Sandusky tops IMCA Modified field for East Moline win Zemo, Franzen, O’Dell, Wauters also find the winners circle

BY ROB HINCKLEY

 

EAST MOLINE, Ill. (May 16) – As he peeled the 13th tear off from his very moist and splattered helmet face shield, Jim Sandusky saw the checkered flag.

The longtime veteran’s biggest competition was the persistent drizzle of rain. He dominated the rest of the J&J Camper Sales IMCA Modifieds Sunday evening at East Moline Speedway, leading all 15 laps.

“Gratifying,” Sandusky described the victory in the winners circle. “I’m just fortunate to have the friends and family to help me get here.”

The Coal Valley pilot jumped from the front row and was really never challenged. He held off Brandt Cole through some lapped traffic on lap 12 and then reopened a big advantage for his first 2021 win.

“Starting up front was the whole deal,” he added. “I put on 18 tear offs and I probably have five left. I carried a rag with me and, luckily, caught a couple of those restarts and that definitely made a difference. It’d been tough to pass on this surface. It was just greasy.”

Cole slipped up the race track, but gathered it back for second place. Point leader Jeff Larson, Casey Franks and Brandon Durbin rounded out the top five. Sandusky kept the string of different 2021 Modified winners at EMS intact.

The new lineup format for the Weekend Performance IMCA Mod Lites did not deter point leader Mike Zemo, Jr. He raced from ninth starting spot to the point on lap nine to win the 15-lap finale. Jon Padilla, Michael Dominguez, Anthony Guss and Bryan Wonick followed.

Under the STARS banner, the class used a draw/redraw system to line up races. Under IMCA rules they take part in the point invert.

Jarrett Franzen mastered the high line to low groove move throughout the heat and 15-lap Legacy Corporation IMCA SportMod feature. He nailed it early and cruised to his second 2021 win.

Jacob Copley kept pace in points with the runner up finish ahead of point leader Logan Veloz, Rob Nylin and Trey Grimm.

Peter O’Dell sized up the possibility, took advantage of a late restart and zipped past Rick Schriner on the final corner to take the County Waste Systems Street Stock 15-lapper. After Schriner came Jesse Owen, Joe Bonney and Alex Pappas.

O’Dell became the third different winner in three races.

Daniel Wauters took his second Rudy’s Tacos IMCA Hobby Stock 12-lap feature, beating the only other winner so far this year, Drew Burk, to Joe Carleton’s checkers. Logan Gustaf, Donnie Cole III and Jared Miller followed.

The show was pushed along with the stubborn drizzle and showers, causing two delays. The final two features, Eriksen Chevrolet IMCA Late Models and Riverbend Pizza Place Sport Compacts, were finally called off and will be run this Sunday May 23.

Car counts continued to be impressive with a season high 101 in the pits and the final checkered flag fell before 9 p.m. as the rains came again.

The season continues on the quarter-mile dirt oval this Sunday May 23. Racing takes place in all seven classes, including the double features for Late Models and Sport Compacts. Gates open at 4 p.m. Hot laps are at 5:30 with racing to follow.

For more information, log on to the East Moline Speedway Facebook page or call 563-343-8250.

RESULTS:

Eriksen Chevrolet IMCA Late Models

Feature (25 laps) – Rained out. Make up feature Sunday May 23

1st Heat (10 laps) – 1. 07 Matt Ryan 2. R19 Joe Ross 3. 70 Shawn Mulvaney 4. 14 BJ Jackson

2nd Heat (10 laps) – 1. 99 Brian Harris 2. W56 Gary Webb 3. 53 Leroy Brenner 4. 7 Andy Nezworski

J&J Camper Sales IMCA Modifieds

Feature (20 laps) – 1. J1 Jim Sandusky 2. C9 Brandt Cole 3. B1 Jeff Larson 4. 81C Casey Franks 5. 15D Brandon Durbin 6. 313 Doug Lenth 7. 89 TJ Patz 8. 18C Mark VerVynck 9. 85 Andy Nezworski 10. 56D Travis Denning (Did Not Start – 4TW Tim Ward, 1 Eric Barnes, D1 Jesse Owen).

1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Denning 2. Nezworski 3. VerVynck 4. Patz

2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Sandusky 2. Durbin 3. Cole 4. Larson

Legacy Corporation IMCA SportMods

Feature (15 laps) – 1. 33 Jarrett Franzen 2. 55C Jacob Copley 3. 43LV Logan Veloz 4. 09R Rob Nylin 5. 88 Trey Grimm 6. 88D CJ Durbin 7. 79 Nathan Balensiefen 8. 43JV Justin Veloz 9. 18C Dakota Cole 10. B33 Cody Calam 11. 92 Jim Vierig 12. S4 Steven Spiker 13. 115 Jacob Lenth 14. 922 Chris Hesseling 15. 34 Josh Marth 16. 44 Joe Grant 17. 54F Andrew Francis (Did Not Start – 38 Brandon Comins, 27 Kyle Sturtz).

1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Grimm 2. Calam 3. Cole 4. Grant

2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Franzen 2. Copley 3. Durbin 4. Lenth

3rd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Nylin 2. Balensiefen 3. J. Veloz 4. L. Veloz

County Waste Systems Street Stocks

Feature (15 laps) – 1. 37 Peter O’Dell 2. 8 Rick Schriner 3. 95 Jesse Owen 4. 70 Joe Bonney 5. 3P Alex Pappas 6. 36 Ben O’Dell 7. R00 Veronica Anderson 8. 8H Kyler Hickenbottom 9. 81H Philip Schneider 10. 61S Jeff Streitmatter (Did Not Start – 94 Erick Turner, 27 Frank Waters).

1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Bonney 2. Owen 3. B. O’Dell 4. Waters

2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. P O’Dell 2. Schriner 3. Turner 4. Hickenbottom

Rudy’s Tacos IMCA Hobby Stocks

Feature (12 laps) – 1. 09 Daniel Wauters 2. 77W Drew Burk 3. 86 Logan Gustaf 4. B4 Donnie Cole III 5. 17M Jared Miller 6. 4R Randy Lamar 7. 81 Adam Parker (Did Not Start – 00 Dan Kessler).

1st Heat (6 laps) – 1. Burk 2. Wauters 3. Kessler 4. Miller

Weekend Performance IMCA Mod Lites

Feature (15 laps) – 1. Z Mike Zemo, Jr. 2. 11P Jon Padilla 3. 5 Michael Dominguez 4. 29 Anthony Guss 5. 131 Bryan Wonick 6. 91 Rob Guss 7. 21 Dillon Letts 8. 17M Mike Morrow 9. 18G RJ Gonzales 10. 16 Blake Gonzales 11. 00B Brittani Dominguez (Disqualified – 101 Nick Proehl).

1st Heat (8 laps) – 1. Zemo 2. Morrow 3. R. Guss 4. B. Dominguez43

2nd Heat (8 laps) – 1. Padilla 2. R. Gonzales 3. Wonick 4. M. Dominguez

Riverbend Pizza Place Sport Compacts

Feature (12 laps) – Rained out. Make up Feature Sunday May 23

1st Heat (6 laps) – 1. 815 Dustin Forbes 2. 28 Cyle Hawkins 3. 514 Jason Rhoads 4. 71 Michael Snyder

2nd Heat (6 laps) – 1. 22DB Dustin Begyn 2. 78J Jamie Armstrong 3. 101 Nick Proehl 4. 24X Tommy Staggs

3rd Heat (6 laps) – 1. 03 Blake Dotson 2. 05 Cody Proehl 3. 53 Norm Marcov 4. 3X Cody Montgomery

Category: Illinois