Knowing that I have like a zero per cent chance of seeing racing at 141 Speedway near Maribel Wisconsin without running into some kind of rain issue, I still took the gamble and ventured there on Tuesday night, June 11th for round one of the Clash At The Creek XVI. It hardly seems possible that this could be the sixteenth year of this race, which was a very bold move when Toby Kruse first proposed this event for Modifieds years ago.
The format has been changed from time to time and the purse has varied, but it was remained one of the biggest Modified races for the IMCA cars in the upper Midwest, year after year. This year they really went out on a limb, scheduling back to back, ten grand to win shows on Tuesday and Wednesday with full shows on each night including heats, B Features and a main event. Most tracks couldn't swallow that big a nugget and would run heats one night and the rest of the show on the second night. But not Toby. He believes in going big or not going.
The other concern would be whether or not two full shows could be completed before the sun rose on the second day with this many races, but again, this is not a concern at 141 where they have an amazing record of running off huge fields of cars in record time setting programs that are leaving the rest of the country gapping in surprise. For example, they have been averaging nearly two hundred cars a show for this six division programs on Saturday but with a 10:30 pm curfew, they have also averaged getting their complete show done in four hours. I don't know any other track in the country that can say that.
And not surprisingly, with the purse offered this week plus the double full programs, a monster field of seventy nine Modifieds, up by almost twenty over last year's field, signed in to race on Tuesday night. And they also ran a full show of both Stock Cars and Sport Mods, something of which I was skeptical could be completed at a reasonable time. But again, Toby knows his track and his drivers and clearly, I don't.
The full field of cars would be one hundred and forty eight in three classes with drivers from twelve states on hand and a field full of campers. Oh, and yes, it did rain. Twice, to be correct. At about 4 pm, a line of light showers would come through and last about an hour but never really threatened ending the show. Even with the weather issue and many drivers waiting until the last minute to arrive at the track, they started right at the advertised time of 6:15 pm. Amazing, In fact, they actually moved the starting time up by fifteen minutes, just so they made sure they would get done on time.
A second surprise shower, this one not forecast, hit the track during the start of the second Stock Car heat and this one had everyone nervous. However, it didn't last long and the track prep crew was able to restore the track quickly and they just picked up right where they left off. The track crew here is most impressive and I challenge anyone to find a quicker rescue crew than the one here. When cars crash or break down on the track, the wreckers and other rescue vehicles barrel to the scene of the accident and the workers literally sprint out of their vehicles, hook up the damaged cars and then sprint back to their vehicles and remove the accident victims. I kid you not, it is amazing to watch.
The Modified program would be different this year. Drivers drew for starting positions in the heats and if they drew a number in the higher half of the order, on Wednesday they will be drawing out of the lower number bucket. The eight heat races were like mini features, at twelve laps and with passing points being used. Finishing points plus bonus points for cars passed and deductions for losing positions would be tallied and the top eight in points would redraw for the top four rows in the main. Everyone else ran one of four B Features with the top four moving to the main. What I liked was that there were no provisional starters and all twenty four that started the main earned their way their with fifty five others sitting in the pits watching.
But despite the high intensity of the eight heats and four B Features, there were very few yellow flags as everyone just kept racing and for the most part, raced each other clean. The twenty four cars that started the main had fully earned their way into the fifty lap finale. Interestingly, seven of the top ten in the lineup were visitors to the track with another six among the field also being non regulars so the drivers that traveled to this event knew what they were doing and produced well.
And for the first half of the race, it was a couple of Iowa drivers that fought it out for the lead. Jake McBurnie started on the pole and got the jump on Michigan Late Model driver Colin Thirlby to take the early lead. Tim Ward started fourth but was quickly on the move, taking second from Thirlby and then moving in on McBurnie. Behind them, Joel Rust, Benji LaCrosse and Dylan Thornton fought hard for position. Only one yellow slowed the fifty lap contest, that on lap ten when Tripp Gaylord rolled to a halt.
Ward kept the pressure on McBurnie and he started to close up the gap between then. Ward looked to the inside of McBurnie and just at the halfway point of the race, was able to clear Jake and take over the lead.
At the same time, LaCrosse was making his move running the extreme inside of the track. He quickly took second from McBurnie and then closed on Ward, getting to within a couple car lengths of the leader. With the race continuing under green, there was plenty of time for the two leaders to test each other out and after a period of laps with LaCrosse able to get close but not get by, Ward seemed to pick up strength and then slowly but surely started to pull away from Benji. There was very little lapped traffic to deal with as drivers seemed when seeing the lay over flag elected to drop into the infield and despite the long forty one lap stretch of green flag racing, Ward never did have to lap a single car!
Tim pulled away from LaCrosse near the end of the race and had a comfortable lead as he dominated the race in winning the ten grand top prize. LaCrosse finished second with Thornton, Jordan Grabouski and Rust rounding out the top five. Only three regulars finished in the top ten, no doubt causing them to chafe.
Along with the Modifieds, the IMCA sanctioned Stock Cars and Sport Mods would also race a full show with the winner earning a thousand dollars. Both classes bring big fields of cars to this track on a normal basis and on this night there were thirty eight of the Stock Cars and thirty one Sport Mods.
Each class ran four heats and a pair of B Features to set their order for the mains with them using a draw/redraw format. Twenty four Stock Cars took the green for twenty five laps and while LaCrosse had to settle for runner up honors in the Mods, he was top gun in the Stock Car field. Phil Mott led the opening lap but was quickly passed for the lead by Mike Carter.
LaCrosse, meanwhile, started tenth but smoothly and quickly drove to the front. He was second by the halfway point of the race with Rick Dix, Mott and Eric Mahlik next in line. LaCrosse continued to press and on lap fourteen he was able to drive past Carter and take over the lead.
This race was stopped only once by the yellow and set up a five lap sprint to the finish. LaCrosse pulled away again with Mahlik on the charge as he moved up to second. LaCrosse was in control however, and he opened up a comfortable lead as he drove on for the win.
Mahlik, a Rose Bowl playing lineman for the Wisconsin Badgers in his college years, settled for the second place with Dix third.
The Sport Mod feature would also start twenty four cars and this race wasn't run off quite as smoothly. There were five yellows in this race, a roll over and a couple of the leaders that would clash and take each other out.
Travis Schmidt lead the opening round but Alec Wery made a very nice move to sweep around Schmidt and take over the lead. Some of the top runners here, Coy Vlies, Zach Raab and Cory Kemkes were all on the move as they worked their way toward the front.
Wery continued to lead but Vlies and Raab, while battling hard with each other, both closed on Wery. Following a yellow flag on lap nineteen, Vlies was taken out by Raab as they battled in turn one and both were eliminated from the race. This opened the door to Kemkes and despite Wery pushing as hard as he could, Kemkes drove past him on lap twenty two and then led the last three laps of the race for the win.
Craig Dorner made a late rush and also got past Wery for second with Cory Rass and Colton See completing the top five.
I was surprised that with all the things a promoter must worry about on race night, that there would be time to announce but that's what Toby does here, a job that was the starting point of his long and successful career in motorsports. On nights when there is a weather issue, the township gives the racetrack a "mulligan" and doesn't enforce the curfew but still, with all that had gone on during the evening, the final checkers still waved just about 11 pm. very good considering.
On Wednesday night, they will do it again here with the same program and same purse being offered. The only change will see the Stock Cars go first in the running order ahead of the Sport Mods. There was a decent sized crowd on hand on Tuesday, no doubt hurt by the rain that hit just as folks would have been making a decision on whether to attend or not. It was also shown live on FLO, but don't ask me it that affected the attendance. I have my opinion but can't back it up with facts.
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