Friday nights races at Lee County Speedway on June 24th. Below are your winners. Thank you to all the Fans and Drivers for your support. A special thanks to B&B Propane for sponsoring our event
Late Model – Jeff Guengerich
Modified – Brandon Rothzen
Sport Mod – Brandon Dale
Stock Car – Jeff Mueller
Sport Compact – Ron Kibbe
Friday nights races at Lee County Speedway on June 17th were excitement filled. Below are your winners. Thank you to all the Fans and Drivers for your support.
Late Model – Sam Halstead
Modified – Tyler Groenendyk
Stock Car – Corey Strothman
Sport Mod – Tony Dunker
Sport Compact – Brandon Reu
(Donnellson, Iowa) Racing action was hot just like the temperatures! The nights sponsor being Mohrfeld Electric and Midwest Power & Performance with seven classes in action. The added class was the 305 winged sprints coming over for their monthly visit at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway.
The first feature of the night was for the Armstrong Tractor IMCA sport compacts with Josh Barnes of Keokuk charging into the lead on lap one, he was in a tight battle with Ron Kibbe of Danville. Kibbe took over the top spot on lap two and held on as the laps clicked off. Brad Chandler of Cedar Rapids was back running in the Josh Barnes back up car 13C. He worked his way past car owner Josh Barnes and Mike Reu of Donnellson who was runner in the runner up but Chandler passed on lap six and one lap later took over the lead from Barnes. He cruised to the win, with Kibbe hanging on for second. Barnes held off Kimberly Abbott for the third spot and Rue in fourth.
Next up was the 20 lap main event for the 305 sprint cars who are visiting once a month in 2016. Tanner Gebhardt led the first circuit, with the yellow waving as the pack crossed the line. When racing resumed, fourth row starter John Schulz, who had rolled his # 27 sprint car in the heat race, raced up to the fourth spot on lap four. Gebhardt was hitting his marks, and had opened a nice lead by the halfway point. As the laps were winding down, Dave Getchell began to gain ground on the leader, and as the 16th circuit was scored, he had caught the Gebhardt # 81 machine with three laps remaining. Schultz retired to the infield on lap 18, and as the white flag waved, Getchell inched ahead at the flagstand. Gebhardt then had to contend with Harold Pohren, who edged past Gebhardt for second as the checkers flew. A very excited Dave Getchell said it was his first win in 22 years! Pohren took second with Gebhardt taking the third spot.
In the Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA sport mods the 18 lap main event was a thriller. A pair of Missouri drivers Austin Howes and Brandon Dale sat on row one, with Dale leading the first trip past the flag stand. Howes used the higher groove to lead lap two, while veteran Jim Gillenwater of Keokuk raced from the third row to the third position. Dale and Howes raced side by side on the fourth circuit, and again Howes nosed ahead on lap five. On the sixth trip around, Gillenwater eased around Dale for second. Now it was Gillenwater hugging the low groove as he usually does, with Howes running higher on the speedway. When the first caution flew on lap 13, the lead Howes had evaporated, and now Gillenwater had his chance. The veteran grabbed the lead on the restart, but stayed glued to the inside line, while Howes fought back on the top side. At the white flag, it was the 18 year old Howes back in the lead, and he held on for his first feature win. Gillenwater took second with Dale coming home third, while Joey Gower grabbed fourth.
With only two hobby stocks checked in, they decided to do the Hobbys stocks and Sport Compact challenge, three sport compacts were added in with Matt Lundry of Wapello and Brad Chandler battling for the win with Chandler taking the win on the final corner and final lap.
The Steffes Auction and Realty Lee County late models were next on the card for 25 laps of action. The redraw found Tyler Cale and two time winner Tommy Elston on row one. The second generation driver Cale led the pair of laps, as fifth starting Sam Halstead slipped past Todd Frank for third. Elston used a high line to take the lead on lap six, and it now became a three car battle. As lap seven was being scored, Cale found himself near the turn four guardrail, slipping back to fourth. As the pack entered turn one, another two time winner, Colby Springsteen looped his # 38, bringing out the only yellow of the race. Back under green, Halstead was scored first by a nose on lap nine, but quickly began to widen his lead. Meanwhile, Springsteen was fighting back, entering the top five on lap 13. On lap 14, Jeff Guengerich took the third spot after racing from the seventh starting spot and one lap later Springsteen climbed to fourth. Lap 18 saw Guengerich wheel the Lynn Richard owned # 15R to the runner up spot, and three circuits later, Springsteen worked around Elston for third. Halstead kept his foot on the gas, however, claiming his third feature win of the season. Guengerich, Springsteen, Elston, and Frank turned in top five runs. Cale finished sixth, followed by Derek Liles, Charles Vanzandt, Brandon Potts, Gunner Frank, and Laine Vanzandt, eleven starting and eleven taking the checkers.
In the Donnellson Tire IMCA Stock Cars Jeff Mueller would keep his streak alive with Mueller working the bottom side of the speedway and would not look back after taking the lead on lap five. He would stay perfect on regular season point’s night with his sixth straight win. Greg Gill of Muscatine tried several times to close on Mueller but took the second spot.
The final feature of the night was the Budweiser IMCA modifieds with Levi Smith bringing the field to the green. The mods would put on a two and three wide battle with Josh Foster making the venture from Newton and last week’s winner Hunter Marriott of Brookfield, Missouri racing his way from the tenth starting spot to take the win over Foster. Foster and Jeff Waterman of Quincy, Illinois would battle for the second spot with Foster crossing ahead of Waterman who took the third finishing position.
This week will be Welch’s Insurance, McDowell Crane & Rigging, Seither & Cherry and Tri-State Sheet Metal night at the Pepsi Lee County Speedway with hot laps at 7pm and racing at 7:30pm with five exciting classes in action.
(Donnellson, Iowa) April 22nd The Pepsi Lee County Speedway had three repeat winners drive to victory lane and three new winners in the other three classes. The late model division has had three different drivers take checkers with no repeat winners.
In the Armstrong Tractor IMCA sport compacts Josh Barnes of Keokuk took the win, after a battle from Mike Reu of Donnellson who tried to hold off Barnes but settled for the runner-up spot. The battle for third and fourth would heat up with Darrin Weisinger Jr. holding off Kimberly Abbott who took fourth.
In the Donnellson Tire IMCA stock cars Jeff Mueller took his second straight win. Mueller battled with Dean Kratzer and Corey Strothman who made it a three car battle with Mueller passing on the low line with four laps remaining. Kratzer would lose the battle for second to Strothman who would get him on the last lap. Greg Gill of Muscatine was battling for the lead early but found himself coming from the back after an early race incident that involved him and Jeremy Pundit, Gill took the fourth place finish.
The Coors Light IMCA Hobby stock featured only three cars but Dustin Griffiths of Hedrick and Brandon Symmonds of Keokuk would try several time to close on Griffiths but Griffiths held on and took his second straight win with Symmonds in second and Kyle Hamilton of Keokuk taking third.
The Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA sport mods would see a new face in victory lane with Tony Dunker of Quincy, IL. taking the win. Austin Howes of Memphis would lead the field to the halfway point before giving the lead over to Brandon Dale of Arbella who would build a nice size lead but a late race caution would setup a four lap shootout with Dunker making the pass for the win. Dale took second with Joey Gower of Quincy taking third and Carter Vandenberg of Oskaloosa taking the fourth spot.
The Budweiser IMCA Modified feature saw Jeff Waterman of Quincy turned the table and score the win in the 71w machine after running second last week. Kelly Buckallew of Memphis would lead the first six laps before losing the lead to Bill Roberts Jr. of Burlington who took the lead on lap seven and would lead until lap twelve before Waterman would pass for the lead and take the checkers. Jared Fuller of Memphis would work his 110 machine up to second after starting sixth. Dennis Lavein who won last week raced to third after starting fifth and Roberts would take fourth.
In the Steffes Auction and Realty Late Models the action would get really exciting with veteran driver Tommy Elston and rookie Derek Liles battling for the lead for the first six laps. Elston took the lead and scored his first win of the 2016 season. The racing action was red flagged for a sheep on the track, YES a SHEEP, you had to be there. The sheep entered the track in turn 4 and after going around turn 3 and down the back stretch against traffic pulled into the pits where it was rescued by track workers. When action resumed Jeff Guengerich of Washington would make the restart payoff after starting eighth he would pass Darbyshire for second with Darbyshire taking third and last week’s winner Sam Halstead taking the fourth spot.
Racing action will roar back to life on April 29th with six classes in action for night number three of points racing. Hot laps at 7pm and racing at 7:30pm. Racing action will change to Thursday Night Thunder on May 5th with the Late Model touring series Lucas Oil Late Models visiting the Pepsi Lee County Speedway.