six in all), but the race would still provide a close finish. Jeff Aikey would start on the pole and when given that opportunity, he generally doesn't yield to anyone. He would lead the first twenty one laps of the race but his constant challenger would be Dylan Thornton. Looking for a weekend sweep, Thornton was all over Aikey, looking to his inside on nearly every corner and several times the two ran breath takingly close together. This continued through four yellows for spins. 

Finally, Thornton got a good run down the back chute and slid up in front of Aikey to take over the lead, a move that was a tight one and not appreciated by Aikey when the yellow  would fly one more time. However, Thornton was able to get away clean on the final green and not give Aikey any shot, as Jeff slid a bit high and opened the door to a strong running J. D. Auringer who would go on to hold off Aikey for second as Thornton pulled off the weekend double. 

Troy Cordes, who has been running strong this early season, would take the early lead in the Modified feature. However, Dallon Murty would discover the high side to be working for him and he flew up from a sixth starting spot to motor by Cordes on lap five and after that, it was try and catch the flying #99x. Tim Ward would get to the second spot at the halfway mark but despite pushing hard, he wasn't able to flag down Murty. 

Several times in the second half of the race, Ward would get close but each time Murty would power away as he drove on for the win. Cordes would settle for third.

Shane Paris would start on the pole for the Sport Mod feature and he would use that nice redraw to lead all fifteen laps and collect the biggest pay check. He was fast indeed and there would be no one to challenge him despite a late yellow. The best battle for position would see the Olson's battling for a spot and also the Hillmer's. At the finish, it would be Tony over Kyle with Brady Hillmer settling for fourth. 

After a grinding first lap collision stopped the Sport Compact feature, the race would then go green to checkers with Jake Anderson leading the first four laps before Lukas Rick would sneak inside Anderson and take over the lead. They would then run in this fashion the rest of the event with Rick driving on for the win with just about everyone hugging the inside line. Christian Grady would settle for third. 

I was in my vehicle and driving out of the parking lot by 8:30 pm, perfect for such a Sunday night show. I even got to thank Rick Dripps one more time as ala Randy Queensland at Deer Creek Speedway, Rick was standing at the bottom of the grandstand, thanking folks for coming. A nice touch. 

This was a good, entertaining show from start to finish. Too bad that it's not exactly in my back yard but I would highly recommend it to any race fan looking for some Sunday night action. Thanks to the Dripps'  and to all the track workers for their efforts. 

Dylan Thornton Tops PRO Late Models at Inde

 Lots of bad weather throughout the Midwest this week and into the weekend made for a scramble to find a race to attend. Rainouts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week made me less than a cheerful soul but I was determined if at all possible to fill my dance card for this weekend, even if it meant doing a little driving. 

Friday night found me pleasantly satisfied as I attended an entertaining night of racing in Nebraska, even if the management didn't recognize Positively Racing, thus allowing me to take a night off from the detailed reporting. 

However, Saturday night, April 20th was all systems go as with a pleasant welcome from the management, I would be at week number two of the racing season at the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence. They would be featuring their regular six division program plus the Outlaw Mini Mods would be racing too so seven big classes would be on the card. All week they had been advertising the fact that due to the expected cold weather for the evening, the show would be moved up with the first warmup session scheduled for 5 pm with racing to follow. This they accomplished and it would be appreciated later for the early start, something that more tracks should think about doing when the weather is not so pleasant. It's also interesting how the whole culture of short track racing has changed in recent years as I can remember a time not so long ago when it would be impossible to do things like change the starting time, perhaps even change the day of the race at the last minute but things are certainly different than they used to be. Old guys like me sometimes struggle with this change. You really have to be paying attention to what is happening or you'll get left in the dust. 

One hundred ten cars signed in to race plus the Mini Mods so it was a full pit area. Only the Sport Mods stumbled with just nine cars racing in this class after they had only a dozen last week. I'm not sure what is going on there as usually this is a class that has overwhelming numbers of entrants. In any event, there were plenty of cars in the other classes to make up for any shortcomings in this division. 

I was told that things were a bit choppy with the track last week which is not unexpected for a season opener early in April. However, plenty of work was done on the track this week and it provided a very positive racing surface for this Saturday night's show. The track started off just a bit heavy but smooth and as it dried out, it got black and slick from top to bottom and allowed much side by side racing and plenty of thrilling slide jobs. This whole process was repeated after the heat races as apparently if the track is allowed to race start to finish without some attention, it might rubber up but that was not the case Saturday as it was good for all classes and winning drivers(as they usually do), praised the track and the improvements of this week. 

Racing started at 5:24 pm and the heats moved through swiftly. Only one B Feature was needed and that was for the Stock Cars, a race that only eliminated ONE car and could have easily been eliminated following the Jeff Broeg rules of order.

Twenty four cars would start the Hobby Stock feature, a race that got off to a shaky start but then smoothed out as the event rolled on. Pole sitter Garrett Ball would spin on the opening lap, giving Bradly Graham the early lead as the yellow waved. Three more times the yellow would wave in the first half of the race, all with Graham still holding the lead. 

The second half of the event was quite the opposite as it would go off without a single slow down. Graham would continue to hold the lead with Shaun Kuennen chasing him. Kuennen would stay within a couple of car lengths as the leaders pounded the high side but wouldn't be able to provide a stronger challenge. Tyler Ball would run third for much of the event until he went flying off the end of the track, something that we saw all night by multiple drivers as they tried to run the cushion but often, just missed their marks by inches and went flying off the ends. 

Graham would not falter as he maid no mistakes and led Kuennen home for his third win of the season already with David McCalla quietly moving up from thirteenth to round out the top three. 

The Late Model feature would see thirteen cars take the green flag in what was one of the better races of the night. I have been unclear just what the PRO Late Models are since they started racing at some tracks in Iowa in the last year of so. So I asked Ricky Kay who was along with Dylan Thornton on this night and he told me that the rules were designed to let the IMCA type Late Models race with the SLMR type Late Models. The IMCA cars can run either their crate motor or the old style IMCA spec type engines while the SLMR type cars must use restrictor "pucks" in their carburetors, all in an effort the even out the class and allow more drivers to race. Next week the PRO series points start and there were a few drivers on hand tonight to try things out, drivers that could not race under IMCA rules. 

Brandon Davis would take the early lead in this race with Sean Johnson all over him in an attempt to get past. Logan Duffy, Thornton and Jeff Aikey were close behind as a pack of five battled early. Seconds after Johnson would pass for the lead on lap ten, Davis would loose control and slide into one of the ute tires, damaging his front end and ending his night. 

Johnson was not the leader but Thornton would get by Duffy for second and close. Lap after lap, he would try to get past Johnson as they raced hard for the lead but Johnson would fight him off. Finally, with just a few laps remaining, Thornton would get under Johnson down the front chute and slide past into the lead, after which he was able to pull away. 

Thornton would then get the win as he would open up some distance late. Aikey would make a late charge and get by Johnson for second. It would be the first Late Model win for Thornton, a young veteran of both the Modified and Stock Car classes. 

Twenty three Stock Cars would take the  green flag in a race that was stopped just once by the yellow, and that with just two laps to go. Cole Mather would use the outside pole to take the early lead and the rest of the pack would be chasing him throughout the race. Mather was solid on the cushion and John Oliver Jr would work into second and try to flag down the leader. He would stay within a few car lengths of the top spot, but not get any closer. 

Lapped traffic would get dicey and this would be Oliver Jr's best chance but Mather, after a few tense moments, was able to fight his way through the five slower cars running in a pack and hold on to his lead. With just two laps to go, a spinning car would set up a quick blast to the finish but Mather would pull away for  the win over Oliver Jr. Kaden Reynolds would finish third while Damon Murty would  make a charge from eleventh to fourth. 

An entertaining Modified feature would see three different leaders in the first ten laps of that race with Jason Morehouse taking the initial lead before Kolton Osborn passed him two laps later. Brennan Chipp was on the move after starting fifth and he would challenge Osborn for the lead. 

Kolton was running right up against the cushion just as high as possible but when he got just inches too light, Chipp drove under him to take over the lead just at the halfway point and just as a slowing car slowed the race for the first and only time.

Troy Cordes would get past Osborn for second and put the heat on Chipp, nearly getting by on the low side a time or two but each time, Chipp would reach back and find just enough speed to hold off the veteran. Those two would cross the line in that order with Jeremy Mills and Dallon Murty, from the fourth and fifth row, next in line. The Modifieds have a special event coming up in early May and there were some visitors in this class also, checking things out so to speak. 

One of the best races of the night was, God forbid, the nonstop Sport Compact main event. There were three different leaders of this race in the first three laps and a side by side battle for the win that wasn't settled until the final few laps. 

Jaice Tuttle would lead the opening lap before being passed by Christian Grady for the lead. However, one lap later it was Ryan Bryant who would get past Grady for the top spot. Then things really got good as Grady would fight his way back beside Bryant and they would circle the third mile side by side for the majority of the contest. Several times it looked like Grady would slip back but each time he would fight his way back beside the leader. 

Then, with just a few laps left, Grady picked up the pace and slowly, he would be able to inch away from Bryant until he had him cleared and could move up the track. Bryant would be right behind at the finish but it was Grady who took the win. Tuttle hung in there also to finish a close third on Bryant's rear bumper. 

Only eight cars would take the green flag for the Sport Mod feature which Tony Olson would lead in from start to finish. He was secure up front but drivers trying to catch him were flying in all directions as both Cole Suckow and Tyler Soppe went flying off the track as they chased the leader. Rayce Mullen would run second most of the race as the top two behaved themselves while things were crazy behind them. 

Suckow would throw a "haymaker" on Brandon Tharp near the end that saw Tharp go flying off turn two and draw a penalty for Suckow. At the finish, Olson and Mullen would finish first and second with Soppe fighting his way back up to third. 

The early start was a very good thing as the final checkered waved just at 9 pm, thus allowing the fans to avoid the extreme cold that would settle in later. The crowd was not a big one but that was to be expected with perhaps the pay per view making up the difference for those folks that elected to stay home. 

Plenty of familiar faces working the action as Bucky Doren is back in the local area and served as the play by play announcer. The Legend, Jim Roper, even on this cold night, was in attendance and served as color man. Co promoter Dana Benning did the victory lane interviews while Mike Van Genderen served as Race Director while also busy with track prep. Thanks to all of them on this night. There were not many places racing on this night and I was happy to be at one that was. 

Colby Fett A First Time Winner at Spencer, Tops Stock Cars in First Attempt at the Class

 Monday, April 15th. A day of dread for some people based on what that day means in terms of their governmental responsibilities being upheld. But for some others this year, It instead means a day of fun and enjoyment. And where would you rather be, thrashing on some tax forms to beat the deadline or getting ready for a night of dirt track racing at the Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer Iowa?

That's what I thought. Among the many things that you can give credit to the folks at the Clay County Fair Speedway for is their schedule which is among the most interesting and varied of any track in the Midwest. They are racing at widely different nights of the week, featuring different classes of cars and presenting a bold and innovative schedule, and especially so this year. Ever since Trent Chinn took over as the promoter at Spencer, they have been doing things their way and not following the normal path such as their famous Monday night races that have set them apart from the competition and their business plan certainly has had some influence from Mike VanGenderen, the master of the bold when it comes to scheduling and who Chinn learned track prep and promotion from. 

And so it was that was that on the third Monday of the month of April, the Clay County Fair Speedway opened up their 2024 racing season with a five division program of IMCA racing. I can't believe that I have ever been to a Monday night show so early in the year and in fact, other than these few tracks in Iowa that make Mondays work, never on a Monday, a Monday, a Monday. And it sure didn't hurt that the air temperature was at or above eighty degrees on this windy Monday. The event, titled a "Frostbuster", was a bit of a misnomer but who cares as long as we were at the track. 

The track prep crew was probably the only ones not digging the weather as the gale force winds on top of a dry Spring made prepping the track a big challenge. They did get some dust but the wind was kind enough to blow it away from the stands and they ended up with a nice, smooth race track that everyone seemed satisfied with. Crazy Martin was in mid season form as he roamed the pits and lifted "Hero" cars from many of the drivers and all was right with the world. 

Eighty cars in those five classes signed in to race on Monday, about as low of car count as I can ever remember for a race at Spencer. Likely there are a number of teams that just aren't ready yet and there were plenty of folks out in the fields on this Monday and certainly at least some of them had to be either drivers or fans that were forced to take advantage of the good weather to get their crop work done. No B Features would be needed on this night but the Modified car count was shockingly low with only nine of them signing in to race for a grand to the feature winner. Hmmm. 

Certainly the story of the night was the one that developed in the Stock Cars where their feature was undoubtedly the event of the night. Sporting the highest car count at twenty six, their main event would be a dandy, and would fall just short of classic status simply to the rash of yellows at the end that broke it up a bit. But I'm sure that rookie Stock Car driver Colby Fett didn't complain about their being too many late yellows and he was able to hang on a beat some tough competitors to earn his first ever Stock Car feature win in the first night of him driving in the class. Wow!

As we all know, Fett is one of the top notch Sport Mod drivers around but there is a difference between open wheels and cars with fenders and this wasn't just some weekly show win against a small field of cars. This was for a grand and against some very fine competitors. 

Here's how it happened. In this race, the first thirteen laps went off green with no stoppages. Jeffrey Larson would take the lead from the outside pole and stretch it by a few lengths as McCain Jennnings led a group that was battling for second. Jake Masters was on the move after starting sixth and when he finally got past Jennings for second, he began to reel in the leader. 

By the halfway point, Masters was on the move as he closed on Larson while Fett was up to fourth with Kelly Shryock right behind him. Masters was catching Larson at a rapid pace and the crowd was on their feet. Masters and Larson exchanged slide jobs a couple times with Larson retaining the lead. Then Masters went flying by Larson down the back chute to take over the lead but he couldn't get slowed in time to avoid plunking the wall hard and his flat tire both triggered the yellow and gave Larson back the lead. 

The pack style restart would see Fett, who had been gradually moving up, drive past Larson to take over the lead on lap fourteen with Larson and Tim Rupp right behind him. This is when things went sideways as with this big group of competitive drivers, they started bunching up and four straight times the yellow was triggered as some were over driving the track. The last yellow, which set up a two lap sprint, occurred when Larson got crowded off the back chute and when flying off the track. He returned to the racing surface and then parking on the track, forcing a yellow. If I was the Race Director at this point, I'm afraid I would have taken harsher action against him for ruining the show, but they eventually encouraged him to exit the track, after a bit of a debate. 

 All these delays must have been difficult for Fett, but he handled the last two laps masterfully, keeping his line and being smooth as he held off a late charge from Rupp and Shryock to take the win. Derek Green came from twenty fifth to four with Austin Brands trailing. This will certainly be a memorable win for Fett and he earned it in the best possible way against some very good drivers who threw everything they had at him. 

The other feature race that was a very close one was the Sport Mod feature where Justin Klynsma held off Matthew Looft for the win, something that hardly anyone has been able to do for the past several years in this area. Connor VandeWeerd would lead the first three laps before Klynsma, who started outside of him in row one, would get a good run and then take over the lead.

Klynsma would put some distance on the field as Looft worked to get past VandeWeerd for second, something that didn't happen until the second half of the race. A yellow for a spinning car changed the dynamic of this race with everyone being bunched up for the restart. Looft was able to move into second on the green and when Klynsma blew turn four and got way high, suddenly we had a battle for the lead. 

Looft would get a nose inside of Klynsma at least twice but both times, Justin would fight him off and in the final couple of laps, again start to pull away as his speed was superior to that of Looft. Charlie Stevens would race up to third at the end as there was a happy Klynsma family in victory lane. 

Tim Ward would lead from start to finish to top the small Modified field. He would pull away from Kelly Shryock and would maintain nearly a full straightaway lead as this race would go green to checkers for twenty laps. Brandon Beckendorf would complete the top three. 

Mike Smith has been a fast Hobby Stock driver so far this season and he would chalk up another win on Monday. This feature race would also go green to checkers and it took Smith only one lap to pass Justin Frederick for the lead. and once in front he would pull away and never be challenged. Frederick had a nice run to finish second with Cory Probst coming from eighth to third. 

Apparently I took a small nap during the Sport Compact feature and missed some really important action. What I saw was Levi Volkert take the lead and hold first for the opening lap before he was passed by Tyler Thompson who would then drive on for the win. This race would also go nonstop and it all seemed relatively straight forward as to what was going on. 

However, when Thompson drove past victory lane and instead headed for the scales, even announcer J VAN, who was coming to interview him, seemed surprised. And to put one over on Jerry takes some doing. Apparently, somewhere during the course of the event, and since there were no yellows it must have occurred on the start, Thompson was called for a jump start and was thus docked two positions. Since there were no yellows during the race, that penalty couldn't be enforced until after the checkered flag so Thompson actually finished third. Oliver Monson was elevated to the win with Volkert being awarded second officially. And there you go. 

All racing was completed a little after 10 pm on what was a good opener for the track. They next have another Monday night race upcoming, that being late in the month of April. Thanks to Trent Chinn and everyone at the track for a good way to open the racing season in northwestern Iowa. 

Overton Tops A Wild Late Model Opener at East Moline

 The weather was fantastic on Sunday, April 14th and it was not a day that could be allowed to slip by without attending a dirt track race somewhere. However, it is still early in the game, so to speak, and not a lot of race tracks are yet open so to find some racing action on this Sunday might require a bit of a drive. 

However, that is my way of doing things when necessary so an early Sunday morning start after a late night at another track is just a way of life for me, for as they say, once you're dead you can always catch up on your sleep then!

So, six hours later, I pulled into the parking lot at the Rock Island County Fairgrounds for the 2024 season opener at the East Moline Speedway. This is one of the very first tracks I used to go to when I first started invading the Hawkeye and Illini States for additional racing action and I have many memories of attending races here very early in the year under the Bob Toland regime. The place still looks very much like it did back then from the outside but upon closer inspection, you can see that much has been done to the race track in the last couple of years to make it racier and wider for the drivers. 

2024 will mark the first full year of new promotor Chuck Hanna's tenure at East Moline as construction delays kept them from opening until a considerable part of the season last year had already been completed but they are ready to go right away this year. 

A seven class program will be presented on this Sunday which seems like quite a few classes to run and yet get the show done early which is most important on a Sunday night. However, a couple of the classes had only enough cars present to run a single heat and feature so that would help speed things a bit. IMCA classes would dominate with Hobby Stocks, Sport Mods, Mods and Late Models all running under their banner and they would be supplemented by Outlaw Street Stocks and Sport Compacts that weren't sanctioned. Oops, the Mod Lites I think were also sanctioned so correct my previous statement. Eighty three race teams would sign in for the opener including ten Mod Lites. 

Racing action would kick off about twenty minutes after the advertised starting time but that does happen on occasion on opening nights and is not an uncommon thing. However, after that, the heats races would click off very quickly and we were in good shape once intermission time was reached. 

The new racing surface has a much browner appearance than the one that used to be here and it seems like it will be a good one, once it lays down just a bit more. It seems like it will be dust free and a good one for racing on, but right now it is still a little loose and tends to roll up in the corners. So this required a complete blading of the entire track before the feature races could be started and while I didn't time it, it was indeed a long break but one that I'm sure the drivers were requesting. 

Sport Mods, the largest class in numbers on this night, would be first up for their feature race and after a very smooth heat race session, the yellow flag would get a much bigger workout in the mains as several were plagued by multiple yellow flags. The Sport Mods had a crazy start to their event with spins by the leader three straight times in turn four before a lap could be completed. Keith Wiersma, Matt Speidel and Brad Salsberry all were leaders going into turn four on the opening round of this main and all four would spin right out of the lead, triggering yellow flags for each adventure. 

Finally, C.J. Durbin would take the lead on the fourth try and maintain it for a full lap to be scored the leader. However, he pushed up the track on lap two, Logan Veloz went by him and the race was essentially over at that point. Veloz would pull away, by nearly a full straightaway and go on for the win over Jarett Franzen and Ryan Reed. 

The Street Stocks would be next and they had only a handful of cars. This truly "Outlaw" class has the local Outlaw Street Stocks, hard to find anywhere else but in the Quad Cities area, racing with Stock Cars and I guess, anything else with fenders that shows up to race. Rob Nylin would be the early leader but would soon be joined by Rob Henry in a battle for the lead. They would go side by side for the top spot until Nylin plunked the wall hard enough to slow his charge and cause him to fade back into the pack, leaving Henry to drive on for the win with Jess Owen second and Ben Hamburg third. 

Hobby Stocks would be next up with only six of them on hand to race. Still they provided plenty of action and got the crowd stirred up as well. Randy Lamar, who invokes as much crowd reaction as any driver on the grounds, would take the early lead with Daniel Wauters chasing him. A pair of spins would slow the action and as the second one flew, Lamar was also slowed as he had rolled a tire off the rim. The skinny tires on the Hobby Stocks often fall victim to these kinds of track conditions with Wauters having the same issue in his heat race. 

Wauters would inherit the lead but when Lamar came flying out of the pits with a new tire, the crowd was anxious to see what he would do in the four remaining laps. However, turn one would bite Lamar as he would hook a rut, spin and nearly flip before getting nailed by another car, thus ending his night. Wauters would go on for the win with Don Cole second and Jordan Patz third. 

The Sport Compact feature would be a breeze for Cyle  Hawkins after his main competition, Rick Zifko, left with a flat tire early. Hawkins would win by a full chute over Jason Rhoads and Drew Wise. 

A strong performance by Matt Werner would see him win by a full straightaway in the Modified main event. Jed Freiberger would take the initial lead after Jim Sandusky slid up the track and opened the door for Jed. However, no one could maintain the pace set by Werner, who moved up from the third row and would blow past Freiberger on lap four to take the lead. 

Once in front he found a smooth and fast line up high that no one could match and he would pull away in a race that would see the last seventeen laps ran under the green, a rarity on this night. Matt would build a full straightaway over the field as only six cars would finish on the lead lap. Freiberger would be well behind but would still finish a solid second while Bone Larson came back up to third after an early spin. Larson was in one of the Current cars tonight that has been rebranded to Bone's #B1 so that looks like his ride for 2024. 

The Late Model feature would be by far the wildest event of the night with plenty for the fans and teams to "discuss" after the checkered flag waved. Fifteen cars would take the green for twenty five laps and with Matt Ryan on the pole for the draw/redraw night, it might have been assumed that he would just pull away and take the win. 

However, there were plenty of fireworks that kept that from happening. Ryan would take the early lead but Mitch Morris moved into the second spot and was keeping Ryan close as he tried to get past. The leaders quickly got into lapped traffic and that made things even more exciting. Ryan made a poor choice behind one slower car and that gave Morris the chance to get beside him down the back chute. Neither driver lifted going into turn three and both went flying up the track with Ryan on the outside and he was escorted right up into the concrete wall where be knocked his deck loose and gave himself a flat tire. He and Morris divebombed each other under yellow before Ryan went tearing to the pits. He returned on foot seconds later to salute Morris as the cars circled the track under yellow. 

Morris would inherit the lead with Evan Miller second and Andy Nezworski now up to third. Slowly working his way to the front was Cody Overton. Overton, apparently in this area while working the WoO Late Model series plus other upcoming events, was driving the car of promoter Hanna on this night and as a veteran of crate Late Model racing, was fitting right in with the action. Soon he would find himself right in the middle of the biggest "pot boiler" of the night. 

Morris would continue to hold the lead and would appear to be home free until a late yellow changed things. This gave Overton the chance to be right up behind the leader and when the green flew, Cody threw a ridiculous slider at Morris in turn one but one that Mitch was able to cross over to the roar of the crowd. Overton then backed up to try it again and on the last lap, he again sprang at Morris in turn one. This slider was a more controlled one and Morris didn't react quite quickly enough and had to tap the brakes. That allowed Overton to get beside him and as they raced down the back chute on the final lap, they banged together with Morris sliding down into the infield. He tried to barrel through the infield and get back to attempt his own slider but he lost control and ended up sliding in a cloud of dust to a near halt as Overton crossed the line while the crowd went wild. Nezworski would avoid all the craziness and drive home second with Jesse Bodin third while Morris crept across the line to finish eighth. 

I'm not sure that I liked all that happened on the final lap but some would also say it was Karma for what happened to Ryan at Morris' hand earlier in the event. For sure Overton did a good job at stirring up the crowd and likely sold some tickets for next week's show and the MARS Series event the following week. Either way, the fans passing out the gates were buzzing and for promoter Hanna, that is good news indeed. The final checkered waved at around 9:30 pm as East Moline upheld that old tradition as a bit of a wild and crazy Sunday night track. Thanks to Hanna and his crew for a good time and good to see Kevin Feller again at one of the three or four tracks he still scores at.   

 

Carter and Braaksma Continue Hot Streak at Boone Frostbuster Finale

 With a dismal weather forecast for Sunday and battling wet conditions, the Benton County Speedway Bullring in Vinton had already cancelled the finale for the annual IMCA Frostbuster series in central Iowa. Thus, the Saturday night show at the historic Boone Speedway would be the third and final leg of the, what turned out to be a three night series this year. And the cradle of IMCA racing did not disappoint as one hundred and eighty seven drivers signed in to race for the early start show on Saturday and that was in just four classes of competition. 

Racing action would see a couple of drivers continue their early season hot streaks as both Brayton Carter and Ethan Braaksma would again find victory lane, dominating the open wheel classes. Other winners in hard fought events would include "Hot" Rod Williams in the Stock Cars and with a last lap pass, Mike Smith in the Hobby Stocks. 

For the third straight night it was a tremendous field of drivers in all four classes and just like the previous two nights, the program would be run of in a spectacularly efficient manner, starting right at the advertised time and barreling through the program quickly and that was a good thing as it , while not as cold as the previous two nights, was extraordinarily windy which made it very uncomfortable with the only blessing being that the wind at least kind of came from the back into the main grandstands. 

The weather folks had predicted t-storms by between 9 pm and 10 pm and sure enough, the last two feature races were run off with lightning bolts flashing in the western skies. 

With such a large field of drivers on hand, the number of qualifying events just to make the mains was staggering with there actually being thirty preliminary events completed in order to  establish the starting fields for the four main events. For a place such as Boone that routinely draws huge fields of cars for their weekly shows and the fans are used to seeing this kind of precision, it perhaps is not such a big deal. However, for me, coming from an area where the car counts are not quite so spectacular and the track operators perhaps guilty of moving just a bit slower, it is so satisfying to watch such precision track operation. And most of the tracks in my area just don't have the equipment to freshen the tracks at the lightning speed they do here. Amazing to me on Saturday was the fact that twenty two heat races were a part of the program but in those twenty two events, the yellow flag was forced to be used only five times! That is remarkable. Especially considering how hard everyone just drive just to qualify for a main event. 

Track prep came after the heats and then again after the eight B Features but with them able to do so in such a quick fashion, the breaks are not long and justly needed by some. 

The Sport Mod feature would be first up and with a favorable redraw, Brayton Carter would start on the outside pole and would eventually lead from start to finish. However, the win was not quite as easy as that may sound as he received a stiff challenge from Taylor Kuehl who he was not able to shake throughout the race. 

As Carter took the lead with Kuehl following him closely, an excellent battle for third would find Alec Fett, Cole Suckow and Dustin Lynch racing hard for position. Carter was eventually able to put a few lengths on Kuehl as the race continued to run under the green. However, with just four laps to go, debris was spotted and the yellow waved which of course bunched the field. 

Carter would again take the lead but Kuehl and Fett would battle for position with Taylor winning out again. Carter was starting to slip a bit in turn four and Kuehl was making things interesting as she poked a nose to the low side of the track. Just as the leaders took the white flag, a big tangle occurred that triggering the yellow once more and set a two lap sprint to the line. 

Carter would maintain his line against the challenge of Kuehl and while she was able to challenge low off turn four, Carter would drive home for the win by a car length with Suckow moving up to third. Geoff Olson would make a late rush for fourth ahead of Fett. 

Rod Richards would start from the pole for the Stock Car feature and twenty five laps later, he would arrive in victory lane. But again, it was much tougher than it might sound as he had drivers nipping on his rear bumper throughout the race and at the end, had to fight off a severe challenge from Devin Smith to hold on for the win. 

The Stock Cars migrated to the low groove for their race as they fought hammer and tongs to drive inside each other off the corners. Richards was frequently up on three wheels as he set for the chutes with cars looking to get under him. Mike Goldsberry was particularly insistent as he moved up from seventh to race into the second spot by the half point of the race. The exception was Smith, who started thirteenth and decided to try the higher line which he made work as he charged to the front. By the halfway point of the race, he was up to third and still moving forward. 

He got past Goldsberry for second and then set his sights on leader Richards. Lap after lap he would race off the cushion in turn two but just not be able to clear Richards and then fall back in line behind him on the other end of the track. 

This race would go nonstop for twenty laps before debris was again spotted and the yellow would wave. One lap later another yellow slowed the action and then it was a four lap sprint. The final thrust to the finish would see Smith forsake the cushion and instead try to slip under Richards coming off the corners. The field would get scrambled with Troy Jerovetz, running in the top five. would slow in the midst of heavy traffic with cars going in all directions but the green remaining out. 

Smith would nearly get inside Richards in turn two on the final lap but Devin couldn't quite get the run he needed while Rod remained rock solid in the low groove and he would cross the finish line with Smith tailing him closely. The wild scramble in the last laps would see Buck Schafroth, Josh Daniels and Ty Hill complete the top five. 

The Modified feature would be an interesting contest that would see drivers working various lines on the track to find success. Jerry Flippo would start on the pole and lead the first nine laps with Todd Shute and Braaksma chasing him closely. Braaksma would fine the high side to his liking as he closed on the leader but then Shute decided he better get up top too and that temporarily slowed Braaksma's charge. 

So many debris yellows today and another on lap seven would bunch the field. The restart would see a huge wad of cars on the front chute with Jed Freiburger pushed over on to his roof. No injuries resulted but several cars were eliminated from the race.

 Shute would opt for the top side of the track and Braaksma would make the move of the race down the front chute when he would clear Shute for second and then drive to the top where he would pass Flippo on lap ten for the lead. Once in front, Braaksma was gone as he opened up some distance over the pack and withstood one more debris yellow before he was able to drive on for the win. 

Dylan Thornton would make a strong drive from twelfth to take over the second spot from Shute as Thornton was probably the only other driver to work the cushion with as much success as Ethan. Trevor Fitz would finish fourth and Izac Mallicoat would round out the top five. 

The biggest field of drivers were in the Hobby Stocks and they would produce the closest finish of the night. Twenty four of them would go for twenty laps and this race would be stopped only once for the yellow flag.  Logan Andrews would start on the pole and lead the opening lap before he was overtaken one lap later by Eric Knutson who would then lead the vast majority of the race. 

Knutson would have John Watson all over him as again, the Hobby Stocks would primarily race the low groove and be digging on each other in the corners. The main exception was Mike Smith who took to the cushion as he moved up from the fourth row. He would be up to third by the halfway point of the race with Bradly Graham and Seth Janssen close behind. 

A spin on lap fourteen would be the only slowdown of the event and Smith, setting on the outside, would drive past Watson for second once racing continued. Smith would power high through turns one and two and try to gain momentum and then drop low behind Knutson on the West end of the track. And slowly but surely, it started t work as he gained inches and then feet on the leader. 

When the white flag flew, he was side by side with Knutson and then was able to overpower him down the back chute and clear him for the lead. Knutson made a move low in turn three but Smith had him blocked and Mike would then drive on for the close and exciting win. Knutson would have to settle for second with Watson, Janssen and Sean Butler following. 

With the lightning flashing to the West, the final checkered waved just at 9 pm on what was a good racing program. For the third straight night there was top notch racing as some very interesting short track and racing at its finest. 

Want to see lots of race cars? Then you need to attend the Frostbusters events. In just three nights of racing for the events this year, two hundred and seventy three different teams competed over the three nights. That, my friends, is a lot of race cars. I want to thank the management and workers at all three tracks who put in long hours under less than ideal conditions  to provide good racing surfaces and well run programs. It was a very good weekend of racing for yours truly and I enjoyed it . 

Murty's Go One, Two at Marshalltown Frostbuster Extravaganza

 The H & H Tiling, Dozing and Excavating Frostbuster special was quite the way to open the 2024 racing season at the Marshalltown Speedway. Despite the fact that it was another cold and windy early April day, the Frostbuster drew a large crowd of tough race fans but what they saw would kept them warm throughout a long evening and into Saturday morning of racing. 

A gigantic field of two hundred and twelve race cars signed in to race on Friday including a division high fifty six Hobby Stocks along with nearly at or above forty in the other four classes. They would see a total of thirty six races including one hundred and twenty two laps of feature racing alone. And at the end, it would be the Murty family that would have the largest bragging rights, having gone one, two in the Stock Car feature race. Other winners would include Brayton Carter, Tom Berry Jr, Bradly Graham and Mitchell Bunch. 

When the race cars started rolling into the pits, they just didn't stop coming and virtually every inch of the Marshalltown Speedway pit area plus the South overall parking lot was packed with race cars from near and far. Just directing traffic into and out of the pit entrance was a job in itself as some of the racers were parked so far away from the track that they probably couldn't even hear the race noise with the winds sweeping the sound away from them. Nevertheless, everybody, including the drivers and crews plus all the hard working track officials did a great job of keeping the show moving and except for one delay when the ambulance was needed, there was hardly a break all night. Victory lane interviews and pictures were even delayed until the show was completed in the name of saving time on this cold night. 

With B Features needed for all five classes, just making the mains was a task in of itself and many good drivers were left to spectate come feature time. The draw for the heats was critical and trying to race from the back of a heat into a qualifying position was a tall order. The running order Friday saw the big iron, wide tire cars start the program right off, perhaps a plan to keep the fresh dirt from rolling up. If that was the plan, it worked to a "T" as the track stayed smooth and wide all night. It got slick early but drivers were all over the surface, producing much spectacular racing. I swear, I can't think of any track anywhere that produces so much three and four wide racing yet keeps the wrecks to a minimum. Of course, the one spin rule continues to be a blessing for the fans, as it certainly helps keep the show moving and one strategy I wish I could convince my area tracks to try. 

Racing would start about twenty minutes behind the posted schedule but that was primarily just because it took quite a length of time to hot lap all cars and for a special like this where many drivers were making their first starts of the year and quite a few their first trip ever to Marshalltown, it was almost a requirement. I continue to believe that hot laps are over rated but on this night they were almost a necessity. 

Thirty one races later after the first green flag dropped, it was time to roll out the first feature race and we started right out with the Stock Cars. And the entire field put on a dazzling performance, going green to checkers for thirty two laps without a single yellow flag! The twenty four car field would take the green with Jimmy Gustin, in a Stock Car this year, moving into the early lead. However, it would not be many laps before he was challenged for that top spot by Damon Murty who had started in the second row. My report will not be too detailed tonight because, in one shortcoming, the scoreboard went dark before the program was half over and could not be fired back to life, so we were "winging it" when it came to counting laps. 

Murty would stalk Gustin for a few laps before he would drive by on the back chute to take over the lead. And with no yellows to slow his march and bunch the field up, he would drive off to a full straightaway lead over the pack. However, that is not to say that there still weren't some great battles and drivers that made big advances through the field. Dallon Murty start tenth but he was on the move early and fought his way up to second by the two third mark of the feature but then he stalled as he could gain no more ground on his father. 

Also putting on a great show was Iowa legend Kelly Shryock who started seventeenth and really picked up the pace as the event wore on. He was using the low groove as he mostly does these days, but near the end he was picking off a car a lap as he got to third in the late going and was pressing Gustin as the checkered flew. Garrett Corn would complete the top five. 

It looks like it might be another banner year for Brayton Carter who has started off his racing season with several strong results including a weekend sweep in southern Iowa last weekend. On Friday he would start seventh in the Sport Mod main but would top several other strong running teams to get the win. Brayden Ahlers and Drake Bohlmeyer would battle in the early going of this race with Kyle and Tony Olson along with Carter moving toward the front. Carter would find a line around the track that allowed him to drive very deep into the corners and he would simply steal spots but beating other drivers back to the chutes. 

Carter would use another turn three dive to take over the lead and once in front, he would pull away from a stout field. Tony Olson would move into second and try to chase down the leader but their margin would remain static until a late yellow would set up a five lap dash to the finish. This would be no problem for Carter who would again pull away but it proved problematic for Olson, who let Ahlers get back past him for second. They would have a tough battle for runner up honors but Ahlers would hold on for the spot. Tyler Nerud would come from fourteenth to finish fourth, ahead of Bohlmeyer. 

Tom Berry Jr would be the only driver to win a main event while starting the race from the front row as he would start on the outside pole for the Modified main and lead all thirty laps for the win. Jake McBurnie and Jerry Flippo would chase early. Two contenders would have trouble with both Dylan Thornton and Todd Shute going to the tail but fighting their way back into contention before the race was over. 

Berry Jr was comfortably out front but eyes were on Ethan Braaksma, who started eighth and worked his way into the runner up slot. He would then push for the lead to keep his hot streak going but Berry Jr was up to the task. There was even a late yellow when Trevor, who was having a good run, was dumped on the front chute, setting up a six lap dash. Braaksma gave it his all and did get close but then Berry Jr gradually pulled away again as he was clearly the class of the field on this night. Braaksma would have to settle for second with McBurnie third. Thornton came all the way back up to fourth from the rear and Tripp Gaylord would complete the top five. 

It has been a great weekend for Bradly Graham as after winning at Stuart on Thursday night, he came right back to top a huge field of Hobby Stocks and win for the second night in a row. He would start eighth in the pack but move through the field quickly up to second. He might have had trouble with Calvin Dhondt who was the leader by a goodly margin except for the fact that Dhondt bobbled and then spun by himself in turn two seven laps into the race, handing the lead over to Graham. 

From there, Bradly would lead the rest of the way, pulling out to a nice sized advantage until another of those late race yellows would fly with just two laps to go. It was a mad scramble after that, with Graham safely in front but going to the finish line, drivers were all over each other trying to gain positions and at least a couple went airborne over other cars in their haste to get to the front. Dillon Richards would top the scramble to claim second with Sean Butler coming from twelfth to get third. 

Twenty two cars would take the green for the Sport Compact feature to complete a long evening of racing. Things would get wild on the first lap as cars came together and Curtin Masterson would battle roll over the property down the back chute. He was OK and the race would restart from the beginning. Jake Paysen, Anthony Clark, Oliver Monson and Mitchell Bunch would have an excellent four car battle for the lead, swapping spots and running tight in formation. Monson would take over the lead but the others were still close behind. 

Bunch was able to get to the low side of the track and slide up in front of Monson to take over the lead as after the opening lap wreck, this race would also go nonstop. They were tight for the whole race but Bunch would hold off Monson and Clark to take the win. 

By the time the final checkered flag would wave only the tough ones were left in the grandstand and it was just about 12:30 am in the morning with the temperatures having dropped into the forties. . It was a long night of racing for sure and we were very near that point when the car count was too much of a good thing but having too many cars is a nice problem for any promoter to have. 

I have to make special mention of the race track on this night. It took a severe pounding from hundreds of race cars and who knows how many laps but it held up spectacularly. It remained smooth and fast, was wide and dust free. And with all that being said, once the first green flag dropped, they never touched the track after that point! That to me is bordering on amazing. Oh if I could only see that more often. 

Thanks as always to JVan and his crew for a memorable night at the races, my first of what will likely be multiple trips to the Central Iowa Fairgrounds this year.

Braaksma Continues On Hot Streak; Tops Frostbuster Opener at Stuart

 We have turned the calendar to the month of April, even though in recent days it has felt nothing like April except for the wind. However, one of the traditional series and likely always the first one of the year in the Midwest is the annual Frostbuster series for IMCA divisions, typically held on five straight nights at Central Iowa race tracks. And like recent years, the series has been a victim of the weather. This year both the opener at Independence and the finale at Vinton have fallen victim to the elements but all are hopeful that we can get at least three races of the series completed. 

So, with that being said, the opener was backed up one day to Thursday and we all assembled at Mike Van Genderen's Stuart International Speedway in Stuart for the lid lifter of the series. 

IMCA drivers in five divisions would be in action with everything from the Sport Compacts to the Modifieds in racing action and despite the shortened series, there were drivers on hand from a number of states with even the "support classes" seeing some drivers tow many hundreds of miles to race this weekend. 

At the end of the night, five drivers would find themselves in victory lane, highlighted by yet another win in this early season for Ethan Braaksma, who has been tearing things up this year where ever he has been racing and with his win on this night, he would be up to seven feature wins already this year. Other winners would include Kaden Murray, Tyler Inman, Austin Bouzek and Bradly Graham. 

I had no idea just how many racers would show up for this event, given the fact that it is still very early in the Midwestern racing season and many drivers simply don't have their cars ready yet. So when the pits were slow to fill, I was not too surprised but they we had a late rush as the local drivers, who had to likely put in an eight hour work day before flying over here, pushed the car count up over one hundred. In fact, there were exactly one hundred and two drivers that signed in to race with another fourteen of the Outlaw Mini Mods that race here most weeks also on hand. The Stock Cars would see the biggest field with twenty seven of them on hand and they would require the only B Feature of the night. 

MVG had the track in fine early season shape and despite the fact that it would show just a bit of character in the corners as the evening progressed, it was a fine track for opening night and as usual here, drivers were racing all over the track with the back straight dirt bank seeming to have quite a bit of magnetic force on this night as several tried to ride it without much success. There was a stiff North breeze blowing directly into the grand stands but even with that, there was little dust as is the usual case here. 

As is the norm here, and I must say expected here, we would see a quick Thursday night racing program with the first heat hitting the track  at 7:17 pm and virtually nonstop racing after that. One very quick break of just a few minutes to touch up the corners ensued and after that, it was right into the main events and by this time, mercifully, the wind had finally started to lay down, just as predicted by meteorologist and announcer Tony Paris. 

The Sport Compacts were up first for their feature event and they pleased the crowd no end  by going nonstop for fourteen laps to crown our first Frostbuster champion of the night. Kaden Murray would start on the outside pole and he would lead from start to finish to take the win. He would build up nearly a full straightaway lead at one point over Blain Peterson but the show was put on by Jake Paysen. 

He would start tenth on the grid, be up to third by the halfway point and then take over the runner up slot and try to track down leader Murray. This would be the only part of his charge that would fail as Murray had too big a lead and while Paysen would narrow it up some, it would still be an easy win for Murray, who we were informed is the flagman at Beatrice Speedway in Nebraska as well as being a pretty good Sport Compact driver. Paysen would settle for second with Bryan Vannausdle third. 

The Sport Mod feature would not come off quite as smoothly with four yellows to slow its run over twenty laps but again, we would see one driver lead all laps. Tyler Inman, again behind the wheel of the Vandenburg #7v, would start on the pole and after an early battle with Hunter Longnecker, would establish himself as the early leader with Alec Fett, Cam Reimers and Taylor Kuehl chasing. Two more yellows in the first half of the race would keep the field bunched and the battle for second and on back was very good, with drivers swapping positions readily. 

Fett would move into second and try to track down Inman, but Tyler remained had to catch. Almost without note from the crowd, Brayton Carter was charging up through the field by this point after starting twelfth on the redraw. He was passing cars both high and low but had a very long way to go. 

With just six laps to go, the final yellow waved for debris on the track and Carter had worked his way into the top five. But he would do much more in those final six laps. Inman was gone, but those behind him would see the #01 car slip past them with his final pass being on Reimers for second with just over a lap to go. But he would be too far removed to challenge the leader and Inman would drive home for the win. 

The Stock Cars would go twenty laps and it would be Missouri's Austin Bouzek that would lead from start to finish and while that sounds kind of boring, it actually was a good race. Bouzek would separate himself from the pack early but Austin Meiners was the one driver that could stay with him while they gapped the rest of the field. 

But there was a great battle for third with at least a half dozen cars battling and often running three wide on the track.  But just as Meiners looked like he might be a challenger, he suddenly slowed on the back chute and was done. The restart was a bad one though, with a multi car tangle following the dropping of the green in turn one and several contenders were knocked out of the contest. 

This would put Buck Schafroth into second and he tried to pressure Bouzek for the lead, working the inside line. Meanwhile, Bryan Snell was having a whale of a run as he pounded the cushion to stay with the leaders. Schafroth would try his best to get under Bouzek for the lead but Austin would maintain his line and score a narrow win with Snell driving an excellent race to finish third. 

The sixteen lap Hobby Stock feature would see Bradly Graham lead the entire contest but he was pushed the entire distance by John Watson who would get close on several occasions. This race was restarted twice before a lap could be completed and then they ran green to checkers. Graham and Watson started on the front row and they would settle the contest themselves. 

The only driver that would move up substantially was Kansas driver Cody Williams. He would start ninth and drive up to third by the halfway point of the race but with no yellows to assist him, he was simply too far back to catch up to the flying pair of leaders. 

Watson tried hard but he just couldn't catch the leader and Graham would drive on for the win while "Meatloaf" would settle for third. 

The Modified drivers would have a tough time of it in their main with many more yellows than any of the other classes. In fact, the yellow flew eight times during their twenty lapper, most often for minor one car spins. Through it all, Braaksma would hold court, leading all laps. 

Lap six was an especially tough one with the yellow waving four times before another lap could be completed. And interestingly, two of the drivers that would be right in the hunt at the end both had to go tail back on this lap after separate spins. Both Dylan Thornton and Todd Shute were running well until they had to make a trip to the tail but both were able, no doubt in part aided by all the yellows, to work their way back up toward the front. 

While Braaksma maintained his patience and made no mistakes with all the slow downs, he was able to drive on to victory lane as Thornton managed to get all the way back up to second with Dallon Murty finishing third. 

As I look back on my notes, I see that all five feature winners started on the front row of their respective races and led all laps of their mains. And while that sounds like it might be the product of a boring night of racing, actually it seemed like anything but to me. And while there wasn't always a big battle for first, there seemed to be always plenty of battles for position and much close and side by side racing and pack style racing doesn't get much more exciting than that produced at Stuart. 

The final checkered flag waved just at 10 pm, perfect for a weekend night event, especially with the cool conditions. However, if you dressed for the weather, it really wasn't too bad. And a surprisingly good crowd was on hand, giving the weekend night and the weather as it appears mid Iowa race fans are ready for some racing action. Stuart's next event is on April 17th when they present a Stock Car special as a part of their program.