Ward Wins Challenge Series Finale at Park Jeff; Brands Tops Green Stock Car Tribute

 It was a very special Monday night of racing on August 19th at the Park Jefferson International Speedway in North Jefferson South Dakota. With midweek special events soon to be history with school starting or already having started for some, this night would be the wrap up event for the Farley's Modified Summer Challenge Series as well as the Don Green Stock Car Spectacular. Fifteen hundred dollars was on the line for the Modified feature winner and a grand for the Stock Cars. The Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts would also be racing with all three having extra money on the line for the winners. 

It was about as perfect a night for racing as one could ever imagine as far as the temperature was concerned. The only draw back, as such, was that the breeze was just a bit out of the Northeast, giving us a sample of the track as a bit of dust was flying. It wasn't near enough to be uncomfortable and a small price to pay if that was what they needed to do in preparing a race track where drivers could run all over it and race side by side, which was exactly what we saw. 

Representing the Farley's Mod Tour and functioning as Race Directors for the Mods was the tandem of Mike VanGenderen and Trent Chinn. VanGenderen is in the midst of a month long break before his services will be needed again at Bloomfield and Independence along with another trip to Batesville Arkansas. 

Chinn still has a few races left on his plate also with Season Championships this coming Wednesday at Alta and then the great Clay County Fair in Spencer. But on Monday there were kind of on a busman's holiday, having to worry about just one class and none of the track prep. This was the first chance I had to talk to Trent since the 500 year flood in Spencer and he reported that about half his house was damaged on the lower level by floodwaters and that many of the businesses South of the river in Spencer still haven't reopened and that some may never reopen as the face of the town has been changed forever by the flood. He said it's pretty tough to look at right now with some of the long term damage still not having been addressed as yet. 

Over eighty cars signed in to race on Monday with multiple heats for all classes with the Stock Cars and Modifieds having the largest number, which makes sense since they were also racing for the most money. 

The first part of the program was almost flawless as they dropped the first green flag right at the advertised time with the twelve heat races being stopped just three times by the yellow flag, making it a quick first half of the racing. The Modifieds were using passing points on Monday while the other four IMCA classes were using the draw/redraw plan. 

Things didn't go quite as smoothly in the five main events with a couple of them having their share of issues but the two biggest events on the card did go very smoothly. And most importantly, all mains with the possible exception of the Sport Compact finale came right down to the wire. 

The Modifieds certainly didn't let anyone down as they put on a fine feature race to close out the night. Twenty cars started the main event and all but one finished the race and most importantly, they ran green to checkers at a thirty lap distance without a single yellow flag. 

It seemed the for most of the features, the top side seemed to be the preferred line for the start and it was again in the Mods as Cody Laney grabbed an early lead using that top side. However, Joel Rust, who started inside Laney, then picked up some speed on the low side and drove into the lead just one lap later. Rust would then hold the top spot for the next twenty laps, at one point opening up quite a comfortable lead that was gradually eaten into. 

Cody Thompson, Kyle Brown Bob Moore fought for the next spots but the driver really on the move was Tim Ward. He had started eighth on the grid and while most of the drivers were rim riding, Ward chose to work the low side and it eventually paid dividends for him. By the halfway point of the race, Ward was up to second as Rust was now forced to move all over the track to pass the slower cars. A great battle for third saw Thompson and Brown joined by Chris Abelsen who had really picked up the pace. 

Ward continued to gain chunks of territory as he continued to work the bottom and on lap twenty two, he was able to drive under Rust and take over the lead. Rust did fight back and keep it close but in the last few laps, Ward started to pull away. At this point, Rust was more worried about protecting second as Abelson had finally gotten past Thompson for third and was reeling in the leaders at a remarkable pace. He caught Rust on the final lap but Joel managed to hold him off but it was a good thing that the race was not any longer as Abelson was clearly the fastest driver on the track at the end. 

As for Ward, he used most of the track to find success and he drove home for the win, having lapped eight cars with only eleven on the lead lap at the finish. 

The Green Stock Car Tribute race was also a nail biter with Austin Brands holding off some severe challenges to take the win. The Stock did a good job of racing too, with only two yellow flags to slow their race and both of them coming in the first four laps. 

Greg Peck took the early lead which he would hold for the first three laps. Brands made great strides early, coming from seventh on the grid to drive past Peck and take the lead on lap three. Brian Seibold and Sid Mosher were battling with Peck for second following that lap four yellow while Brands started pulling away from the pack. 

The "One Thousand Pound Gorilla in the Room" and the driver that everyone keeps an eye on, Mike Nichols was also on the move. Nichols started way back in tenth but by the halfway point of the race, he moved up to second and as the laps started to wind down, Nichols kept shortening up the gap on Brands. Austin changed up his line a few times to protect the low groove on turns three and four and that might have saved him as this cut an open path for Nichols. 

Nichols would keep the pressure up but Brands would not falter and he drove across the line as the winner over Nichols and Jackson Mulder. 

The Sport Mods had a difficult time keeping their machines pointed in the proper direction and the yellow got quite a work out, waving five times during their sixteen lap main. Jonah Chinn had started on the pole and maintained the lead through all the yellows. By the halfway point of the race though, he was under the gun as Willy Kirk was putting much heat on him for the top spot and then Justin Klynsma also working his way forward after starting in the fifth row. 

In fact, the lap fourteen yellow saved Chinn's hide as Klynsma had made the pass for the lead but was not able to hold that spot for a full lap before the yellow waved again and Chinn was restored to the lead. 

There were only two laps left in the race but Chinn had both Klynsma and Kirk to worry about. He chose to work the top side which blocked Klynsma but it also left the inside line open and as they raced to the white flag, Kirk was able to drive into the lead and then extend it on the final lap to claim the win. Chinn was able to hold off Klynsma for second. 

Paul Dagel started on the pole for the Hobby Stock feature and despite tons of pressure on him by a variety of drivers, he managed to hold the lead for the first four laps and through the first four yellows as a variety of issues slowed this race. Cory Probst started tenth on the grid but using lots of speed combined with the bunching field due to the yellows, he was able to drive past Dagel  on lap five and take over the top spot. 

After that, all eyes were on Kaylb Brunssen as he made a monumental charge through the field after he started twelfth in he feature. By the halfway point of the race, he was up to fourth and he just kept right on charging with the later yellows helping his cause. By the time the final yellow waved on lap ten, he was up to second and knocking on the rear bumper of Probst and one lap later he was able to make the pass to take over the lead. 

Probst didn't give up however, and he pulled back beside the leader as they raced off turn two. The two touched at least twice down the back chute and on the second incident, Probst lost control and went sliding off the third turn. He chose to keep racing however, and the yellow flag was not displayed. Brunssen continued on to drive home the winner and the late scrambling allowed Dagel to regain second at the line ahead of Tyler Smith while a no doubt deflated Probst finished ninth. 

One of the larger fields of Sport Compacts that I have seen of late, fourteen, took the green flag for their main event and after one faltered attempt, the race then would go nonstop for twelve laps. 

Mike Vogt started on the pole and it would be Mike Vogt that would lead all laps and take the win. He was never seriously challenged during the race and hold hold a narrow but consistent lead over Tyler Thompson to take the win. Johnny Thomas came home third followed by Anthony Clark who had to come from the back after he missed his heat race. 

An interesting comment was made by track owner Wayne Becker when asked by a fan while Wayne happened to have the microphone in his hand. When asked, he replied that racing would likely take place on Friday nights in 2025 which is a change since they have been racing the majority of their events on Thursday nights this year. 

Thanks to everyone at Park Jeff and special thanks for their help and understanding to the best ladies in the business at their job, Amy and Raegan. 

Thornton Edges Berry Jr at Spencer "Clash"

 Wednesday, August 7th proved to be an interesting sort of day, one that found me finally finding a race to attend after my third attempt of the day. Originally, I was scheduled to attend a Northern Storm special for WISSOTA Late Models, Modifieds and Midwest Modifieds at a track on Minnesota's Iron Range. However, a less than favorable weather forecast for that region saw that race cancelled by mid morning. 

Up against the clock for travel time, my next option was for a rescheduled Stock Car special at the Arlington Speedway Southwest of the Twin Cities. This race was rained out last Wednesday during the Sibley County Fair and rescheduled for Wednesday. However, the weather was not quite done pulling my chain yet, as I hit rain upon heading through the Twin Cities and it continued on to Arlington. Just as I literally got within a few city blocks of the track, I got a phone call that this race too had been rained out. 

So now I'm three hours from home and seemingly out of options for the night. However, my friend on the phone reminded me of the race at Spencer but I thought that I would never be able to get there in time. A quick calculation proved my theory inaccurate so I continued South, seeing some new territory as a bonus to the trip. 

I arrived in Spencer just before 6 pm, giving me time to make one quick lap of the pits before heading to the grandstand as hot laps were about to commence. I thank my friend for the suggestion and help with directions, but now would find my trip home after the races to be about doubled. But let's worry about that later. 

Five divisions of IMCA racing were on the card for the Clay County Fair Speedway on this Wednesday  for "The Clay County Clash", the last regular season race of 2024 for the speedway. The Modifieds were at center stage on this night, racing for twenty five hundred dollars to win as a follow up to the Harris Clash held the night before with two more special events coming the next two nights at tracks in North Iowa. 

A nice field of Modifieds was on hand Wednesday, mixed between track regulars and a considerable number of travelers from a broad region of the country, migrating to Iowa for all the special events upcoming that lead into the Super Nationals right after Labor Day. The car count in the other classes was down some, possibly due to either the fact that this race didn't pay those classes as much as some of the earlier season races did here or perhaps, there has just been too much racing and drivers have to take nights off occasionally, especially when they fall midweek. The northern third of Iowa has an incredible number of races available over the course of the Summer with weekly racing available five nights per week without even counting all the special events and Fair races, of which there are many. 

The track was prepared about as wet as I have seen it here all year and quite a bit of extra packing laps were needed before and between races early on, and the racing surface formed about the biggest cushion on this night that I have seen here. But despite the extra wheel packing needed, they still managed to start right on schedule at 7 pm. This was to be one of the quickest shows put on here all year and of course it probably helped that the car count allowed them to scrape any B Features and it was strictly a heat and feature night but for a week night, that's OK with me. In fact, all qualifying heat races were completed in fifty seven minutes with the main events to follow then shortly. 

The features were run off in order on this night, with the slowest to the fastest class run in that order. The Sport Compacts had another teeny, tiny field of drivers, reduced by two even before the main event was run. Five drivers on this big track was not exactly what one would hope for, but they managed to exchange the lead for times during their eight lap main. Some times I wonder in this class if things might be "staged" just a bit as it seems that cars that are non competitive in the heats suddenly find lots of speed come feature time. This race saw Jake Paysen and Gilbert Aldape race side by side for eight laps, jockeying the lead back and forth between them. 

On the final lap, Paysen drove deep into the corners, kind of moving Aldape out a bit and then driving home for the win, the trophy and the victory lane interview with J Van along with a nice check for three hundred dollars. 

But Aldape would have the final lap as Paysen failed tech inspection and was DQ'd so while Gilbert didn't get to do the interview, he did get the check. 

After the Sport Compacts ran off their main event nonstop, the Hobby Stocks would do the same thing in what was a real race. John Briggs got the jump in the Hobby Stock feature but before a lap could be completed, Justin Frederick had made a pass and took over the top spot. As Frederick continued to hold the top spot, a great battle behind him saw Blake Luinenberg, Brandon Nielsen and Briggs battle for second. Also on the move was Mike Smith who started ninth on the grid. 

Frederick continued to hold the top spot through the halfway point of the race with Luinenberg up to second and Nielsen right behind him while Smith had charged up to fourth. With only three laps to go, Luinenberg got under Frederick to take over the lead and shortly after that, Frederick rolled a tire off the rim and was done. Smith continued picking off positions and got up to second and the last couple of laps saw Smith all over Luinenberg with them banging doors once down the back chute as they fought for the win. 

Smith had one last burst to offer and on the final corner he threw a slider on Luinenberg, cleanly got by as they exited the final corner and then fought off the cross over attempt by Luinenberg to take the win by .080 seconds! Nielsen would settle for third while Cory Probst came from thirteenth to fourth without the aid of a single yellow. 

When it comes to Sport Mod racing at this track, Matthew Looft is mighty hard to beat and such was the case again on this Wednesday. He started fourth on the grid and quickly closed in on early leader North Dakota's Gabriel Deschamp. A yellow flag bunched the field and on the green, Looft did a two for one, passing both Brady Joynt and Deschamp to come from third and take over the lead. 

Deschamp held Looft close for a few laps but then Matthew gradually pulled away and there was no doubt who would win the contest. He had a comfortable lead and cruised home first over Deschamp who had a nice run of his own for second. The family Klynsma battled for third with Justin edging out John for that spot. 

Another almost guarantee when racing takes place at Spencer is that Kelly Shryock will win a feature race too and once again, the script held as this night it was the Stock Cars that were dominated by the legend of Iowa racing. He would let Mike Albertsen lead the opening round after Mike came from the second row with a quick burst to grad the lead as Jake Masters got way too high and jumped the bern. But one lap was all Kelly was going to allow as he drove past Albertsen on lap two and then led the rest of the race. 

Masters rebounded from his early gaff and fought his way back up to second and he made life miserable for Shryock, trying several times to get past for the lead but Shryock refused to make a mistake, hitting his marks on the heavy berm but not slipping up as Masters tried everything he could to find a way past but there would be none and he had to settle for second. Albertsen finished third in the seventeen car field. 

Twenty six Modifieds took the green for their thirty lap main event, with only Jayden Schmidt missing after he blew a motor at the finish line of his heat. Dylan Thornton would be scored the leader of all thirty laps but that makes it sound easier than it was. 

He was under the gun throughout the race with Tim Ward and Tom Berry Jr taking turns harassing him for the top spot. Thornton had gotten the jump on David Stremme to take the initial lead as Ward moved to second as Brandon Beckendorf and Berry Jr also joined in. 

Beckendorf lost a few spots when he bicycled in turn one but somehow saved his car from going for a wilder ride. As Thornton continued to hold the lead, Ward and Berry Jr put on a show as they battled for second with Berry Jr finally getting past in the late going. 

A debris yellow just as the white flag was ready to be waved set up a wild finish. Berry Jr sized up the leader and on the final tour, threw a slider at Thornton Jr in turn three, edging past for the lead. However, Thornton wasn't ready to give up easily and he crossed back over Berry Jr as they left the corner, pulling back into the lead and maintaining that small margin to the line for the win. 

Ethan Braaksma, who quietly moved to the front after starting fifteenth, drove past Ward on the final lap to get third and Tripp Gaylord did the same thing to Beckendorf to round out the top five. Only five drivers didn't finish and everyone was on the lead lap. 

The final checkers waved at just about 9:40 pm so it was both a good and quick night of racing. It's hard to believe but only the two Fair races in September remain on the Clay County Fair Speedway schedule for 2024. Where has the Summer gone?

I arrived quite late into town on Wednesday and didn't have time to do any "scouting around" to see what Spencer looked like but the huge pile of debris across the street in a parking lot attests to the damage done to the folks of this city. 

Early on, it was hard to focus on the racing action as there was a crop duster zooming around in front of us and dropping to tree top level to deposit some kind of chemical, I assume, on the crop planted just North of the fairgrounds. They always make me nervous. 

They did something tonight that I really appreciated. One gripe I've always had about Spencer is that the grandstand is so dark that it's almost impossible to see once the sun sets and I have to take a flashlight into the grandstand with me to see to write once it gets dark. But tonight, for some reason, they turned on the overhead lights in the grandstand and while they didn't seem to bother the vision of the track at all, I could see to write without using the flashlight while the folks moving around the grandstand could also do so without falling over their neighbors! It was great. Thanks for doing that and I hope it continues and my question is, why did it take so many years for this to happen?

Although I didn't get to say hello, thanks as always to Trent Chinn and Chinn Promotions, along with all his staff for their help and for putting on a good midweek show. Here's hoping the weather for the Clay County Fair is spectacular.