Monday, April 29, 2013

Dylan Smith Repeats At Knoxville Shootout

After two completely enjoyable days of non-racing entertainment in Chicago I made it back home to Iowa in time to get to the Knoxville Raceway Sunday night for the track's Second Annual Shootout for the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks. I have worked with my friend Bill Wright in the past on live internet radio broadcasts and more recently the two of us have paired up to do the p.a. announcing for the 2013 Brockway Mechanical and Roofing Sprint Invaders events. At Knoxville though Bill is the person in charge of keeping the website up to date including the live results page where you can find virtual up-to-the-minute lineups and results from each event as it progresses through the evening at the world famous track.

Since Bill is primarily an open wheel fan he asked if I would be interested in helping him with the shootout on Sunday night since I would be much more familiar with the names and numbers of the drivers participating in these four divisions than he would, so of course I said "yes". And after doing this for one night I am amazed at the effort that Bill puts into this!! After making sure that all of the drivers' numbers, names and hometowns were correct we then entered the lineups for each heat race into the system. Bill and I then rotated from heat to heat typing in some basic narration as the race was run and then had to confirm the official finish with scoring before entering that into the system. As each class concluded their heat races there was then B-Main and partial A-Main lineups to be entered, etc., etc.

With my untrained, but still fairly well advanced hunt and peck typing skills, I was able to watch very little of the racing action going on in front of me as I did my best to make sure that people who were not in attendance could get a feel for what was going on to go along with their continuously updated results. And I was only doing half of the work!!! All that I could think of was how much work this must be for Bill now that he usually does this alone on a regular race night although with sprint cars and the fact that they need to be push started perhaps gives him a little more time to complete the info for each event before the next one takes the green. As I drove home and reflected on how different of a race night experience this was for me all I could think of was the internet forum people who seem to "demand" that someone provide updated results from a track that either they were not able to, or chose not to attend themselves. There are some fans, like our colleague Brian Neal and our buddy Craig (fasttrackfan) who do take the time to keep people updated with "live" results from the events that they are attending and you should really thank them because it definitely takes away from the experience of actually being at the night of racing!

Will I ever do it again? If my friend Bill W. needs me to help him, yes absolutely, but you will NEVER see me on Twitter or on a forum providing results as an event unfolds. I am "old school" or just plain old, but I prefer to enjoy the night of racing in full, then think about it as I am driving home before trying to put a summary into words for you the readers of the Back Stretch. If that approach is outdated then so be it, at least I know that my mother will read this stuff once in awhile......if I ask her to.

As for the bits and pieces of racing that I did see I would have to say that overall the second version of this event was better than last year's often rescheduled first run. We didn't see the one "classic battle" that we did in the Stock Cars last year, but we did see good action with drivers using more than one groove throughout the evening. Dylan Smith repeated his win in the Modified division and while last year he went flag-to-flag from the pole, last night he started eighth and had to pick his way to the front before taking the lead in three-wide fashion on a mid-race restart. Jesse Sobbing is surprising nobody with his early season success as a rookie in the Modified division as he ran second, given their history with each other Josh Foster and Richie Gustin were interesting to watch in both their heat race and the feature as they finished third and fourth while Todd Shute moved from tenth to fifth. I was glad that Nevada driver Cory Sample was able to race his way into the show through the B-Main and he then had some fun at Knoxville by working his way up from row nine to tenth.

Lance Borgman was fast all night moving from seventh to second in his heat race and then in the feature he came from the fifth row to battle David Brandies and Joe Zadina for the lead and the eventual win taking the Stock Car top prize money back to Beatrice, Nebraska. Surprisingly the Sport Mod division had the lowest car count at twenty-four and it was a clean sweep for Austin Kaplan. Glenn Gladson Jr. and Carter VanDenBerg were fast, but not fast enough to catch Kaplan as they ran second and third while the owner of the Springfield Speedway in Missouri, Jerry Hoffman brought his car north to finish in sixth. In the Hobby Stock feature Mike Hughes and Corey Madden ran the first few laps side-by-side and then later Hughes had to race his way past veteran Bill Bonnett in order to secure the victory in the first night out for his #11.

The final checkered flag waved at 9:03 p.m. and the drivers headed for home on a Sunday night excited to have had the rare opportunity to race in one of these four divisions at Knoxville.

Here's hoping that the forecasted rain holds off long enough for Wednesday night's show at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa as the IMCA Late Models will join the weekly program for the evening. Then next week I hope to see the 2013 opener for the Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modifieds in Vinton on Tuesday night before heading to one of my favorite tracks, the Dubuque Speedway on Wednesday for the Deery Brothers Summer Series. Hope to see you there!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Carter and VanDerWal Delight Hometown Fans; Murty Wins Another at Osky

After three straight cancellations due to our Arctic-like Spring, the Southern Iowa Speedway was finally able to drop the green flag on its 2013 season Wednesday night and despite cool and breezy conditions a solid crowd was on hand to watch a nice field of cars do battle. With the cold and wet weather there was some concern that the racing surface might rut out, especially with the new dirt that had been added since the end of last season, but only a ripple or two appeared as the half-mile stayed fast and multi-grooved all night.

The Sport Compact feature was the first of five weekly divisions to take to the track with the Whalen brothers, Bill Jr. and John, leading the seven-car field to the green. John Whalen would open up the early lead as Merv Chandler muscled his way past Bill for second, a move that included some contact entering turn one. On lap four Chandler would take over the lead with Bill Whalen Jr. hot on his heels moving past John for second. Chandler left the inside line open and on lap seven Bill pulled even with leader on the front stretch. They ran side-by-side like that, and even banged doors one or twice over the next two laps until Whalen edged ahead by a car-length as the white flag waved. Chandler made one more run at him in both sets of turns on that final lap, but came up short as Bill Whalen Jr. took the win in an entertaining ten-lapper. John Whalen chased that duo in for third, Matt Moore was just behind him in fourth and Alex Sampson came over from Iowa City to finish fifth.

Team Griffiths made up the front row for the 14-lap Hobby Stock main event with Dustin Griffiths outrunning Dale Porter to the point into turn one. An early caution for debris is all that slowed Griffiths in this one as he was never challenged on his way to victory. Bill Bonnett was a distant second while Porter held off the charges of Danny Thrasher and Craig Brown to finish third.

Ryan Fullenkamp blasted to a big lead on the opening lap of the Sport Mod headliner as Curtis VanDerWal made a big move himself from sixth to second. VanDerWal quickly reeled in the youngster and on lap four he made the pass for the lead going down the back stretch. Trying to maintain the pace, Fullenkamp drove too deep into turn three, got up into the crumbs and spun down the race track causing the first caution period of the event. A spin by Tyler Gross two laps later was the only thing that would slow down VanDerWal as he would cruise the rest of the way to secure the opening night win here in his hometown of Oskaloosa. Brett Lowry was impressive advancing from row five to finish in the runner-up position, suburban Kansas City based teenager Ben Kates took third, current All Iowa Points leader Carter VanDenBerg finished fourth after starting next to Lowry and pole-sitter Jason Hall completed the top five.

There is nobody in any division as hot as Damon Murty is right now and when he drew the pole position for the IMCA Stock Car feature the odds were pretty good that he would win this one. However it was his fellow front row starter Nathan Wood who raced to the early advantage before a caution for a five-car pileup in turn two slowed the field. On the restart Murty went to work on Wood and on lap four "The Chelsea Charger" took over the lead. Jason Minnehan had made the trip down from Churdan and was on the move coming from eighth up to third, but his run ended on lap six when it appeared that something broke in the steering on his ride. There was no touching Murty from there as the field got spread out over the final laps and Damon told announcer Tony Paris in victory lane that he was now eight for nine on the early season. Wood would finish well back in second, Corey Stout used the outside line to pass Alan VanGorp in turn four on the final lap for third and Tommie Killen filled out the top five.

An impressive field of eighteen IMCA Modifieds was on hand for the lid-lifter and all but one of them would take the green flag for the 18-lap finale. Southwest Iowa driver Jesse Dennis would lead the field on the opening lap before Cayden Carter flew by him on the outside in turn four on lap number two. As Carter started to build his lead Todd Shute moved into the second spot and tried to keep pace. Carter's advantage stayed consistent until the closing laps when he started to reel in the back of the field and as the white flag waved it was now clear that lapped traffic just might play a role in this one. Carter stayed patient on that final lap, but in doing so it allowed Shute to close quickly and in turn four Todd was able to get to the inside of Cayden. There may have even been a little contact between the two talented drivers as they raced for the first checkers of the year here and with the crowd coming to their feet Cayden Carter prevailed by a bit more than a car-length over Shute. Jesse Sobbing was not far behind them in third, Kyle Wahlert drove one of Jacob Murray's Modifieds from the sixth row to finish fourth while Murray himself came from fifteenth to fifth. Dennis would come home in the sixth position, Tyler Groenendyk returned to Modified action at Osky in seventh, and Andrew Schroeder was eighth ahead of Tim Murty and Colt Mather.

Dick and Joyce Eisele have a full listing of the results and will also have their thoughts on the event posted soon on the 4dFan Report at Positively Racing.

The final checkered flag for the weekly show waved at 9:47 p.m. and I headed for the warmth of my car rather than watching the 30-lap main event for the small field of Iowa Sportsman Series cars on hand. Thanks to Mike VanGenderen and his entire crew for their hospitality and their usual crisp program. Don't forget race fans that the IMCA Late Models will join the Southern Iowa Speedway program for their first of five appearances here next Wednesday night May 1st.

Another commitment will keep me away from the race tracks on Friday and Saturday this weekend, but I am definitely looking forward to seventy degree temperatures for the second annual Shootout at Knoxville on Sunday night. Drivers, there are still opening in each of the four divisions so if you are interested in competing on the famed half-mile, contact the speedway and get your entry in now!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Chad Simpson Completes Weekend Sweep at Quincy

On Thursday afternoon most of the Quincy Raceways track and pit area was underwater. Three days later that same pit area was full of haulers and the quarter-mile oval was hard and smooth as the Corn Belt Clash, MARS and ALMS Late Models did battle for a $3,000 top prize.

Group qualifying, four heats and two B-Mains trimmed the thirty-three car field down to twenty-four  for the forty-lap main event with Chad Simpson and Brandon Sheppard starting from the front row. Simpson grabbed the lead at the drop of the green with Sheppard and Shannon Babb keeping pace. The top three gradually separated themselves from the rest of the field and while Simpson maintained about a five car-length advantage, Babb was able to put a nose under Sheppard on a couple of occasions.

As the leaders worked traffic with ten laps remaining, Babb tried the topside around turns one and two going a bit too wide and dropping the right rear off the top of the racing surface. To make the save Babb turned completely sideways and somehow avoided contact with a lapped car as he drove down the track, but since the lead trio was now so far in front of the rest of the pack Babb's near spin did not even cost him a position.
Shannon Babb (18) made several attempts on Brandon Sheppard (B5) for second before nearly spinning out. Babb held on to finish in third - Barry Johnson photo

With the laps winding down Sheppard's attempts to keep Simpson within striking distance were not successful as the leader worked traffic like a master going flag-to-flag for a dominating victory. The win backed up his victory the night before when Chad came from the twelfth starting spot at 34 Raceway in Burlington. Sheppard finished second, Babb took third, Brian Shirley moved from ninth to fourth while Jason Perry finished where he started in fifth. Tony Jackson Jr. was sixth for the second night in a row, Chris Simpson finished seventh, Tyler Reddick faded from fourth to eighth, Terry Phillips took ninth and Kevin Weaver rounded out the top ten.
Chad Simpson was on cruise control for the $3,000 victory - Barry Johnson photo

Q Notes......Group qualifying meant that the fast cars started up front in the heats with three of the four (Chad Simpson, Sheppard and Babb) being won from the pole position. Tyler Reddick started third and passed Jake Meier to win the fourth heat....The third heat took a little extra time to complete when Justin Reed and Kevin Weaver made contact on the back stretch during the opening lap sending Weaver for a spin. Dustin Walker spun his car to avoid Weaver and slid right through the only standing water that I saw on the grounds in the infield in turn three sending a big splash of moisture out onto the race track. It took several laps of wheel packing before the race could be restarted. Then, once it did, the cars of Reed and Dave Eckrich got hooked together on the front stretch creating another long delay while they were carefully pulled apart.....The two B-Mains saw good battles for the third and final transfer spot with Ryan Unzicker edging out Brandon Thirlby in the first one and Justin Reed coming from mid-pack to take third in the second one.....Six provisionals, two each from the three tours were added to the field: Thirlby, Doug Herrick, Dustin Walker, Dave Eckrich, Justin Asplin and Brunson Behning......Veteran St. Louis area drivers Ed Dixon and Mike Hammerle were among the nine drivers who did not make the A-main.

Skipp Dunker started the Sport Compact main event from the pole position and was challenged early by Josh Barnes. As Barnes pulled even with the leader following a lap two restart the right front tire came off the rim of Barnes' car ending his evening and from there Dunker went unchallenged for the win. Kimberly Abbott finished second for the second week in a row here, last Sunday's winner Craig Bangert ran third, Matt Moore made the long pull from Ottumwa, Iowa, to finish fourth and Bryce Baker was the last car running in fifth.
Skipp Dunker (3) started from the pole and went flag-to-flag for the Sport Compact win - Barry Johnson photo

Michael Long and Steven DeLonjay had a good battle going in the 25-lap UMP Modified finale until the challenger, DeLonjay slowed and pulled to the infield on lap eight. Robbie Reed who had started sixth was now reeling in Long and was ready to challenge before the caution waved on lap sixteen for a Jake Griffin spin in turn four. On the restart David Wietholder pinched Reed down to the bottom in turn two to take over the second spot and then he went to work on Long over the final laps. Wietholder was able to pull even with Long exiting turn two twice in the final laps, but Long maintained his composure to fight him off in turn three in order to hold on for the victory. Wietholder was a solid second ahead of Reed who had another nice run tonight. Jimmy Cummins made the trip up from the St. Louis area to finish fourth while Shawn Deering completed the top five.
Michael Long was all alone mid-race, but he had to hold off a late challenge from David Wietholder to win the UMP Modified main event - Barry Johnson photo

Ours thanks to the QR crew for their usual fine hospitality and for putting on an efficient show that saw the final checkers wave at 8:45 p.m. For as much work that the Quincy Raceways staff put in over the past three days just to have this show, they deserved a better crowd than what they had this evening. Hopefully they get a more normal week of weather requiring much less work and the stands will fill in nicely for weekly racing here next Sunday night.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Chris Simpson Drops Out Late, Chad Simpson Takes It From There at 34

Late Model fans had it good at 34 Raceway near Burlington Saturday night as three regional touring series (MARS, ALMS and the CBC) came together to produce a solid field of forty-four cars and in the end it was the defending Corn Belt Clash champion Chad Simpson standing in victory lane.

Terry Phillips and Kevin Weaver would bring the field of twenty-seven to the green for the 40-lap main event with Weaver rocking the cushion to take the early lead. A caution on lap two for Jake Meier slowed the pace and on the restart Weaver again raced out to a comfortable lead. Third-starting Chris Simpson was battling Phillips for second and when Weaver bobbled in lapped traffic on lap eleven, both Phillips and Simpson drove by. Simpson would work his way past Phillips two laps later to take the lead while his brother Chad was methodically working his way through the field after starting twelfth.

A caution for Mark Burgtorf on lap fourteen and another for Scott Schmitt on lap seventeen kept the field tight and on lap nineteen Chad made his move to put the Simpson brothers one-two with Chris out front. Despite the hard charge through the pack Chad was not gaining any ground on Chris for the lead and in fact the gap between the two began to grow as the laps clicked away. The race to watch was the battle for third where Jesse Stovall and Brian Shirley were swapping the position back and forth several times while Tyler Reddick closed in on the two of them looking for some racing room of his own.

Chris Simpson looked like he had this one well in hand until with just two and a half laps remaining he suddenly slowed down the back stretch and pulled to the infield. Brother Chad was happy to take it from there as he would lead the final two circuits to pick up the $4,000 top prize. Stovall prevailed in what now had become the race for second while Shirley finished third. Reddick, the young native Californian, had to use a provisional to start twenty-sixth and put on quite a show to finish fourth while Terry Phillips completed the top. Tony Jackson Jr. crossed the stripe in sixth, Weaver faded to seventh, Billy Drake used an ALMS series provisional to start 22nd and finished eighth while Justin Kay came from the tenth row for ninth.

CBC/MARS/ALMS/34 Notes......As expected the field was diverse and was chock full of drivers that you knew had an opportunity to win. Tonight's format saw drivers draw for their starting spots in the five heat races with passing points determining the feature qualifiers......2012 Quincy Raceways track champion Jason Perry showed his strength edging out former UMP National Champion Ryan Unzicker for the win in heat one as Jesse Stovall started eighth and finished third.....Chris Simpson walked away with the second heat taking the checkers well ahead of Scott Schmitt while Ray Guss Jr. took third......Brandon Sheppard started on the pole of the third heat, faded to third early, but then came back to take the win. Kevin Weaver who flew to the early lead after starting sixth wound up in second while local driver Jay Johnson was third......Terry Phillips and Steve Lance Jr. were one-two in the fourth heat that was highlighted by a three-wide battle for third between Mark Burgtorf, Michigan's Brandon Thirlby and Minnesota's Nick Herrick......The fifth heat closed out in thrilling fashion as on the final lap a pair of sliders were thrown in turns three and four. Brian Shirley tried to put one on Tony Jackson Jr. only to see the southwest Missouri shoe Jackson come back under Shirley off of four to take the win. And right behind them it was Chad Simpson trying to make the same move on Denny Eckrich with Eckrich also coming back to take the third position......Two cars out of each of the two B-Mains would advance with Brian Harris winning the first one. Ray Guss Jr. tried to hold on for that final transfer only to see both Justin Kay and Tyler Reddick drive by him before he slowed on the final lap......In the second B Mark "Fluffy" Dotson would take a convincing win with Rich Bell snagging the final transfer......Provisional starters were Dustin Walker, Billy Drake, Jake Meier, Dave Eckrich, Justin Asplin and Tyler Reddick while event sponsor Denny Woodworth, Attorney at Law, was also added to the field.......Brandon Sheppard started eighth in the A-Main and was quickly into the top five before pulling to the infield just after the second lap restart......Dotson had charged from the ninth row into the top ten before his left rear tire went flat on lap 22.....The Clash for Cash combo moves south to the quarter-mile bullring in Quincy Sunday evening.

Sixteen 305 c.i. Sprint Cars were on hand for their opening points race of the season with Andy Huston starting from the pole for the 20-lap main event. On his outside was Damian Getchell, who I believe was competing in his first night ever in a winged sprint car and he looked pretty good before hooking a hole and going for a spin on lap three. Huston had lost his right side headers early in the race and sounded like a high-speed popcorn machine as he raced by the stands in the lead lap after lap. But with just two laps remaining Donnie Steward used the high line in turn two to fly by Huston for the lead, and soon the win. Huston would settle for runner-up money, Jayson Dittsworth was up to third early before spinning on the front stretch and restarting tenth, but he came right back to take the third position at the checkers. John Schulz would finish in the fourth spot followed by Ryan Jamison and central Illinois driver Andy Baugh.

The Sport Compact division was thirty cars strong with twenty-nine of them taking the green for the 12-lap main event. Michael Grossman out dragged fellow front row mate Brent Hartley to take the early lead with the race coming to an abrupt stop two laps later when Corey Sheetz rolled his car off the top of turn two. Hartley blew a tire just as the red flag came out with Dustin Ravelin now picking up the chase of Grossman in second. Eric Hood came from deep in the pack, row nine, to challenge Ravelin for second and with just two laps to go those two drivers came together as the caution waved for another skirmish just ahead of them on the front stretch. There was no stopping Grossman on this night though as he pulled away on the final restart to take the win. Steve Miedke came from row six to claim the second spot while John Whalen and the ageless veteran Wayne Noble were scored third and fourth at the finish. The driver in fifth, Dayton Racer, made the long pull down from Apple Valley, Minnesota, obviously wanting to get out of the snow so that he could racing. Just a sophomore in high school Racer recently won the Class AAA Minnesota state wrestling meet at 145 pounds and helped his team to their eighth straight state title. The youngster got a little jumpy though on that final restart as he actually crossed the finish line in third, but was docked two spots to fifth at the pay window.

Congratulations and a big note of appreciation to Jeff & Amy Laue and the entire 34 Raceway staff for somehow drying this place out enough to race tonight after getting over three inches of rain here on Wednesday and Thursday. The cold temperatures likely kept the crowd down a bit, but those who were here tonight surely enjoyed what they saw and are hopefully excited about doing it all again tomorrow night (Sunday) at the Quincy Raceways. 

Saturday Morning Notebook: Big Shows This Weekend, More Vintage Pics

There is a herculean effort going on right now at both 34 Raceway near Burlington and at the Quincy Raceways. Both tracks were inundated with heavy rains this week and it would have been real easy for each to pull the plug, wait for all the water drain and just go racing again next weekend. But this weekend is special as both have scheduled a unique event featuring the Super Late Models from three different sanctioning groups, the Mid-American Racing Series (MARS), the Sunoco American Late Model Series (ALMS) and the Corn Belt Clash Series (CBC), a combination that will bring an extremely interesting mix of drivers to each track.

From the MARS roster I would look for Brian Shirley, Justin Wells, David Turner, Jesse Stovall, Tony Jackson Jr., Dustin Walker and Brandon Morton. The ALMS drivers I would expect would be Jason Jaggers, Billy Drake, Kevin Weaver, Rich Bell, Ryan Unzicker and depending upon the status of races originally scheduled east of here perhaps even some of the East Region ALMS competitors like Brian Ruhlman and Jon Henry may make the trip over if they have no place to run. The Corn Belt Clash will be well represented by current point leader Terry Phillips (although he might be considered more of a MARS point chaser), Chris and Chad Simpson, Dave Eckrich, Justin Mitchell, Jake Meier and Tim Isenberg. The Burlington Hawk Eye has reported that Tyler Reddick and Ray Guss Jr. will also be in action, plus add in Late Model drivers who are just looking for a place to race this weekend and the pit area should be full.

Both tracks are going the extra mile to put on a show this weekend and I hope that you, the race fans will get out and support them!

While making my regular stop at Ron Meyer's The Rest of the Dirt blog this week I noticed that he had a link to a story by Charlotte based motorsports writer John Close titled NDRL A Reminder That There Is More To Racing Than NASCAR. At first glance I was thrilled that dirt track racing was getting some pub from someone who primarily only writes about the "big leagues", but as I read further it became obvious that it was written by someone who did not actually attend either NDRL show and who was perhaps using this to just bag on NASCAR. He makes a comparison to "start and parkers" yet at Paducah it was reported elsewhere that only 10 of the 24 starters finished the race due to rough track conditions caused by the miserable spring weather. So that point kind of misses home. Then he writes "another full house at Federated Speedway" watched the Saturday night show while the guys from Dirt on Dirt had a discussion this week as to why the crowd count was so low in Pevely.

Close writes "These comparisons are made not to discredit NASCAR, but rather to remind race fans that there’s a lot more to America’s auto racing landscape than what they see on television each weekend." Well I'm not so sure about the first part of that statement, but amen to rest of it!

There is another interesting scenario playing out here in Iowa right now and that is the effect of the demise of the Who?Who Forum boards. I have had several conversations with racing friends and we all felt the same that without this board a lot of race tracks may suffer for awhile until they figure out a new way to get the information out to the race fans. A perfect example of this right now is the scheduled April 28th Shootout at Knoxville featuring the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks. Last year this event gained a ton of momentum from discussions and debates on the Who?Won forums and most race fans knew what was going on. Unfortunately Mother Nature forced multiple postponements until the event was finally run in June. This year the event was put on the Knoxville Raceway schedule once again and as we are just eight days away from this show the number of pre-entries is surprisingly low. One of the reasons? Nobody was talking about it on a forum until it was brought up this week on Iowa Stock Cars and fans who do not actually go to the track's website would not have even known about it otherwise. ISC has prided itself on being the information place for eastern Iowa racing, but here's hoping that their reach gradually grows to the west to take care of the whole state.

I still have some people who believe that I am "anti-forum" and that is absolutely not true. I am totally against AWP's (anonymous weasel posters, Craig Kelley's term, not mine) and if a forum is properly moderated, as is Iowa Stock Cars, then it can be a great source of information and entertainment as well. For instance I had to chuckle when one of the biggest cheerleaders of the Shoot Out at Knoxville last year on the Who?Won forum made his first comment on this year's race stating "Knoxville only cares about Sprint Cars." But yet this event was still included on this year's schedule.

My friend Randy Foor stopped by the office this week and dropped off another disc with several old racing photos from West Liberty and Columbus Junction. A couple of them are below and if you want to see more visit the PositivelyRacing.com page on Facebook. Hope to see you at either Burlington, Quincy or both!



Monday, April 15, 2013

Lierly Edges Harris at Quincy For His First Super Late Model Win

Jerry Lierly has spent most of the past year and a half on the road. The UMP Late Model driver from Camp Point, Illinois, has been traveling keeping a similar schedule to Dennis Erb Jr., the nationally known driver out of suburban Chicago who has helped Lierly with setups both in the pits and by driving the car #7L from time to time. That experience on the road definitely showed Sunday night during the season opener at the Quincy Raceway as Lierly patiently pressured leader Brian Harris until the final two laps before making his move to capture his first career win in the UMP Super Late Model division.

Lierly and Harris earned the front row starting spots for the 30-lap main event on the quarter-mile bullring with Harris getting the jump from the outside to take the lead. Most of the sixteen car field then settled into the bottom groove despite the fact that the support division events just prior had shown that multiple grooves still existed. Perennial Quincy Raceway favorite Mark Burgtorf started seventh and he went up to the topside to try to work to the front, but instead he gradually faded toward the back before making an early exit making it look that indeed the low groove was the place to be.

Jerry Lierly is all smiles in victory lane - Barry Johnson photo
Harris stayed glued to the bottom and Lierly applied the pressure putting the left side tires into the infield on a couple of occasions to get his nose under Harris. In the past, this might have resulted in contact with the leader or a spin by Lierly, but lessons learned had him backing off and waiting for another opportunity. After a couple of aborted starts this event went green all the way and as the laps clicked off Harris found himself closing in on a pack of five cars racing for position at the back of the field with all but one of them planted in the preferred lower groove. Harris nosed up to the rear bumper of Billy Genebacher's #72 and waited for an opening on the inside while Lierly was right on the rear bumper of the leader waiting for him to step out of line to attempt to pass the soon-to-be-lapped car. After two laps of running like this and with the white flag about to wave, Lierly confidently moved to the high line and drove past both Harris and Genebacher, and he remained up top for the final circuit to pull away for the win. Harris was in "no man's land" as he knew that his challenger was ready to pounce if he would have left the low groove so he instead stayed there and settled for second. Defending track champion Jason Perry finished where he started in third, Denny Woodworth started fifth and finished fourth while quick qualifier Clint Kirkham took fifth.

After trying to slip by on the low side, Jerry Lierly (7) used the high line to pass Brian Harris (15) in the final two laps for the UMP Late Model win at Quincy - Barry Johnson photo
 Five caution flags kept the 25-lap UMP Modified main event from being considered a classic, but it was still a pretty good one with four lead changes across four drivers. SPEED Channel celebrity Kenny Wallace was on hand to mix it up with the locals and he would have been starting from the pole position had he not spun out while leading the Dash earlier in the evening. Instead it was Michael Long who shot from the pole position and he would lead the first four laps before making a quick exit off of turn two and to the pit area. David Wietholder would inherit the lead at that point with Robbie Reed working his way up from the fourth row to challenge. Reed would inch ahead for the advantage on lap eleven only to see Wietholder fight back to regain the top spot a lap later.
Steven DeLonjay (35) makes the winning pass - Barry Johnson photo
Following a restart defending track champion Steven DeLonjay would go to work on the leader and when Wietholder left an opening in turn two DeLonjay drove past him on the bottom. From there the race for the lead was over as the second generation speedster opened up a straightaway advantage before taking the checkered flag on opening night. Wietholder would take second, Reed held off a late challenge from Wallace to take third and Shawn Deering completed the top five.

The IMCA Stock Cars were the first of the five features to be run with the 2012 Hobby Stock track champion Jake Powers leading early. The Hobby Stock division is no longer in competition here so while the move to a Stock Car may have been forced, Powers looks like he will be a driver to contend with this year leading until lap five when two of the best here in this class, Abe Huls and Terry Houston slipped by. Houston stalked Huls for several laps and with just two to go he was able to get under Huls for the lead and the eventual win as another defending track champion found opening night success. Second and third went to Huls and Powers respectively, Jerry Jansen was fourth while Darren Lambert filled out the top five.
Terry Houston (97) passed Abe Huls with two laps to go to win the Stock Car main event - Barry Johnson photo

The ten car Sport Mod feature was littered with six caution flags that kept interrupting a pretty good race up front. Tony Dunker got by Joe Bliven on lap five and then kept Bobby Anders a car-length or two behind him over the final green flag laps to take the win. You guessed it, Dunker is the defending track champion in this division. Bliven finished third with Nathan Anders and Charles VanZandt filling out the top five.
Tony Dunker (3) and Bobby Anders (20) race for position early in the Sport Mod finale - Barry Johnson photo

The Sport Compact feature closed out the evening with some drama as a thrilling three-car battle for the lead turn into a three-car accident while racing for the white flag exiting turn four. Robert Thompson Jr., Austen Becerra and Craig Bangert were all looking for the win before contact sent all three of them off the topside of turn four. Bangert was able to keep his car in motion so he restarted in the lead, Thompson sped off to the pits and Becerra restarted at the rear for the final two laps with Bangert holding on to take the win. Kimberly Abbott then held off a hard charging Becerra to finish second.
Robert Thompson Jr. (9), Austen Becerra (22) and Craig Bangert (99B) make contact while racing for the lead in turn four with just over one lap remaining - Barry Johnson photo

Temperatures in the 70's supported by a strong southerly wind greeted the opening night crowd and while the skies did not look overly threatening there were a few raindrops felt during the Stock Car main event. The show was run off in a fine fashion and despite the abundance of cautions in the two Modified features the final checkered flag flew right at 9 p.m. I am hoping that the weather during the week ahead still allows for a trip back down to Quincy next Sunday night as the ALMS/MARS/Corn Belt Clash Late Model tripleheader weekend wraps up here on April 21st following a scheduled Friday night stop at Tri-City Speedway and a Saturday night show at 34 Raceway.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Saturday Morning Notebook: NDRL Debut,Decade of the '80s

Back in March I made a prediction that if some of the early season events were cancelled due to weather that someone would try to make the argument that promoters shouldn't schedule shows for so early in the season. That prediction came true on the Iowa Stock Cars forum today apparently by a gentleman who was not at 34 Raceway the past two Saturday nights, at Vinton along with a near capacity crowd last Sunday night or at any of the other early season events that have been run here in the upper Midwest so far. Calvin Meyer made a great point in response stating "they could start in May but we could get a wet May and wipe out all or most of the shows. Now there's no races until June. You have to take the risk sometimes."

Casey Arneson made the long pull down from Fargo, North Dakota, to win the $10,000 top prize at the Reliable Chevrolet B-Mod Nationals in West Plains, Missouri, last weekend. More than one hundred drivers converged on the south central Missouri speedway for the big money show with Decorah's Troy Hovey finishing second, Michael Truscott of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was third, Tony Dunker of Quincy finished fourth and the owner of the track in Springfield, Missouri, Jerry Hoffman was fifth.

The National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) had to wait a couple of weeks to make its debut, but did so last night in Paducah, Kentucky, drawing a stellar field of fifty-five cars. Josh Richards scored the $20,000 victory ahead of Jimmy Owens, Jimmy Mars, Billy Moyer and Scott Bloomquist. And if that list of names isn't enough to impress a Late Model fan the drivers finishing sixth through tenth were Steve Francis, Shannon Babb, Brian Birkhofer, Chris Simpson and Eddie Carrier Jr. The NDRL moves west to the Federated Auto Parts I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, tonight.

As of 10:30 a.m. today the MOWA Sprint Car show at 34 Raceway in Burlington is still a "go", but I would encourage you to check back in with the track website before making the trip as they are doing all that they can to race despite the heavy rains from earlier this week. The Boone Speedway is running this evening with early start times and the Benton County Speedway in Vinton is still looking to run on Sunday night weather permitting.

Another commitment is going to have me driving by 34 Raceway this evening probably looking like a sad puppy dog with my head out the window wishing I could hop out, but I am hoping to go racing on Sunday. Vinton is a possibility and a part of me wants to get up early and make the trip to Rockford for the Spring Classic, but as I survey the weather forecasts right now my primary target is the season opener at the Quincy Raceways. Then next week hopefully this race-happy puppy dog will be very busy with the season opener at Oskaloosa on Wednesday night, the Sprint Invaders in Independence on Friday night, and the MARS/ALMS/Corn Belt Clash doubleheader at 34 Raceway and Quincy on Saturday and Sunday night. Hope to see you on the Back Stretch!

Here are the top Late Model drivers in All Iowa Points cumulative from 1980 through 1989....

All Iowa Points Late Models Total Points
Pos Driver Hometown 1980 - 1989
1 . Rollie Frink Davenport 7746
2 . Roger Dolan Lisbon 6990
3 . Curt Martin Independence 6679
4 . Gary Webb Davenport 6528
5 . Rick Wendling Hazelton 5787
6 . Dave Birkhofer Muscatine 5318
7 . Bob Hill Randall 5179
8 . Steve Kosiski Omaha NE 5158
9 . Ken Walton Viola 5099
10 . Tom Hearst Wilton 5015
11 . Ed Sanger Waterloo 4982
12 . Joe Kosiski Omaha NE 4927
13 . Denny Osborn Cedar Falls 4644
14 . Dave Chase Council Bluffs 4637
15 . Dale Fischlein Davenport 4349
16 . Greg Kastli Waterloo 4199
17 . Gary Tigges Durango 3861
18 . Dick Schiltz Waterloo 3818
19 . Greg Hunter Independence 3740
20 . Johnny Johnson Morning Sun 3666
21 . Ed Kosiski Omaha NE 3629
22 . Bill Breuer Wapello 3559
23 . Jim Burbridge Delhi 3513
24 . Ray Guss Jr. Milan IL 3345
25 . Steve Fraise Montrose 3345
26 . Darrell DeFrance Marshalltown 3323
27 . Ron Weedon Pleasant Valley 3323
28 . Red Dralle Evansdale 3145
29 . Jeff Aikey Cedar Falls 3103
30 . Gary Crawford Independence 3082
31 . Tony Stewart Washington 3035
32 . Ron Gustaf East Moline IL 2970
33 . Bill Martin Council Bluffs 2921
34 . Ron Jackson Burlington 2918
35 . Jerry Pilcher Ottumwa 2872
36 . Bob Lekander Burlington 2792
37 . Darrell Dake Cedar Rapids 2733
38 . Jay Johnson West Burlington 2580
39 . Craig Jacobs Des Moines 2570
40 . Steve Watts Danville 2533
41 . Bruce Hanford Davenport 2493
42 . Terry Buresh Bellevue NE 2473
43 . Ron Boyse Kalona 2439
44 . Kenny Fenn Washington 2399
45 . Jeff French Mount Ayr 2309
46 . Terry Gallaher New London MO 2268
47 . John Hampel Nodaway 2168
48 . Ray Guss Sr. Milan IL 2134
49 . Scott Sells Waverly 2107
50 . Dan Nesteby Waterloo 2031
51 . Billy Moyer Des Moines 2016
52 . Gary Henderson Independence 2005
53 . Karl Sanger Waterloo 1999
54 . Steve Keppler Marion 1997
55 . Hershel Roberts East Moline IL 1979
56 . Bob Helm Andalusia IL 1964
57 . Jim Swank Hamilton IL 1960
58 . Frank Springsteen Morning Sun 1910
59 . Ted Pallister Wapello 1902
60 . Roger Bruggeman Dubuque 1896
61 . Glenn Robey Omaha NE 1800
62 . Sonny Findling Kirksville MO 1736
63 . Willy Kraft Lakefield MN 1689
64 . Mike Smith Jewell 1651
65 . Tom Bartholomew Waterloo 1628
66 . Jerry Wancewicz Omaha NE 1599
67 . Johnny Saathoff Beatrice NE 1573
68 . Duke Jackson Clinton 1571
69 . Jerry Conners Pleasant Valley 1547
70 . Darrell Sells Waverly 1532
71 . Randy Sterner Blair NE 1512
72 . Dave Goble Burlington 1501
73 . Bill Zwanziger Waterloo 1484
74 . Don Hoffman Des Moines 1476
75 . Ron Pallister Wapello 1448
76 . Jake Willert Tipton 1417
77 . Lem Blankenship Keokuk 1407
78 . Karl Ritterbusch Clearmont 1394
79 . Greg Larsen Plattsmouth NE 1380
80 . Duane Steffe East Moline IL 1377
81 . Bill Baldwin Bellevue NE 1372
82 . Dan Dickey Packwood 1355
83 . Dave Bjorge Austin MN 1330
84 . Mark Keltner Morning Sun 1308
85 . Em Fretheim Decorah 1295
86 . Bryan Wanner Winfield 1286
87 . Jerry Holtkamp Williams 1283
88 . Denny Hovinga Pocahontas 1280
89 . Dave Stanton LeGrand 1245
90 . Steve Boley West Liberty 1233
91 . Mike Klinkkammer West Branch 1203
92 . Tim Murray Des Moines 1184
93 . Bob Shryock Estherville 1183
94 . Dick Crane Palmyra MO 1161
95 . Ron Binning Grand River 1131
96 . Dwaine Hanson Lakefield MN 1094
97 . Al Druesedow Omaha NE 1093
98 . Bill Rice Des Moines 1093
99 . Danny Breuer Wapello 1090
100 . Lynn Idler Ionia 1078
101 . Daryl Hemm Eldon 1077
102 . Jim Sandusky Coal Valley IL 1066
103 . Todd Steuber Fairmont MN 1060
104 . Jim Brown Ottumwa 1053
105 . Harley Harrelson Brashear MO 1050
106 . Scott Braun Cedar Falls 1040
107 . Gary Pederson Rutland 1004
108 . Mike Cothron Moline IL 980
109 . Jim Jorgenson Omaha NE 975
110 . Craig Jacobs Freeport IL 970
111 . Keith Leithoff Omaha NE 969
112 . Leroy Brenner Muscatine 962
113 . Don Beckstrom Carroll 953
114 . Doug Hopkins Bloomfield 949
115 . Steve Borts Ames 948
116 . John Connolly Delhi 943
117 . Curt Hansen Dike 940
118 . John Chapin Nebraska City NE 939
119 . Jim Thruman Freeport IL 917
120 . Rusty Patterson Washington 917
121 . Al Zeitner Omaha NE 914
122 . Ron Tilley Omaha NE 903
123 . Denny Banks Washington 895
124 . Dave Getchell Sperry 866
125 . Bob Jaeger Dubuque 849
126 . Mike Chasteen Peoria IL 836
127 . Lynn Monroe Memphis MO 831
128 . Bobby Jackson Milan IL 829
129 . Terry Skalberg Red Oak 827
130 . Jim Jeffries Freeport IL 825
131 . Steve Johnson Camanche 825
132 . Joe Merryfield Des Moines 813
133 . Mel Zeitner Omaha NE 785
134 . Keith Allen Donnellson 781
135 . John Vantiger Mount Union 776
136 . Bill Kirk Salix 775
137 . Ron Cochran Marshalltown 773
138 . Gary Hopp Harlan 772
139 . Gene Claxton Kansas City KS 759
140 . Mike Frieden Cedar Rapids 755
141 . Les Verly Grundy Center 747
142 . Roger Tapper Webster City 739
143 . Al Uhrhammer Radcliffe 738
144 . Kevin Cale Donnellson 732
145 . Jim Hollenbeck Burlington 717
146 . Denny Ansel Dubuque 714
147 . Al Humphrey Giltner NE 701
148 . Wes Merritt Waterloo 696
149 . Dave Cozad Davenport 686
150 . Dennis Schwake Sumner 684
151 . Rick Wages Moline IL 682
152 . Dave Bentley Fairbank 669
153 . Mark Howell Muscatine 668
154 . Keith Remley Blue Grass 660
155 . Larry Winn Kirksville MO 660
156 . Don Bohlander Glasford IL 654
157 . Mark Burgtorf Quincy IL 641
158 . Dave Hammond Camanche 640
159 . Laverne Lehman Waterloo 634
160 . Lynn Richard Mount Pleasant 630
161 . Mitch Fretheim Decorah 628
162 . Terry Schlipman Mendon IL 619
163 . Bill Beckman Lisbon 614
164 . Rocky Hodges Des Moines 593
165 . Larry Skalberg Emerson 584
166 . Martin Bennett Des Moines 582
167 . Mike Whitehead Clarinda 580
168 . Tom Schony Dakota IL 573
169 . Ken Kennedy Dubuque 570
170 . Denny Rosenberg Grimes 556
171 . Mike Niffeneggar Kalona 554
172 . Harold O'Brien Muscatine 551
173 . Art Jeffries Kirksville MO 545
174 . Steve Mullahy Burlington 544
175 . Craig Spetman Omaha NE 534
176 . Lyle Kammer Davenport 526
177 . Dwight Jackson Corning 523
178 . Bill Barthelmes Troy Mills 522
179 . Jay Iben Monticello 520
180 . Rob Taylor Fremont NE 520
181 . Bill Christman Bronson 514
182 . Larry Schmidt New Hampton 514
183 . Sam Jacobs Columbus NE 511
184 . John Engelkens Morrison IL 499
185 . Lee Gardner Neola NE 499
186 . Bob Dominacki Bettendorf 497
187 . Ken Williamson Denison 491
188 . Ken Farrell New Hampton 489
189 . Rick Cox Walcott 489
190 . Mel Morris West Liberty 486
191 . Ken DeGood Hillz 479
192 . Curt Daughters Fort Madison 474
193 . Steve Auringer Waterloo 474
194 . Mark Pallischeck Wapello 469
195 . Terry Hirst Rock Island IL 468
196 . Jay Cooper Omaha NE 464
197 . Scott Nesteby Dubuque 463
198 . Leon Plank Mondovi WI 462
199 . Pete Parker Kaukauna WI 459
200 . Dick Weber Kirksville MO 454
201 . Howard Viner Henderson 442
202 . Brad Perdue Council Bluffs 440
203 . Terry Golder Hooper NE 440
204 . Steve Wahlert Des Moines 439
205 . Terry Rachels Riverside 438
206 . Jeff Johnson Keokuk 437
207 . Dave Thorsten Decorah 434
208 . Joe Sterk Cedar Rapids 430
209 . Ken Jackson Burlington 426
210 . Rick Haas Lincoln NE 426
211 . John Miller Keokuk 422
212 . Dave Plum Waterloo 421
213 . Roger Long Fithian IL 421
214 . Pat Wancewicz Omaha NE 418
215 . Dave Warth Danville 413
216 . Scott Koskovich Omaha NE 412
217 . Dave Farren Des Moines 411
218 . Arnie Braland Boone 410
219 . Bill Davis Des Moines 406
220 . Larry Wasserfort Waterloo 405
221 . Frank Jorgenson Carroll 403
222 . Glen Woodard Des Moines 403
223 . Ken Davidson Indianola 396
224 . Larry Kelley Walford 396
225 . Randy Krampe Baxter 387
226 . Bruce Mark Williams 382
227 . Roger Sanders Preemption IL 382
228 . Greg Moyer Des Moines 381
229 . Jerry Asher Kirksville MO 379
230 . Steve Spahr Monticello 379
231 . Ron Warthen Anamosa 372
232 . Mike Benson Wakefield NE 366
233 . Steve Lance Cuba IL 364
234 . Dick Sorenson Rochester MN 354
235 . Karl Riley Mount Pleasant 354
236 . Mark Powell Davenport 354
237 . Denny Whitlock Davenport 353
238 . Terry Huizel Freeport IL 353
239 . Jerry Hamm Eldon 352
240 . Mike Beuter Tipton 350
241 . Kevin Gundaker St. Charles MO 345
242 . Curt Houge Ames 342
243 . Larry Phillips Springfield MO 341
244 . Randy Adams Muscatine 340
245 . Kevin Skipper Fulton IL 336
246 . Randy Faux Earlham 336
247 . Lon Micks Ottumwa 334
248 . Denny Anderson Rochester MN 332
249 . Chrissy Oliver Moline IL 331
250 . Glen Martin Independence 328
251 . Jim Jenkins Council Bluffs 327
252 . Doc Mayner Winthrop 325
253 . Rick Egersdorf St. Paul MN 323
254 . Tom Fitzpatrick Gilbertville 319
255 . Andy Dittmer Quincy IL 315
256 . Bob McCoy S. Sioux City NE 314
257 . John Scherer Davenport 314
258 . Fred Remley Stockton 311
259 . Dick Barker Dubuque 309
260 . Dan Ludwig Keokuk 307
261 . Kevin Pittman Waterloo 301
262 . Paul Glendenning Mount Ayr 300
263 . Bob Stogdell Silvis IL 298
264 . Bob Schulte Delhi 296
265 . Mike Carlburg Iowa Falls 293
266 . Lonnie Bailey Quincy IL 292
267 . Mike Walker Council Bluffs 289
268 . Bruce Current Maquoketa 288
269 . Junior Shickel Bloomington IL 288
270 . Lance Stott Carthage IL 288
271 . Dave Campbell Fort Madison 286
272 . J.D. Barnes Letts 286
273 . Don Weyrich Norfolk NE 285
274 . Russ Derr Keokuk 280
275 . Tom Long Payson IL 280
276 . Bill Mlnarik Omaha NE 275
277 . Rick Germar Red Oak 275
278 . Ron Hemsted Lone Tree 275
279 . Jon Schwartz Omaha NE 270
280 . Alan Wessells Strawberry Point 266
281 . Bruce Busho Owatonna MN 265
282 . Mike Wallace Valley Park MO 263
283 . Greg Miller Afton 261
284 . Randy Rosenboom Rock Rapids 261
285 . Doug Crawford Geneseo IL 260
286 . Rick Prusator Independence 258
287 . Mark Holtmeyer Quincy IL 254
288 . Dewane Warth Danville 253
289 . Jerry Wolland Peoria IL 252
290 . Bob Grenoble Freeport IL 251
291 . Bob Fisher Vinton 249
292 . Tom Greenlee Freeport IL 249
293 . Dennis Duggan Colesburg 246
294 . Jim Willert Davenport 244
295 . Ted Beaman Council Bluffs 244
296 . Jeff Lawlass Cedar Falls 239
297 . Tim Streiff Omaha NE 236
298 . Kevin Larkins Adams NE 235
299 . Mike Spilman Hedrick 235
300 . Bob Wood Metamora IL 234
301 . Dick Taylor Springfield IL 234
302 . Dan Clement Rhodes 233
303 . Mel Abels Freeport IL 232
304 . Howard Seldin Omaha NE 230
305 . Jim Anderson Des Moines 229
306 . Duane VanDeest Grundy Center 227
307 . Larry Hiatt New Market 224
308 . Wayde Russell Dunkerton 223
309 . Jerry Brumley Iowa City 222
310 . Mike Inman Keokuk 221
311 . John Crear Middletown 220
312 . Dean Wagner Waterloo 219
313 . Kent Tucker Aurora NE 218
314 . Curt Zuhlke Bancroft NE 215
315 . Mike Barton Nebraska City NE 213
316 . Dave Merfeld Dubuque 211
317 . Gary Hagey Clarinda 211
318 . Lance Matthees Winona MN 210
319 . Jim Sands Cedar Falls 209
320 . Jim Gerber Long Grove 208
321 . Mike Benjamin Keokuk 207
322 . Denny Grabenbauer Marshalltown 205
323 . Randy Sedam New Boston IL 202
324 . Wayne Noble Morning Sun 199
325 . Tim Swope Waterloo 197
326 . Dick Elliott Mount Ayr 196
327 . Dental Williams Kirksville MO 195
328 . Donnie Robertson Freeport IL 194
329 . Randy Krutsinger Chariton 194
330 . Larry Larson Keokuk 192
331 . Bobby Mincer Burlington 191
332 . Charlie Moubry Edina MO 191
333 . Gene Chapman Dubuque 191
334 . Duane White Vinton 190
335 . Mike Fitzpatrick Grundy Center 190
336 . Bob Weber Burt 189
337 . Jim Moss West Union 189
338 . Les Wood Buckingham 184
339 . Bill Leighton Omaha NE 182
340 . Tim Hazen Davenport 182
341 . Vic Lovejoy Waterloo 182
342 . Chuck Rankin Kansas City MO 181
343 . Paul Zdan Omaha NE 181
344 . Dean McGee Knoxville IL 179
345 . Dale Maurer Fremont NE 177
346 . Dane Steiner Dubuque 177
347 . Bill LaFollette Kansas City MO 176
348 . Ken Essary Galena MO 175
349 . Larry Pipes Kirksville MO 172
350 . Kevin Kollofski Fairmont MN 171
351 . Mike Kaller Ottumwa 170
352 . Mike Phillips Cotter 170
353 . Ron Godwin Redfield 169
354 . Stan Thomas Dubuque 169
355 . Bernard Reinking Westgate 166
356 . Mitch Johnson Fargo ND 166
357 . Ron Schreiner Eleva WI 165
358 . Francis James Stanton 164
359 . Jeff Hinkemeyer St. Cloud MN 163
360 . Charlie Sentman Waveland IN 161
361 . Dick Hatfield Ottumwa 161
362 . Doug Wiggs Sloan 161
363 . Gary Joens Omaha NE 161
364 . Leon Zeitner Omaha NE 161
365 . Fuzzy Liddell Waterloo 159
366 . Jack Golder Hooper NE 158
367 . Mike Bardoel Milan IL 157
368 . Skip Kennedy Dubuque 157
369 . Rodney Combs Lost Creek WV 156
370 . Bill VandeVoort 155
371 . Jim Riedl Dubuque 155
372 . Jim Heap Macomb IL 154
373 . Jim Gay Jr. Omaha NE 153
374 . Stan Klinkkammer West Branch 153
375 . Corky Bailey Dakota City NE 151
376 . Mike Cardine Steward IL 151
377 . Bill Brendel Fruitland 150
378 . Jeff Weikert Muscatine 150
379 . Ted Zieman Mason City 150
380 . Darrell Garman Kirksville MO 149
381 . Dave Sidwell Iowa City 148
382 . Rick Aukland Fargo ND 148
383 . Tom Bloyd Hamilton IL 148
384 . Bill Wrich Norfolk NE 147
385 . Dan Thomas Morning Sun 147
386 . Frank Ince Des Moines 147
387 . Herb Shannon Hanna City IL 147
388 . Dave Yakle Wapello 146
389 . Mark Widmar Ottumwa 146
390 . Bob Kinsella Dubuque 144
391 . Bob Hilmer Dysart 143
392 . Ron Elbe Augusta IL 143
393 . Kurt Stewart Ainsworth 142
394 . Mark Verbeck Annawan IL 142
395 . Mark Windorski Omaha NE 142
396 . Sam Foshee Sterling IL 142
397 . Gary Hunt Franklin Park IL 140
398 . Jeff Nelson Reinbeck 138
399 . Reggie Roth Bancroft NE 137
400 . Del Lankford Macomb IL 136
401 . John Roush Fairfield 136
402 . Bob Pistole Walnut IL 135
403 . Jim Grafton Des Moines 134
404 . Ron Rosenboom Carroll 134
405 . Randy Harrison Memphis MO 133
406 . Verlin Eaker Mechanicsville 133
407 . Mark Greiner Fairfield 132
408 . Clayton Peterson Grand Island NE 131
409 . David Buford Donnellson 131
410 . Jerry Nigh Eldridge 130
411 . Russ Fenn Washington 129
412 . Danny Wallace Des Moines 128
413 . Dave Gerner Garber 128
414 . Jim Curry Norman IN 128
415 . Rick Heuer Waterloo 128
416 . Phil Bivens Nebraska City NE 127
417 . Ken Schrader Fenton MO 126
418 . Terry Foote Stanton 126
419 . Bob Kosiski Omaha NE 125
420 . Jim Dorothy Keosaqua 125
421 . Keith Strunk Webster City 125
422 . David Fischer Lincoln NE 124
423 . Kyle Berck Marquette NE 124
424 . Rex Nun Lincoln NE 124
425 . Terry Holliman Hamburg 124
426 . Jim Conner Lynden WI 123
427 . Terry Liebentripp Omaha NE 123
428 . Darrell Marmor River Grove IL 122
429 . Ken Sutton Mediapolis 122
430 . Denny Sherrill Hartford SD 121
431 . Robin Ferguson Kirkville IL 121
432 . Vern Jackson Waterloo 120
433 . Jack Schmidt Davenport 118
434 . Darrell McGee Galesburg IL 117
435 . Steve Neilson Hamlin 115
436 . Andy Claiborne Stanley KS 114
437 . Bob Harris Estherville 114
438 . Hal Russell Blue Grass 114
439 . Paul Shafer Portage IN 114
440 . Bob Letts Manchester 110
441 . Brad Dubil Davenport 110
442 . Larry Barger Marshalltown 110
443 . Ray Lipsey Lincoln NE 110
444 . Bob Hutchinson Danville 108
445 . Larry Moore Dayton OH 108
446 . Rick Gladson Des Moines 107
447 . Bill Balmer Niota IL 106
448 . Dave Dodder Letts 106
449 . Gordy Blankenship Keokuk 106
450 . Brian Roberts West Liberty 105
451 . Butch Cole Kewanee IL 105
452 . Dave Meile Freeport IL 105
453 . Dave Bedard Waterloo 104
454 . Denny Gerst Waterloo 103
455 . Jerry Inmon Bruce MS 103
456 . Mike Hoover Vandalia MO 102
457 . Larry Halbrook Ankeny 101
458 . Lyle Roucka Fremont NE 101
459 . Mark Ogle Kirksville MO 101
460 . Steve Lurvey Dousman WI 101
461 . Wayne Larson Ames 101
462 . Ben Schaefer Raymond 100