Banks, Huls, VanDenBerg, See and Reu Crowned Champions at the Lee County Speedway

While Sobbing, Oliver, Jr., VanDenBerg, Griffiths, Grossman, and Leer Pick Up Victories
by Brian Neal

Donnellson, IA (August 23, 2013) – It’s hard to believe the 2013 regular points season has come to end, as it was PEPSI Season Championship Night at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA on Friday. Plus presenting sponsor Conn Communications gave all U.S. Cellular customers a FREE entry into the grandstand by presenting there U.S. Cellular phone at the ticket booth. Then to top it all off they gave away some great prizes for all fans in attendance. But on the track the action was all about crowning the 2013 track champions in the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, Donnellton Tire IMCA Stock Cars, Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA SportMods, Coor’s Light IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Sunline Auto Parts IMCA Sport Compacts.

The first feature up on the night would be the 15 lap IMRA Midget Lites, with Andrew Genkinger and Kaylnn Leer drawing the front row for the event. Leer would take advantage of her front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Jack Sandalls and Genkinger. The action up front was slowed for the first and only time, as Shane Morgan slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Leer jumped back out front, with Sandalls and Aaron Hull battling for the second spot. Hull would slip past Sandalls on lap 5 to take over the second spot, and then went to work on chasing down Leer. But Leer would go on to lead all 15 laps to claim the win. Hull settled for 2nd, Sandalls was 3rd, Genkinger held on for 4th, with Brent Burrows rounding out the top 5.

Up next was the 14 lap Sunline Auto Parts IMCA Sport Compact feature, with Kyle Hamelton and Michael Grossman leading the field to the drop of the green flag. Grossman would grab the lead on lap 1 over Brandon Reu and Josh Barnes, who started 6th, and then held it until lap 4. Grossman who came up on a lapped car going into turn 3 had to make a hard turn down into the infield to avoid colliding with the lapped car. He would then come to a stop on the front stretch to bring out the first caution of the race. On the restart Hamelton and Mike Miller collided in turn 1 to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Reu inherit the top spot, with Barnes and Chuck Fullenkamp, who started 5th, battling it out for second. While the three car battle of front continued, Grossman was working his way back to the front. Barnes, Grossman, and Reu made it three wide coming off turn for for the lead on lap 13, with Barnes edging out front to lead the lap. But it only lasted 1 lap, as Grossman slipped by on lap 9 to make his charge from last back to first after his lap 4 caution. Grossman then went on to lead the final 6 laps to pick up his first win of the season at the track. Barnes held on for 3rd, Reu, who had a 4 point lead going into the night, finished 3rd and was crowned the 2013 track champion, Fullenkamp was 4th, with Kimberly Abbott coming home in 5th.

Ricky Miller Jr. and Erick Knutsen made up the front row for the 15 lap Coor’s Light IMCA Hobby Stock feature, with Knutsen grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Dustin Griffiths and Jason See, who started 8th. Knutsen then worked the next 6 laps to hold off Griffiths, as Griffiths looked under him coming off turn 2 on each lap only to have Knutsen hold him off each lap. But Griffiths decided to try a different line in turns 1 and 2 by going up top to slip past Knutsen for the lead on lap 7. The five car battle up front was slowed for the first and only time on lap 11, as See, who was running 3rd, spun in turn 2 with a right rear flat to bring out the yellow. On the restart Griffiths jumped back out front, with Knutsen working to hold back Dane Blozovich in the battle for second. Griffiths went on to lead the final 4 laps to pick up his third win in a row and sixth overall at the track. Knutsen won the battle for 2nd, Blozovich settled for 3rd, Nick Ulin was 4th, with See coming home 5th and was crowned 2013 track champion in his rookie year.

Corey Strothman and Jeremy Pundt led the field to the drop of the green in the 16 lap Donnellson Tire IMCA Stock Car feature, but it was third place starter Jason Cook who grabbed the lead on lap 1 over John Oliver Jr, who started 4th. Just after the completion of lap 1 the caution would appear for the first time, as Strothman spun in turn 4 and Jeff Mueller got into the guardrail to bring out the yellow. On the restart Cook jumped back out front, with Pundt over taking Oliver Jr. at the line by inches for 2nd. Oliver Jr., who was working the top of the track, with Abe Huls, who started 5th, glued to his back bumper made it a four car battle for the lead, as Cook and Pundt worked the bottom. Oliver Jr. used the momentum up top to grab the lead on lap 5, with Huls close behind in second. But the action up front was slowed for the second time, as Jim Lynch, who started 9th and was running 4th, spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Oliver Jr. once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Huls and Cook battling for second. But the final caution of the event would slow the action on lap 9, as Strothman slowed to a stop in turn 3 with right front troubles to bring out the yellow. Once again Oliver Jr. moved out front on the restart, with Cook over taking Huls for second. Coming to the wave of the green, 2 laps to go signal, Huls tried the bottom to get around Oliver Jr. for the lead which allowed Brandon Savage, who started 8th, to move up to make it a four car battle for the win. But Oliver Jr. would hold off all challenges over the final 2 laps to claim second win in a row and fourth overall at the track. Huls won the battle for the second spot and was crowned the 2013 track champion, Savage came home a close 3rd, Cook settled for 4th, with Pundt rounding out the top 5.

The closest points battle going into the night was in the Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA SportMods, with Brett Lowry leading Carter VanDenBerg by 1 point. Which meant whatever driver finished in front of the other would be crowned the champion, with VanDenBerg holding the tie breaker advantage with 3 wins to Lowry’s 1. Bobby Six and Rodger Dresden would lead the field to the green, but just as the green was waved the yellow light would come on. As Tyler Heckart spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the original restart Dresden grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Six and Dakota Simmons. Simmons run up front would come to an end on lap 2, as he spun in turn 1 to bring out the second caution of the event. Dresden once again moved out front on the restart, but now had Bobby Anders, who started 7th, battling him for the top spot. Anders used the bottom of the speedway to grab the lead away from Dresden on lap 4, only to see Dresden come back on the top to grab the lead back on lap 5. While Dresden and Anders battled for the lead, all eyes were on VanDenBerg, who started 8th, and Lowry, who started 9th. VanDenBerg used the bottom and the top of the track to slip into second on lap 10, with Lowry in 4th. With Dresden up top VanDenBerg had no choice but to try the bottom to get around him for the top spot. VanDenBerg made the bottom work on lap 15, as he slipped past Dresden for the lead. VanDenBerg then went on to lead the final 5 laps to claim his 4th win of the season, which then earned him his first ever track championship by 1 point over Lowry. Tony Dunker, who started 10th, edged out Lowry at the line for 2nd, with Lowry settling for 3rd, Anders was 4th, with Dresden coming home in 5th.

The final feature up on the night was the 20 lap Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, with one and two in the IMCA National Points in the house that would take all eyes off Brandon Banks who was leading the track points. Michael Browning and Jeff Mueller made up the front row for the event, with Browning jumping out front on lap 1 over Mueller and Jeff Waterman. Mueller would use the top of the speedway to slip past Browning on lap 3 to take over the top spot, leaving Browning to work to hold back Waterman in the battle for second. While Mueller and Waterman battle for the lead, Jesse Sobbing, who started 9th and is 2nd in IMCA National Points, was working his way towards the front. But the first caution of the event on lap 13 slowed the action up front, as Dugan Thye spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Sobbing used the bottom of the speedway to over take Mueller for the top spot, with Mueller working to hold back Brandon Banks, who started 7th. The second caution of the event would appear on lap 15, as Thye spun in turn 2 for his second solo caution to end his night. Sobbing moved back out front on the restart, with Banks and Waterman slipping past Mueller for the second and third spots. With all eyes on Sobbing and Banks, Dakota Hayden, who started 15th, had made his way up to third on lap 17 and was going to work on the top two cars. Just after the field took the white flag, the yellow light would come on for Browning and Brandon Ruffcorn’s spins in turn 1. But since the field had taken the white flag the yellow and checkered would wave on the field, giving Sobbing the win in his first ever appearance at the track. Banks settled for 2nd and was awarded his first track championship, Hayden came home an impressive 3rd, Waterman was 4th, with Mueller holding on for 5th.

Coming up next at the Lee County Speedway will be the two day Fall Extravaganza scheduled for Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th. Look for more details to be released in the near future on this event on the tracks website at www.leecountyspeedway.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Lee County Speedway, Donnellson, IA
Friday, August 23, 2013 – PEPSI / Conn Communications / KILJ 105.5 FM 1130 AM Season Championship Night

Budweiser IMCA Modifieds – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 9 99 Jesse Sobbing Glenwood , IA 40
2 7 22 Brandon Banks Washington , IA 39
3 15 9 Dakota Hayden Wilton , IA 38
4 5 71W Jeff Waterman Quincy , IL 37
5 2 77 Jeff Mueller New London, IA 36
6 8 17S Steve Stewart Burlington , IA 35
7 13 13H Travis Hatcher Honey Creek, IA 34
8 3 19J Levi Smith Donnellson , IA 33
9 6 5R Bill Roberts Jr. Burlington , IA 32
10 11 71 Dennis LaVeine West Burlington, IA 31
11 1 13 Micheal Browning Farmington , IA 30
12 12 11R Brandon Ruffcorn Donnellson , IA 29
13 14 11T Dugan Thye Burlington , IA 28
14 10 60 William Gould Calera , OK 27
15 4 14 Tyler Cale Donnellson , IA 26

Budweiser IMCA Modifieds – Heat 2
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 6 99 Jesse Sobbing Glenwood , IA 0
2 4 71W Jeff Waterman Quincy , IL 0
3 3 19J Levi Smith Donnellson , IA 0
4 5 22 Brandon Banks Washington , IA 0
5 7 60 William Gould Calera , OK 0
6 2 11R Brandon Ruffcorn Donnellson , IA 0
7 1 11T Dugan Thye Burlington , IA 0

Budweiser IMCA Modifieds – Heat 1
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 77 Jeff Mueller New London, IA 0
2 1 13 Micheal Browning Farmington , IA 0
3 5 5R Bill Roberts Jr. Burlington , IA 0
4 6 17S Steve Stewart Burlington , IA 0
5 4 14 Tyler Cale Donnellson , IA 0
6 3 71 Dennis LaVeine West Burlington, IA 0
7 7 13H Travis Hatcher Honey Creek, IA 0
8 8 9 Dakota Hayden Wilton , IA 0

Donnellson Tire IMCA Stock Cars – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 4 05 John Oliver Jr. Danville , IA 40
2 5 30C Abe Huls Carthage , IL 39
3 8 47S Brandon Savage Canton , MO 38
4 3 27J Jason Cook Mt. Pleasant, IA 37
5 2 52J Jeremy Pundt Donnellson , IA 36
6 6 87 Les Blakley Fairfield , IA 35
7 7 79 Troy Brierton Versailles , IL 34
8 1 C4 Corey Strothman Mt. Union, IA 33
9 9 566 Jim Lynch Donnellson , IA 32
10 10 3D Jeff Mueller New London, IA 31

Donnellson Tire IMCA Stock Cars – Heat
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 C4 Corey Strothman Mt. Union, IA 0
2 4 52J Jeremy Pundt Donnellson , IA 0
3 6 05 John Oliver Jr. Danville , IA 0
4 7 30C Abe Huls Carthage , IL 0
5 5 27J Jason Cook Mt. Pleasant, IA 0
6 1 87 Les Blakley Fairfield , IA 0
7 10 79 Troy Brierton Versailles , IL 0
8 8 47S Brandon Savage Canton , MO 0
9 3 566 Jim Lynch Donnellson , IA 0
10 9 3D Jeff Mueller New London, IA 0

Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA Sport Mods – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 8 7 Carter VanDenBerg Oskaloosa , IA 40
2 10 3 Tony Dunker Quincy , IL 39
3 9 72 Brett Lowry Montezuma , IA 38
4 7 20BA Bobby Anders Quincy , IL 37
5 2 1 Roger Dresden Keokuk , IA 36
6 5 10 Jim Gillenwater Keokuk , IA 35
7 4 101 Derek St. Clair Donnellson , IA 34
8 14 42 Tyler Heckart Ottumwa , IA 33
9 12 7L Rob Kirchner Donnellson , IA 32
10 3 40 Dakota Simmons Libertyville , IA 31
11 11 6C Bob Cowman Quincy , IL 30
12 1 6 Bobby Six Keokuk , IA 29
13 6 15 Phillip Cossel Montrose , IA 28
14 13 93 Robert Gould Hillsboro , IA 27

Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA Sport Mods – Heat 2
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 5 20BA Bobby Anders Quincy , IL 0
2 2 1 Roger Dresden Keokuk , IA 0
3 4 10 Jim Gillenwater Keokuk , IA 0
4 1 6 Bobby Six Keokuk , IA 0
5 6 72 Brett Lowry Montezuma , IA 0
6 3 7L Rob Kirchner Donnellson , IA 0
7 7 42 Tyler Heckart Ottumwa , IA 0

Shottenkirk Parts Express IMCA Sport Mods – Heat 1
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 6 7 Carter VanDenBerg Oskaloosa , IA 0
2 7 3 Tony Dunker Quincy , IL 0
3 5 15 Phillip Cossel Montrose , IA 0
4 4 101 Derek St. Clair Donnellson , IA 0
5 3 40 Dakota Simmons Libertyville , IA 0
6 1 6C Bob Cowman Quincy , IL 0
7 2 93 Robert Gould Hillsboro , IA 0

Coor’s Light IMCA Hobby Stocks – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 4 10G Dustin Griffiths Ottumwa , IA 38
2 2 99 Erick Knutsen Cedar Rapids, IA 37
3 5 5B Dane Blozovich Exline , IA 36
4 3 21 Nick Ulin Agency , IA 35
5 8 79S Jason See Albia , IA 34
6 1 09 Ricky Miller Jr. Gorin , MO 33
7 6 11B Andrew Hustead Rutledge , MO 32
8 7 11 Danny Miller Gorin , MO 31

Coor’s Light IMCA Hobby Stocks – Heat
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 7 10G Dustin Griffiths Ottumwa , IA 0
2 6 21 Nick Ulin Agency , IA 0
3 8 5B Dane Blozovich Exline , IA 0
4 4 99 Erick Knutsen Cedar Rapids, IA 0
5 2 09 Ricky Miller Jr. Gorin , MO 0
6 3 11B Andrew Hustead Rutledge , MO 0
7 1 11 Danny Miller Gorin , MO 0
8 5 79S Jason See Albia , IA 0

Sunline Auto Parts IMCA Sport Compacts – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 2 Michael Grossman Keokuk , IA 40
2 6 13B Josh Barnes Keokuk , IA 39
3 4 27 Brandon Reu Donnellson , IA 38
4 5 48 Chuck Fullenkamp Ft. Madison, IA 37
5 3 71 Kimberly Abbott Camp Point, IL 36
6 10 15 Jerrod Nichols Stronghurst , IL 35
7 9 57 Jake Shannon Donnellson , IA 34
8 12 55 Mike Hornung Jr. Keokuk , IA 33
9 11 58R Derek Randall Canton , MO 32
10 1 77K Kyle Hamelton Keokuk , IA 31
11 7 22 Austen Becerra Carthage , IL 30
12 8 09 Mike Miller Gorin , MO 29

Sunline Auto Parts IMCA Sport Compacts – Heat 2
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 3 48 Chuck Fullenkamp Ft. Madison, IA 0
2 4 22 Austen Becerra Carthage , IL 0
3 2 71 Kimberly Abbott Camp Point, IL 0
4 6 15 Jerrod Nichols Stronghurst , IL 0
5 5 09 Mike Miller Gorin , MO 0
6 1 55 Mike Hornung Jr. Keokuk , IA 0

Sunline Auto Parts IMCA Sport Compacts – Heat 1
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 2 Michael Grossman Keokuk , IA 0
2 3 27 Brandon Reu Donnellson , IA 0
3 4 13B Josh Barnes Keokuk , IA 0
4 6 57 Jake Shannon Donnellson , IA 0
5 1 77K Kyle Hamelton Keokuk , IA 0
6 5 58R Derek Randall Canton , MO 0

IMRA Midget Lites – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 2P Katlynn Leer Moulton , IA 0
2 3 24 Aaron Hull Monmouth , IL 0
3 4 47 Jack Sandalls Pekin , IL 0
4 1 09 Andrew Genkinger Mt. Pleasant, IA 0
5 5 51 Brent Burrows Lewistown , IL 0
6 6 28 John Springer Bushnell , IL 0
7 7 15M Shane Morgan Morton , IL 0
8 8 51R Andy Baugh Mason City, IL 0 DNS
9 9 0 Johnny Murdock Dallas , TX 0 DNS

IMRA Midget Lites – Heat
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 1 51 Brent Burrows Lewistown , IL 0
2 4 24 Aaron Hull Monmouth , IL 0
3 9 2P Katlynn Leer Moulton , IA 0
4 6 47 Jack Sandalls Pekin , IL 0
5 7 09 Andrew Genkinger Mt. Pleasant, IA 0
6 2 28 John Springer Bushnell , IL 0
7 8 15M Shane Morgan Morton , IL 0
8 5 51R Andy Baugh Mason City, IL 0
9 3 0 Johnny Murdock Dallas , TX 0 DNS

Category: Iowa, Lee County Speedway