Somehow the Springfield Raceway managed to avoid the brunt of the violent storms that hit much of the Midwest this weekend and racing was held on Saturday night, March 15th with the Comp Cams Super Dirt Late Model Series being the focus and they provided a fine thirty five lap main event that was captured by Timothy Culp after a stirring drive saw him overtake race long leader Billy Moyer and take his first CCSDS win in nearly four years.
Five other weekly classes were also on the card to provide a very full night of racing that was completed just as another round of precipitation moved into the Springfield area, resulting in a dusting of snow later. It was a cool afternoon to start off the racing event but when the wind picked up in intensity and switched to the Northwest, it got down right cold but fortunately, those fans on hand to watch the featured event saw the Late Model feature rolled out as the second main event and first after a short break to spritz the track.
The B Mods, Midwest Modz both A and B, along with the Pure Stocks and Front Wheel Drive(Forward) cars were all in action, making for a full pit area and quite a number of preliminary races before we could get down to brass tacks and begin the mains. The saving grace was that the numbers were such that no B Features were needed for any of the other classes with only the Comp Cams cars needing a pair of B's .
I'm sure that the Late Model drivers were disappointed that with many making a long drive for the weekend, the Friday night event at Tulsa was canceled after the winds there were so strong that it made racing unsafe for both the spectators and participants. Nevertheless, thirty eight Late Models pulled to Springfield on Saturday night, representing nine states and Jake Timm even stopped on his way home from Tennessee after his Saturday night event there was rained out.
Rain on Friday had left the track blinding fast and it appeared it was going to be loose and perhaps a problem for the racers. However, Jerry Hoffman does know his red dirt well and the track rolled in nicely through hot laps and made for a good racing surface that was wide and smooth, had at least a couple lanes and a nice berm for those brave enough to dance with it.
Comp Cams does use a rather straight forward and unimaginative way of lining up their races. Time trials start the show, followed by heat race run straight up and then the feature is lined straight up on the results of the heats. A couple B Features add three cars to the show plus two provisional starters that there is your twenty four car field.
Time trials produced a bit of a surprise when Kayden Clatt was quickest overall at 11.880 seconds. Group B saw Moyer jump the cushion on his first lap but then he came right back and set quick time for that group at 12.062.
The Late Model feature saw Moyer get the jump on Clatt to take the early lead. Moyer was running a different line than most of the drivers as Billy, who is usually a "bottom feeder", was running high on one end of the track and right through the middle on the other end and making it work as he pulled away slightly. Clatt has his hands full with Timothy Culp with Timm and Kirby also in the battle for second. However, Moyer was running strong and the first half of the race gave the appearance that we were going to see another feature win for the Hall of Famer. Just as he caught the back of the pack, the yellow waved with sixteen laps in for a stalled car.
The green saw Culp get past Clatt for second before the yellow came back out quickly for another slowing car, just at the halfway point. Timm was now up to third with Kirby and Clatt next in line.
How many times in recent years have we seen the majority of successful passed completed just following yellow flag periods when the fields are bunched up. And I feel strongly that if the yellow hadn't flown when it did, we would have witnessed another win for the Hall of Famer but to his credit, when the green came back out, Culp threw a big slider and was able to get past Moyer and take over the lead. The track appeared to be changing as Culp pulled away from the pack while Moyer slipped back to third briefly before fighting his way back into second.
The final fourteen laps ran off under the green without delay and Culp was not challenged as he drove on for the win in his Capital Race Car. Moyer got back in his groove and finished second with Timm and Kirby close behind. Morgan Bagley charged from fourteenth to complete the top five. All but two drivers were still on the track at the completion of the event. The track held up well and the drivers were still racing all over the surface at the finish, with the groove moving around also which allowed much side by side racing.
The other five classes drew for starting positions and then used passing points to line up their main events. The Pure Stocks were up first as their main ran directly after the final Late Model preliminaries were completed.
This race saw a good three car battle for the win with Derek Lampe taking the early lead in his "Grocery Getter" station wagon with Michael McKnight and James Redus right with him. Jeff Reid made a banzai move to try and get the lead from the second row early but he spun and triggered the first yellow flag. The top three ran side by side and Redus split the two others, taking the lead just one lap later.
Redus then led the rest of the event, but he margin of error was slim as both Dustin Isaacs and Lampe were close behind while they engaged in their own battle for second. Redus drove on for the win with Isaacs holding off Lampe for second as fourteen cars took the green flag.
Following the Late Model feature, it was time for the Forwards to hit the track with eleven of them taking the green. A dandy two car battle up front highlighted this race as Daniel Barton took the initial lead, only to be passed one lap later by Amadeus Keepper, who held off Barton through the first half of the race, although they spent most of that time running nearly side by side. Just as Barton retook the lead on lap eight, the lone yellow flew for a loose wheel on the track.
Barton then managed to pull away over the final four laps and take the win. Meanwhile, Allen Thompson, who was running fourth with just those few laps left, put on a big charge and nipped Keepper for second at the finish.
Midwest Modz A fielded a sixteen car field for their main event, the only one of the night to go green to checkers. Logan Roark jumped into the early lead with Carter Harrison close behind. Harrison was on the move and just two laps later he blew past Roark and took over the top spot.
One in front, Harrison checked out on the field. Roark continued to hold second until he blew his motor in a spectacular fashion and pulled off the track with the race remaining under the green. Harrison's only issue after that was lapped traffic but he negotiated it well and crossed the finish line with a big lead for the win. Jordan Bryant ended up second with Ben Newell third.
Another whipping was administered in the B Mod feature where Kris Jackson started on the pole and disappeared into the Missouri darkness as the rest of the field tried to figure out how to keep up with him.
Jackson was long gone early, even after the race was stopped with six laps complete for a spinning car. Once back under green, Jackson again was long gone while the battle was for second. Rex Harris was running second but by the halfway point Anthony Ferrara had passed him to take over the runner up slot. They would finish in that order with Cole Campbell making a late charge to grab third.
Midwest Modz B had the largest field of the night for the support cars and twenty three of them took the green for their twenty lapper. In this case, a bigger field also produced bigger problems with the yellow getting a work out . Gavin Buckley took the early lead with James Lee chasing him. But with five yellows in the first five laps, track management called for a single file restart as weather was moving in on the track.
Buckley continued to lead Lee and Eli Ellis past the halfway point with the yellow flag taking a break as eleven green flag laps were completed consecutively. Buckley had built up a big lead when his car suddenly quit down the front chute and he pulled to the infield, turning over the lead to Lee.
Light precipitation was starting to fall around this time and while the track was still raceable, it was starting to get just a bit slick. Then the yellow flew once again for a spinner and this set up a four lap dash to the finish. The cars were lined up single file with Lee leading Braxton Rupp and Ellis.
However, the move of the night was upcoming and it belonged to Jordan Cater. He was fourth when the green reappeared but while the front three cars followed each other nose to tail on the low side of the track, struggling with the slightly slick conditions, Cater went to the cushion where he could maintain his momentum and the track wasn't so slick and he blew by the three drivers in front of him like they were anchored at a dock.
He tore away from the field and was still pulling away when the checkers fell. Rupp pulled out of line when he realized what was happening and he managed to get past Lee for second. The race finished just in the nick of time as the precipitation picked up and would have ended the show. The final checkers waved just around 10 pm.
Thanks to the folks from Comp Cams and especially Chris Sullivan for his help as well as Jerry Hoffman and his staff from the Springfield Raceway. Both the Comp Cams and Springfield have busy upcoming schedules so check out both for exciting events in their future.
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