Davenport Speedway crowns track champions
by Mike McGuire
DAVENPORT, Ia. (August 25, 2017) – Friday was Season Championship night at the Davenport Speedway sponsored by Cintas. It was time to crown the 2017 track champions in all four weekly classes.
Matt Ryan capped his Petersen Plumbing & Heating IMCA Late Model championship season with his sixth feature win of the season. Ryan jumped out to the early race lead after starting on the pole. Rob Toland used the bottom groove to catch Ryan and take the lead on lap two. Ryan re-gained the lead several laps later. After a lap twelve restart, the lead swapping resumed. Eventually Ryan would take the lead for good and drove to his second late model track title.
Toland took second with Terry Neal finishing third. Chuck Hanna and Andy Nezworski completed the top five.
Bryce Garnhart finally captured his first Eriksen Chevrolet IMCA Modified feature win. It came on the same night as his first modified track championship at Davenport. Garnhart led all twenty laps en route to the win. Rob Toland was able to close in on Bryce in lapped traffic, but contact with another car would end his race. Mitch Morris would finish second, followed by Bruce Hanford, Travis Denning, and Rick Hixson, in that order.
Jeff Struck Jr. was not as lucky in Koehler Electric Street Stock action. Struck was leading when he pulled his car off the racetrack with mechanical problems. Nick Hixson put his racecar on the high side of the track and went to the front. Hixson scored his second feature win of the season. Jesse Owen finished second, ahead of Cary Brown. Mike Anderson and Rob Nylin were fourth and fifth respectively.
Struck had enough of a point lead to take the track title, despite his twelfth place finish.
Tony Olson put the exclaimation mark on his third straight Hawkeye Auto IMCA SportMod track championship. Olson ran away from the pack finishing a full straightaway ahead of the field for his eighth feature win of the season. Gage Neal emerged from a four car battle for second. Jake Morris finished third. Mike Haines and Doug Burkhead were fourth and fifth.
Guest class for the evening was the American Iron Racing Series. Mark Claeys took home the trophy in a dandy of a race. Claeys, Tim Arp, and Jeff Walker were three-wide coming to the white flag. When the checkered flag dropped, it was Claeys’ Chevelle taking the win. Tim Arp’s Mustang was second and Jeff Walker in his Camaro finished third.
The racing program was completed with mechanic races.
Our next race at the Davenport Speedway will be the Night of Destruction on Friday, September 8th. Cheater Races will be held in the modified, street stock, and sport mod classes. Then it’s the motorized mayhem known as the Trailer Race.
Results:
Davenport Speedway
August 25, 2017 –
IMCA Late Models
Heat #1: 1. Rob Toland; 2. Chuck Hanna; 3. Mike Zemo Jr.; 4. Shaune Lewis; 5. Gary Webb;
Heat #2: 1. Matt Ryan; 2. Terry Neal; 3. Mike Cothron; 4.Jeff Tharp; 5. Dave Stitcher;
Feature: 1. Matt Ryan; 2. Rob Toland; 3. Terry Neal; 4. Chuck Hanna; 5. Andy Nezworski; 6. Troy Hovey; 7. Jeff Tharp; 8. Mike Zemo jr; 9. Gary Webb; 10. Joe Beal; 11. Dave Stitcher; 12. Mike Cothron; 13. Shaune Lewis; 14. Eric Sanders; (1-DNS)
Track Champion: Matt Ryan – Davenport, Iowa
IMCA Modifieds
Heat #1: 1. Rob Toland; 2. Derek Wilson; 3. Bruce Hanford; 4. Travis Denning; 5. Craig Crawford;
Heat #2: 1. Bob Dominacki; 2. Steve Johnson; 3. Mitch Morris; 4. Bryce Garnhart; 5. Bruce Fosdyck;
Heat #3: 1. Rick Ratliff; 2. Doug Crampton; 3. Jason Pershy; 4. Joe Jones Jr.; 5. Brad Montgomery;
Feature: 1. Bryce Garnhart; 2. Mitch Morris; 3. Bruce Hanford; 4. Travis Denning; 5. Rick Hixson; 6. Stephan Kammerer; 7. Jason Pershy; 8. Craig Crawford; 9. Rick Ratliff; 10. Doug Crampton; 11. Brad Montgomery; 12. Tony VonDresky; 13. Derek Wilson; 14. Steve Johnson; 15. Joe Jones; 16. Bruce Fosdyck; 17. Rob Toland; 18. Bob Dominacki; 19. Aaron Hitt;
Track Champion: Bryce Garnhart – Shannon, Illinois
Street Stocks
Heat #1: 1. Jeff Struck Jr.; 2. Jesse Owen; 3. Randy Lamar; 4. Brian Wiseman; 5. Mike Anderson;
Heat #2: 1. Gene Ehlers; 2. Nick Hixson; 3. Tony Baker Jr; 4. Rob Nylin; 5. Bryan Ritter;
Feature: 1. Nick Hixson; 2. Jesse Owen; 3. Cary Brown; 4. Mike Anderson; 5. Rob Nylin; 6. Bryan Ritter; 7. Randy Lamar; 8. Brian Wiseman; 9. Tony Baker; 10. Kori Murphy; 11. Austin Riggs; 12. Jeff Struck Jr.; 13. Gene Ehlers; (1-DNS);
Track Champion: Jeff Struck Jr. – Davenport, Iowa
IMCA SportMods
Heat #1: 1. Gage Neal; 2. Rance Powell; 3. Nick Groth; 4. Ryan Reed; 5. Justin Yarolem;
Heat #2: 1. Doug Burkhead; 2. Jake Morris; 3. Mike Haines; 4. Kevin Dickey; 5. Jeff Haines;
Heat #3: 1. Tony Olson; 2. Jacob Arp; 3. Joe Nemitz; 4. Mike Goben; 5. Randy Farrell;
Feature: 1. Tony Olson; 2. Gage Neal; 3. Jake Morris; 4. Mike Haines; 5. Doug Burkhead; 6. Rance Powell; 7. Mike Goben; 8. Justin Yarolem; 9. Randy Farrell; 10. Joe Nemitz; 11. Jeff Haines; 12. Jacob Arp; 13. Darrin Haines; 14. Jake Whittington; 15. Nick Groth; 16. Kevin Dickey; 17. Ryan Reed; 18. Brandon Jewell; (1-DNS)
Track Champion: Tony Olson
American Iron Racing Series
Heat #1: 1. Tim Arp; 2. Dan Kessler; 3. Jeff Struck Jr.; 4. RJ Lank; 5. Dennis Etten;
Heat #2: 1. Bart Miller; 2. Mark Claeys; 3. Bruce Yoerger; 4. Kevin Fauser; 5. Craig Adams;
Feature: 1. Mark Claeys; 2. Tim Arp; 3. Jeff Walker; 4. Bart Miller; 5. Jeff Struck Jr.; 6. Steve Olson; 7. Bruce Yoerger; 8. Kevin Fauser; 9. Rob Koester; 10. Craig Adams; 11. Dan Kessler; 12. Bob Mingst; 13. Brian Kern; 14. RJ Lank; 15. Dennis Etten;
Category: Iowa
