After a ton of various things conspired to keep from reporting on this event more promptly, it was still necessary and appropriate that the ASCS National Sprint Car Series and the Tri-State Late Model Series get their due after their appearance on Tuesday night, September 10th at the Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer Iowa.
The biggest and best county fair in Iowa and perhaps even farther was in full swing on Tuesday. This Fairgrounds is gigantic compared to most county fairgrounds and in fact, I have been to at least two state fairs that would not even compare to this fair.
It was a warm and windy day for September but the track prep crew did a good job of getting moisture into the racing surface and the wind was self cleaning in that any dust produced flew across the road and not into the grandstand.
Along with the ASCS Sprints and the finale for the Tri-State Late Models, Sport Mods and Stock Cars would also be running as a prelude to their big final event of 2024 to be contested on Wednesday night.
A very good field of Sprint Cars was on hand with thirty four signing in to race. The to thirteen in the current point standings would be on hand racing and the field was benefitted by a nice turnout of cars that race at Jackson and Huset along with even a couple 305 Sprints.
The Tri-State Series field was not quite as strong. They race most of their races in South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota and rather than professional racers as many of the Sprint Racers are, a Tuesday night show for forty hour a week racers on the side many miles from home is much tougher and this was their final point race of the year with leader Blair Nothdurft so far in front he may not have to even be here, but he was. The field was fortified by several new Late Model drivers from north Iowa who are new to the class, having driven until recently in other classes like the Palsroks, Eric Faber, Dyllan Ricks Cory Bosma and Luke Sathoff.
There would be twenty one Stock Cars and sixteen Sport Mods also a part of the racing action. I was just a bit hesitant about a four division program on a Tuesday night and I would prove to be correct, but only to a point.
There was quite a difference in style between the two premier classes with the ASCS having a full field of staffers to run the show and announce their program with support trucks etc. while the Tri-State group had just a couple staffers with both the pre race and post race publicity considerably different.
Both groups qualify their groups for racing action so we were treated to not just one but two sets of time trials. Aaron Reutzel was the quick qualifier for the Sprints at 14.039 seconds while Tad Pospisil was quick in the Late Models at 16.472. A difference in philosophy would see the Late Models straight up for their heats while the Sprints inverted four but then took four for the main. Only the Sprints would need a Last Chance race and once that was completed, they moved right into the Stock Car feature which was the first main.
Kelly Shryock started on the outside pole for the Stock Car main and took the initial lead. After a lap two spin, this race would go green to checkers with Shryock maintaining the lead for several laps until he was passed by Jake Masters.
However, Colby Fett was really flying and he closed in on both leaders and one lap past the halfway point, he drove into the lead and he would never be challenged after that point. Masters would finish second with Shryock holding on for third.
Hank Davis took the initial lead in the ASCS feature after starting on the pole after Sam Hafertepe Jr slid up briefly over the banking in turn two but fighting his way back to the track without losing significant time. Reutzel was on the move as he took over second and began to put the heat on Davis. a yellow for a stalled car slowed the action on lap seven.
The restart was interesting with Davis and Reutzel sharing slide jobs on each other with Reutzel's giving him the lead. Hafertepe then rejoined the top two battling for the lead and as Reutzel put a little distance on them, Hafertepe and Davis went at it for second. The leaders began to battle through traffic as the number of green flag laps increased with Reutzel advancing a little during this time.
A potential battle at the end was snuffed when Hafertepe suffered a flat tire with just two laps to go and stalled on the track. There was no challenge for Reutzel the last two laps as he drove home for the win over Davis. Seth Bergman, in a tight point battle with Hafertepe, benefitted from that flat tire as he drove to a conservative third but was most helpful with Hafertepe's late issues. Nineteen of the twenty five starters were still on the track at the end.
A late yellow provided a stunning change in the Late Model feature where Tad Pospisil had led from the drop of the green flag. He had pulled away from the field, running the low line that most were using as the Sprints had polished up the track. For much of the race, Justin Zeitner and Shane DeMey had battled for second with DeMey running the low side and Zeitner slamming off the cushion where ever he could find it and managing to hold on to second but not really gaining on Pospisil who was the better part of a straightaway ahead.
However, when DeMey spun with just two laps to go, the field was bunched and when Pospisil had a terrible restart and missed his line totally, Zeitner took advantage with a "Hail Mary" move into corner one that saw him take over the lead.
As Zeitner started to pull away, things went from bad to worse for Pospisil who suddenly was challenged for second by Corey Zeitner. As Justin pulled away for the win. Pospisil continued to struggle and Corey would pass him for second. Ricks and Chase Alves completed the top five with fifteen of seventeen starters taking the checkers.
Sport Mods wrapped up the evening with Jared Boumeester taking the initial lead in what would be a nonstop main. Boumeester led a few laps but couldn't hold off the speeding Jake Sachau who drove by him and started to pull away.
By the halfway point of the race, Matthew Looft had moved up from ninth to move into the second spot and the final eight laps would see the two outstanding drivers in this class race for the win. On this night, Sachau had a good line and a fast race car and despite trying his best, Looft was not able to close up on the leader and Sachau drove home for the win by a comfortable margin. Justin Klynsma would round out the top three.
Once they dropped the first green flag, it was a tightly run program that would last for just under three hours. However, because the time trails took some time, the first race didn't see the green until almost 8 pm. Oh well, it was Fair time and no one was worried about the time anyway, right? Except perhaps those race fans that had to go to work on Wednesday before coming back for the second night show.
As usual, thanks go out to Trent Chinn and the folks from Chinn Racing Promotions who always treat me right. But as is also usual, because Trent does much watering on race night, he is a hard person to connect to so his plans and the plans for Clay County for 2025 will have to wait for another day.
